Dear ECCF Friend,
Happy New Year! I hope your 2024 is off to a peaceful and healthy start.
As I look back on 2023, the last 12 months have been filled both with challenges and achievements, much like every other year that’s come before. But 2023 was also very different. It marked the successful end of a remarkable era, and a transition into the next phase of our evolution as a community foundation: the celebration of 25 years of service to Essex County.
It’s hard to believe, but it’s true. In 2024, Essex County Community Foundation turns a quarter of a century old. And much like a parent witnessing a child, filled with promise and possibility, grow into a caring, compassionate and thriving adult, I couldn’t be more proud of the foundation’s first 24 years and eager to see what the future holds for ECCF as we commemorate this significant milestone.
ECCF’s first 24 years in service to the people of Essex County closed with a first-of-its-kind event: The State of Essex County: Elevating Community and Collaboration. The year was also marked by record-breaking investments in Essex County’s cities and towns and expanded cross-sector community engagement across all ECCF’s focus areas, including digital and racial equity, arts and culture, workforce development and more. All the while, the collaborative spirit that guides this work has led to strengthened systems and resiliency.
To learn more about all we achieved together in the last year, check out the link to our hot-off-the-digital-presses 2023 Annual Report, which is chock full of stories of the organizations, nonprofit leaders, artists, donors and partnerships working to improve our communities. And stay tuned for print copies of the report, which will be available in the coming weeks.
A year-long celebration of ECCF’s 25th anniversary will culminate with a party you won’t want to miss on Nov. 13, 2024 at Danversport. We can’t wait to share the exciting details of this event with you soon! And as we begin to commemorate our quarter century mark in the coming weeks with stories and special publications, the foundation also continues the careful and comprehensive process of finding the organization’s next leader. The ECCF search committee has selected Koya Partners to aid in the search and a stakeholder engagement process is well underway. Within the next month, ECCF will be ready to share the CEO position description and the search timeline. It’s an exciting time for the foundation.
Please stay tuned to ECCF’s website, social media channels and your email for updates on 25th anniversary celebrations, along with news on our collective efforts to expand opportunities for every resident that calls Essex County home. Together, we have made great strides, but there is still much work to do.
We are so privileged to have you along with us on this journey. Happy New Year and we look forward to connecting with you this year.
Sincerely,
Beth Francis
President & CEO
Essex County Community Foundation
