The Marietta Community Foundation has launched the Foundation First Matching Campaign, a drive in which Ryan and Katarina Robinson will match, dollar for dollar, up to $2 million in qualifying unrestricted gifts to the foundation through Dec. 31, 2026.
The campaign, announced this week, opened with momentum already behind it. As of launch day, the drive had raised $522,862 — more than 25 percent of its $2 million goal before it was publicly announced — thanks to an early group of supporters the foundation calls its “Friends.”
“Having support from this early group truly strengthens the message that this campaign is far more than just our family’s match. It’s a unique opportunity for a community to collaborate for its own greater good,” Ryan Robinson said. The early supporters include Artex Oil Company, in honor of Bob Kirkbride, along with Sally Evans, Bob and Carol Chase, Chris and Kim Hall, and other Washington County donors.
The foundation describes Foundation First as a once-in-a-generation opportunity after more than five decades of turning local generosity into lasting impact in Washington County. Unrestricted gifts matter, foundation leaders say, because they let the organization respond to needs as they arise rather than tying every dollar to a single program.
Matching campaigns work by doubling the effect of each donation during the window: a gift made between Oct. 12 and Dec. 31 counts twice toward the foundation’s capacity, up to the $2 million match ceiling. The structure is designed to bring in both longtime donors and first-time givers before the end of the tax year.
The Marietta Community Foundation channels grants and scholarships across Washington County, supporting nonprofits, community projects and students. A successful campaign at this scale would significantly expand the resources it can deploy in the county in the years ahead.
Community foundations grow through exactly this kind of compounding generosity: gifts made today are invested and granted out over years, so a dollar-for-dollar match effectively doubles both the immediate fundraising total and the long-term grantmaking the endowment can sustain for Washington County organizations.
Residents who want to take part can make a qualifying unrestricted gift before Dec. 31 to have it matched. With more than a quarter of the goal already raised at launch, the foundation is asking the wider community to carry the campaign the rest of the way.
Photo: pasa47, CC BY 2.0