February 28, 2007
– TOMORROW (3/1) - Corporate Affinity Group Luncheon –
“Strategic Philanthropy: Balancing the Need to Build a Brand”
Noon - 2 pm (WG members only)
EDUCATION
[DC] Most on Council Back Fenty’s Takeover Plan (WaPo, 2/28)
But several favor amendments to return some authority to Board.
> Mayor Fenty’s Plan (draft, .pdf)
Policy breakfast forum with Mayor Fenty
“Early Childhood: What’s on the Horizon?”
Advancing Program Access, Quality, and Funding
Thursday, March 1, 8:30 - 10:30 AM
Charles Sumner School, 1201 17th Street, NW
RSVP to Steph Cheng or 202-724-1398.
Co-sponsored by the DC Education Compact
CHILD WELFARE
[DC] Deadline to Meet Goals Extended (WaPo, 2/28)
Promising reform, the Fenty administration has negotiated a Dec. 31, 2008 deadline for overdue changes.
> The class-action lawsuit (currently known as LaShawn A. v. Fenty) is now 18 years old.
> DC Action for Children (funded by several WG members) has provided recommendations to the Committee on Human Services.
HEALTH
[DC, VA, MD, USA] 12-Year Old Dies of Toothache (WaPo, 2/28)
$80 worth of preventative care would have saved him. In Virginia, Maryland and the District, fewer than 1/3 of children in Medicaid program receive dental services.
PHILANTHROPY
Videos from the 2007 Family Foundation Conference
The Council on Foundations has posted videos of its plenary speakers.
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Posted by nick geisinger
February 27, 2007
HOUSING/HOMELESSNESS
[DC] D.C. housing boom displacing low-income families (AP, 2/25)
“A record 56,047 families from the District of Columbia were on waiting lists for public housing and Section 8 vouchers in November.” Hundreds of families wait for spots in D.C. Village, a program of the Coalition for the Homeless (whose funders include several Washington Grantmakers members.)
[VA] In N.Va., Let Down By a Rising Economy (WaPo, 2/27)
Expensive housing and an unpredictable job market can lead to sudden poverty and homelessness in the country’s second-richest county, where shelters have waiting lists and zoning disputes prevent action. [In related news, Fairfax's 10-yr plan to prevent and end homelessness in Fairfax/Falls Church, was approved this week.]
– TOMORROW (2/28) - Shaw Neighborhood Tour –
Interested in preserving affordable housing in DC? Attend the Washington Grantmakers’ Community Development Support Collaborative’s first 2007 “Know Your Neighborhoods” tour, hosted by OneDC (Space limited, RSVP mandatory)
EDUCATION
[DC] Fenty’s Overhaul Plan Echoes Janey’s (WaPo, 2/27)
* Mayor Fenty’s plan (draft, .pdf)
“Much like before, only faster and with more accountability” seems to be this article’s take on the plan. Fenty’s additions include merit bonuses for teachers, better K-8 math and reading programs, and expanded AP and vocational courses.
Children taking more AP classes, learning less (WaPo editorial, 2/27)
CHILDREN
[MD] Ways to Fix Juvenile Justice in 100 Days (Examiner, 2/26)
This op-ed from Advocates for Children and Youth (ACY) in Maryland has suggestions for fixing the state’s ”embarrassment” of a juvenile justice system. (ACY’s funders include WG members Freddie Mac Foundation, Annie E. Casey Foundation, and Open Society Institute.)
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Posted by nick geisinger
February 26, 2007
(Happy National Corporate Philanthropy Day!)
Nonprofits optimistic about Fannie Mae restructuring (Examiner, 2/26)
“When announcing the reorganization, [Fannie Mae] pledged that it would maintain giving levels at least as high as the foundation’s.” “By combining the foundation and the corporate giving program, they’re going to maximize their resources and their giving potential” said Tamara Lucas Copeland, Washington Grantmakers.
HEALTH
[DC/MD] Purchase of S.E. Hospital May Collapse (WaPo, 2/25)
The hospital situation in Southeast DC is similar to that in Prince George’s County. With many struggling hospitals in close proximity, WaPo business columnist Steven Pearlstein recently suggested that Maryland officials should co-fund a needs assessment that DC Mayor Fenty has reportedly commissioned, in order to look at the region’s health facility needs.
