Honoring our Roots
Seventy-five years ago this week, the Eugene and Agnes E. Meyer Foundation was incorporated for the purpose of distributing its income for and “by itself conducting…charitable, scientific, literary and/or educational purposes.” The story about the founding of the Eugene and Agnes E. Meyer Foundation often goes something like this:
The Foundation was established in 1944 by Eugene Meyer — publisher of the Washington Post, head of the World Bank, and accomplished businessman — and his wife Agnes.
Every now and then, I would hear the words educator and activist added after Agnes’ name. But as the Meyer Foundation staff delved into the history of both Eugene and Agnes, what we learned explained so much about the values that undergird this institution. There is no question that Eugene was a leader in his field and someone who cared deeply about the Washington region. We’ve also learned that Agnes was a force in her own right — using her power, her voice, and her privilege to advocate for racial justice and systems change. We want to bring that same energy to our work.
As we continue to forge ahead in our mission of advancing equity, we felt the timing was right to revisit our brand identity to better reflect where we came from, who we are today, and where we aspire to go. And so, we are marking the beginning of our anniversary year by revealing a brand identity that pays homage to our roots and connects those roots to our values.
As we developed our brand, we sought input from stakeholders to help shape the look and feel of our new identity. We also worked closely with Ghost Note, a local digital creative agency with deep Washington roots, as our design partner. We could not be more thrilled with the results and hope you will be, too. In her blog post, our Communications Manager Ciara Myers goes into further detail about our new visual identity.
This brand is the inspiration for our new, streamlined website that we hope will help communicate our mission and vision in 2020 and beyond. At www.meyerfoundation.org, you will see changes that reflect more feedback we received from our stakeholders — for example, combining what were previously our goals in Asset Building and Employment under the new heading Economic Well-Being for better clarity and accuracy. We will continue to seek input from our community stakeholders and more intentionally center the voices and perspectives of those closest to the issues in developing solutions.
As we embark on the new year, I want to thank you for your partnership, your leadership, and deep commitment to our region. Throughout 2020, we look forward to sharing more about our roots of racial justice activism and co-creating a future where everyone thrives.
With great hope for the new year,
Nicky
