About Us

The John Thompson III Foundation intends to aid those organizations working within Washington, D.C. to address the community’s more dire conditions, including:

The 2005 estimated poverty rate was 19.8 percent of all residents, or 98,069 persons, living below the federal poverty level

36 percent of all children and 42 percent of all African-American children were living below the federal poverty level in 2005.

While the District ranks second highest in per capita personal income among the states, it also ranks third highest in overall poverty rates and highest in poverty rates for children.

More than 40% of youth in the District do NOT complete high school.

Nearly 49% of the youth that are enrolled in the majority of the District’s high schools are truant.

In 2005-06, only 27 percent of all DCPS and public charter school students tested at a proficient or advanced level in math.

Cancer is the second leading cause of death among District residents (22% of all deaths are due to cancer alone). Cancer is 27 percent more prevalent among blacks (512.8 cases per 100,000 population) than whites (404.5 cases per 100,000 population).

In the District of Columbia, the percentage of women who receive prenatal care varies from 70 percent among blacks to 90 percent among whites.

District of Columbia has higher rates of heart disease, stroke and all cancers on average than the rest of the United States.

The Infant Mortality Rate for the District of Columbia has decreased from 11.9 per 1,000 live births in 2000 to 10.6 per 1,000 live births in 2001. The rate has declined by 42 percent over a 10-year period since 1992. But is still almost double the national average.

Based on per capita violent deaths in 2005, the District of Columbia was found to be the third most dangerous city in the country.

Deaths to children and teenagers rose by 28 percent in 2004.

Crimes committed by juveniles against other persons did increase for the third consecutive year and made up the largest proportion of juvenile crimes.

Violent deaths to older teenagers rose in 2004, matching the levels of the late 1990s.

The January 2006 homeless count included 3,485 homeless adults and children in families.