Martize Tolbert
Photo: Ahna See/Albemarle Magazine
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 February 2025, Albemarle Magazine recognized him as one of Charlottesville’s 10 celebrated “changemakers,” and in October 2024, he shared his life story as a visionary speaker at Disrupt HR. He holds leadership roles with the Network2Work Advisory Committee, Charlottesville Area Justice Coalition, and the Charlottesville/Albemarle Reentry Council Steering Committee. His work with the Reentry Council 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.
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. As of 2025, lending and credit-building activities are offered in Charlottesville and Richmond, VA; Philadelphia, PA; Boston, MA; and New Orleans, LA. Repaid loans are recycled back into the community to support the economic improvement of other formerly incarcerated individuals, their families, and their communities.
