With the recent acquisition of a 16th nonprofit tenant, available space at the Nonprofit Village in Rockville is fully leased. To celebrate, officials of the county’s first and only multi-tenant center for nonprofits brought cupcakes and thanks to the Montgomery County Council on Tuesday. 

The County Council has provided financial and other support to the Nonprofit Village since its inception eight years ago.

When the Nonprofit Village was created, “the idea was to try to create the infrastructure to support these nonprofits,” said Doug Wrenn, a principal with Rodgers Consulting, Inc. and a Nonprofit Village board member. “We wanted to provide stable, affordable space that allows for collaboration and cooperation.”

The 10,000-square-foot space on Parklawn Drive is a short walk from the Twinbrook Metro station. Located on the second floor of a building belonging to the Jewish Council for the Aging, the space is leased to the Nonprofit Village, which then leases the space to nonprofits at below market rates. Village tenants have access to a full range of professional services that include a reception area and large and small meeting rooms, and shared copier, printer and fax machines.

“It’s been wonderful,” said Carol Walsh, executive director of the Montgomery County Collaboration Council for Children, Youth, and Families. “It gives us shared space so that we have access to conference rooms. It’s really economical, which is what a nonprofit needs. It also gives us a chance to network with other nonprofits and share ideas.”

Ana Astrid Molina, executive director of Coral Cantigas, a nonprofit that has been devoted to the appreciation and awareness of Latino choral music for 20 years, was similarly pleased with the center's benefits. Until recently, all activities have taken place in Molina's home. With the services and space at the Nonprofit Village, the organization has the ability to hold meetings and work at times that are convenient to other members of the group, Molina said.

For more information about the Nonprofit Village see its Web site.