Mission Statement

The Community Engagement Cluster (CEC) builds stronger, informed, and inclusive communities. The Cluster strengthens Montgomery County's commitment to civic engagement and community service by engaging residents, organizations, businesses, and other community groups. The Cluster maximizes communities' assets - time, talents, and other resources - working collaboratively to address and resolve community issues.

Established in 2011, the CEC is a combination of five Regional Services Centers, the Commission for Women, and the Office of Community Partnerships, which includes the Gilchrist Center, Volunteer Center, and Translations Unit, with each office/function having its own focus and expertise. The CEC receives administrative support from an internal business management team as well as from the Office of Management and Budget.

Budget Overview

The total recommended FY27 Operating Budget for the Community Engagement Cluster is $10,681,744, an increase of $436,706 or 4.26 percent from the FY26 Approved Budget of $10,245,038. Personnel Costs comprise 71.19 percent of the budget for 36 full-time position(s) and 21 part-time position(s), and a total of 46.25 FTEs. Total FTEs may include seasonal or temporary positions and may also reflect workforce charged to or from other departments or funds. Operating Expenses account for the remaining 28.81 percent of the FY27 budget.

County Priority Outcomes

While this program area supports all eight of the County Result Areas, the following are emphasized:

• An Affordable, Welcoming County for a Lifetime
• Effective, Sustainable Government
• Thriving Youth and Families

Program Performance Measures

Performance measures for this department are included below (where applicable), with multi-program measures displayed at the front of this section and program-specific measures shown with the relevant program. The FY26 estimates reflect funding based on the FY26 approved budget. The FY27 and FY28 figures are performance targets based on the FY27 recommended budget and funding for comparable service levels in FY28.

Initiatives

• The Office of Community Partnerships maintains communication with marginalized communities via community conversations, town halls, email blasts sharing resources, and community advisory groups. These efforts create trusted access to county resources and elevate community input, evidenced by the community's turnout at the FY26 African American Community Conversation. Building on this trust, the department connects residents to economic opportunities, civic resources, and culturally responsive programs through initiatives like small business workshops, voter events, historic preservation, and regional partnerships.
• The Regional Services Offices support business clusters and corridors through the Place-Based Management program, enhancing commercial centers with marketing, maintenance, and community engagement events.
• The Regional Services Offices aid development and business investment by researching commercial real estate and tenant data for the County Executive's Office and local businesses.
• The Gilchrist Immigrant Resource Center will improve its referral system by cataloging more organizations and resources for better support services in Montgomery County.

Innovations and Productivity Improvements

• The Office of Community Partnerships strengthened multilingual engagement through in-language community forums, including Family Preparedness and Civic Protections Workshops for immigrant families, Refugee Resource Events, and FY27 Operating Budget forums conducted in Chinese, French, Haitian Creole, Korean, Vietnamese, and Spanish, with simultaneous interpretation.
• The Translation Unit expanded its services to support 30 County departments in Amharic, Chinese, French, Korean, Spanish, and Vietnamese, thereby significantly improving access to government information and services for residents with limited English proficiency. Since 2022, translation requests from County agencies have increased by 99% in word count and 96% in total projects completed.
• The African American Community Liaison convened 23 Community Exchange townhalls, creating consistent dialogue with residents, and generating more than 500 direct touchpoints with County residents. These forums attracted 33 attendees on average, demonstrating strong community trust and participation.
• The Commission for Women provided leadership to the Montgomery County Human Trafficking Prevention Committee. During 2025, the Committee trained members of the community about human trafficking, including members of the Montgomery County Public School system, fellow government entities, and non-profit organizations, and advocated for local legislation that supports human trafficking victims.
• The Commission for Women organized the 45th Annual Women's Legislative Briefing in January 2025, with over 500 participants.

• The Commission for Women provided 25 programs/seminars to several hundred residents in 2025 focused on enriching the lives of women and families by informing, educating, empowering, and supporting County residents.

• The Regional Services Offices provided guidance, marketing, resources, and support to various communities within each respective region to improve public safety trust and community relationships through multiple National Night Out events in collaboration with MCPD and MCFRS.
• The Regional Services Offices hosted numerous public meetings to increase community feedback on critical governmental initiatives including related to Planning Department sector plans in Upcounty and Fairland, MCDOT transportation plans, economic development efforts in support of Business Improvement District operations and development, transportation challenges, and other ongoing initiatives.
• The Regional Services Offices continued providing support to the four Urban Districts by providing programs, maintenance, beautification, events, staffing for boards, and marketing. Long time events continued, and new events were created, public art was increased (murals, signal box coverings, sculptures), and new businesses welcomed.
• The Regional Services Offices began efforts to explore the establishment of an urban or business improvement district for Germantown with staff, community outreach, branding, and marketing.

Program Descriptions

  Administration

The Administration Unit of the Community Engagement Cluster oversees the daily operations, administrative functions, and policies related to various areas, including budget, procurement, financial management, contract/grant management, human resources, information technology, office space coordination, fleet management, and records management for the CEC offices and the four Urban Districts....

  Community Partnership

The Office of Community Partnerships (OCP) is a bridge builder between the County's diverse communities and County government. Due to OCP's deep reach into communities, OCP worked closely with the Regional Directors to lead the County's 2020 Census Campaign. "Everyone Counts in Montgomery County" was a multifaceted campaign targeted toward...

  Regional Services Centers

The County has five Regional Services Centers: Bethesda-Chevy Chase, East County, Mid-County, Silver Spring, and Upcounty. The Regional Directors in each of the County's five regions work with their respective regional citizens advisory boards, residents, community groups, businesses, and other public agencies to proactively seek and gather information and assess...

  Commission for Women

The Commission for Women's mission is to identify gender-based inequities in laws, policies, practices, and procedures, and to advocate remedies by advising the public and local, State, and Federal agencies on issues of concern to women, including organizing events relating to these issues. In addition, the commission is responsible for...

  Gilchrist Center

The Charles W. Gilchrist Center for Cultural Diversity is the County's Welcome Center for newcomers and builds the network of immigrant service providers in the County. The center offers various immigrant integration services at multiple locations throughout the County that prepare residents to contribute to the economy and the community....