Nonprofit Quarterly writer Steve Dubb covered the OFN Conference, including the Gramlich Award given to two of our board members, Mary Houghton and Ron Gryzwinski.
The Gramlich Award is offered annually, typically given to a single individual in the field. But this year was different. Effectively, the award recognized an institution—ShoreBank—50 years after its founding. The CDFI’s four founders—Mary Houghton, Ron Grzywinski, Jim Fletcher, and Milton Davis—shared the Gramlich Award honors. Fletcher and Davis died years ago, but Houghton and Grzywinski both received their awards in person.
Grzywinski, in his acceptance speech, challenged the field. He called on banks to dramatically increase their financial and strategic support for CDFIs while also insisting that CDFIs step up their game. To further explore these themes, NPQ interviewed Houghton and Grzywinski afterward.
