“If there is no struggle, there is no progress.”
—Frederick Douglass
ON FEBRUARY 20, 2026, FROM OUR COMMUNITY, WE RECOGNIZE
MARTIZE TOLBERT
Martize Tolbert is the National Director of Client and Community Engagement at The Fountain Fund. In this role, he serves as the agency’s lead spokesperson, expanding and establishing its presence in communities nationwide. By building bridges between Client Partners, team members and a wide array of reentry organizations, he helps ensure that justice-impacted individuals get the resources they need. Martize has been a community leader for over a decade. In April 2025, he shared the stage at Monticello with criminal justice icon Bryan Stevenson where he received the 2025 Thomas Jefferson Foundation Medal in Citizen Leadership, and in February 2025, Albemarle Magazine recognized him as one of Charlottesville’s 10 celebrated “changemakers.” In October 2024, he shared his life story as a visionary speaker at Disrupt HR, an annual event that showcases new voices that challenge traditional practices and promote innovation in the HR field. Martize holds leadership roles with the Network2Work Advisory Committee, Charlottesville Area Justice Coalition, and the Albemarle-Charlottesville Regional Jail (ACRJ) Reentry Steering Committee. His work with ACRJ led to the creation of a One Stop Shop, a monthly event which offers individuals in and around Charlottesville the opportunity to connect with 60+ agencies in a single location. Martize also mentors at-risk kids and works closely with the Readykids RealDads program. He is a member of the NAACP, serves on the Tom Tom Festival Board of Directors and is a member of the Catalyst Community with the Stand Together Foundation. Through Home to Hope and Piedmont Virginia Community College, Martize received certifications as a Peer Support Specialist, a WRAP Facilitator and in Motivational Interviewing. In 2021, Martize graduated from UVA Edge, a one-year education program for working adults at the University of Virginia.
Speaking Engagements:
▪ Second Annual Gun Violence Summit, The Co-Op: Divided Within, Speaker
(7/2025)
▪ Thomas Jefferson Foundation Medal in Citizen Leadership, Speaker & Awardee
(3/2025)
▪ The Fountain Fund “Daughters” Screening Event, Panelist (3/2025) ▪ Tom Tom
Festival
Tomorrow Talks: Creating Inclusive Culture, Speaker (2/2025)
▪ Second Annual Gun Violence Summit, The Co-Op: Divided Within, Speaker
(7/2025)
▪ Thomas Jefferson Foundation Medal in Citizen Leadership, Speaker & Awardee
(3/2025)
▪ The Fountain Fund “Daughters” Screening Event, Panelist (3/2025)
▪ Tom Tom Festival – Tomorrow Talks: Creating Inclusive Culture, Speaker (2/2025)
The Fountain Fund
Founded in 2017, the Fountain Fund provides low-interest loans and financial coaching, helping formerly incarcerated people build credit and achieve their self-determined goals. These goals often include securing transportation, affordable housing, and employment; building their own businesses; getting their driver’s licenses reinstated; and paying court-imposed fines and fees. To date, the Fountain Fund has distributed $5.8 million across five markets—New Orleans, Philadelphia, Richmond, Boston, and Charlottesville, serving over 800 clients. We’ve already recycled $2.8 million back into the fund, proving that when you invest in people and provide support, it works. 97% of The Fountain Fund’s Client Partners have not been re-incarcerated.