Amanda Taylor Marshall

Amanda Marshall is a woman with initiative, vision and the drive to do good. While an honors undergraduate at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, she founded the university's chapter of Operation Smile. This non profit organization dedicates itself to repairing maxillofacial deformities in children around the world, while building partnerships to promote sustainable healthcare. Her commitment to helping others, earned her the North Carolina Statewide Humanitarian Award.

Once she graduated from college, Marshall quickly made her way up the corporate ladder as a healthcare consultant at Ernst & Young in New York City . She soon left her lucrative job there however, to do what she knew was in her heart— help others. Ernst & Young's loss was the gain of the Robin Hood Foundation, which funds programs dedicated to kids and education in the New York Metropolitan Area. Subsequently, Taylor served as an advisor to the board of Jump Start, which, under AmeriCorps, pairs college students with children from low-income neighborhoods who are struggling in preschool. Marshall then moved to Washington , D.C.

She wasted no time in starting her own organization to help others. Fair Chance, which was founded only two years ago, has as its motto: “Every child deserves a fair chance to succeed,” and that is what Marshall and her associates strive to provide disadvantaged children in the Southeast D.C. communities east of the Anacostia River .

Fair Chance identifies grassroots organizations and individuals, through a due diligence process, that are filling a vital need in the community, that are passionate about their mission, that have strong leadership, and are committed to making a difference in the lives of the children and families in their community. Culling the energies, talents, and expertise of an ever-enlarging group of corporate and business sponsors who want to help, Fair Chance is able to provide financial assistance and professional services pro bono to carefully-chosen organizations and programs that are geared to tangibly helping disadvantaged kids. Supporter Jack Davies, (a winner of the Substance and Style Awards in 2002) says “Fair Chance plays a vital role in our community. By supporting grassroots initiatives in Southeast D.C. , Fair Chance is able to maximize the value of these programs that provide critical services, but are hard-pressed to stay afloat operationally. Fair Chance not only enhances the quality and outreach of the programming of each organization, but also works to ensure its long-term sustainability.”

One such program is MANN, Inc. (Making a Neighborhood Network) which acts as a nexus between existing social and human service programs and families living in the Congress Park housing development. During the first six months of the partnership, Fair Chance helped MANN Inc. build its organizational model, and secure its first-ever seed grant. Antwuan Ball, the founder of MANN, Inc., credits Fair Chance with giving him the opportunity to leverage his own experience growing up on the streets to create a viable program that effects real change in his neighborhood.

Amanda Marshall's initiative, vision, and drive have won support from an impressive list of organizations. The Fannie Mae Foundation, the Kimsey Foundation, the Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation, the Washington Post , BB&T, Vinson & Elkins LLP, and KPMG are only a few of the supporters she has secured in record time. Happily, the list keeps growing as more people and organizations get onboard to help every child get a fair chance.

Amanda lives in Logan Circle with her husband, Alex Marshall.