Governors Seek Aid for Child Health Care (AP, 2/26)
Governors from both parties are opposing a Bush administration budget choice that jeopardizes health coverage for millions of children of the working poor. The budget shortchanges the State Child Health Insurance (SCHIP) program by $10 to $15 billion over five years.
EDUCATION
[VA] Loudoun May Join Fairfax, Defy ‘No Child’ Mandate (WaPo, 2/24)
More open disagreement with the law in Northern Virginia. - “[I]t’s ethically and professionally wrong to give a child a test for which they can’t be prepared…” - Loudoun Superintendent Edgar B. Hatrick
PHILANTHROPY
Donor-advised funds help to leave a legacy (St. Paul Pioneer Press, 2/25)
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Posted by nick geisinger
February 23, 2007
WASHINGTON, Feb. 23 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — Fannie Mae (NYSE: FNM) announced the establishment of a new Office of Community and Charitable Giving that will build on the corporation’s philanthropic and housing and community development work, including significant new investments and initiatives in Washington, DC. The company also announced that Stacey D. Stewart, former President and Chief Executive Officer of the Fannie Mae Foundation, is joining the company as a Senior Vice President to head the new office.
For 2007, philanthropic grants and projects will be funded through a combination of Fannie Mae Foundation and company resources as the Foundation winds down its activities. Read the rest of this entry »
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Posted by washington grantmakers
February 23, 2007
HEALTH
[MD] What’s Ailing Prince George’s Hospital? (WaPo, 2/23)
Yes, half of the center’s 180,000 patients lack health insurance, and yes, it will take about $100 million in upgrades to attract paying “customers.” But the true ailment goes unmentioned in the article until this quote from veteran nurse Debbie Wilkes: “We’re a pretty good example of how bad the health-care system is in this country.”
EDUCATION
[DC] School Board Plan Counters Fenty’s Proposal (WaPo, 2/23)
Board President Robert Bobb (who has previously stated ”It’s pretty clear to me that the mayor gets to take over the school system”) is now making the case for keeping the current structure.
[VA] Fairfax Could Lose Millions for Defying ‘No Child’ (WaPo, 2/23)
Fairfax County doesn’t want to discourage young English learners by testing them on complex “grade-level” material, preferring instead to test progress reading, writing and speaking. But the U.S. Education Department threatens: Change the test, or lose $17 million.
[VA/DC] A Tale of Two Systems
Arlington County’s budget [WaPo, 2/23 (scroll)] includes Head Start classes, a foreign language pilot program for elementary school, technology upgrades and a two percent raise for all staff. Meanwhile, in DC, the school board is vowing to have textbooks on hand before classes start. [WaPo, 2/23]
HONORS
CWLA Names ”Corporate Advocate of the Year” (NewsWire, 2/22)
Freddie Mac Foundation [WG Member] and Corporation will be honored at the Child Welfare League of America’s annual conference next week.
PHILANTHROPY
- Where Tech Meets Philanthropy (WSJ, 2/23)
- Small Family Foundations Become Growth Industry (Baltimore Sun, 2/23)
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Posted by nick geisinger
February 22, 2007
EDUCATION
[MD] Prince George’s John Deasy and School Board Pleased with $1.68 Billion Budget (WaPo, 2/22)
The budget includes Deasy’s “Children Come First” initiatives–more IB / AP courses, more students taking SATs, more money for schools and teacher retention–”but the budget could receive a blow … if Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley (D) declines to fund the Geographic Cost of Education Index.”
[DC] Fenty Targets School Violence (WaPo, 2/22)
As part of a pilot program, advisers from Peaceoholics and East Capitol Center for Change (funded by several WG members) will serve as hall monitors, counselors and potentially peacemakers at Anacostia High and Johnson Junior High schools.
Pathways to Success in Higher Education (Diverse Education, 2/22)
With its ”Pathways to Success” program, funded by WG member the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation, Cornell University will actively seek out, advise and provide financial support to transfers from two local community colleges.
CHILDREN
Among Rich Countries, U.S. Child Well-Being Poor (OneWorld, 2/20)
“[Child well-being] is a bellwether for where we’ll end up in the global market 20 years from now… It impacts our global security” says Laura Beavers, research associate at the Annie E. Casey Foundation [WG member]. ”If we had our resources directed in the right way, we wouldn’t be where we are.”
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Posted by nick geisinger
February 20, 2007
Last Monday, the Program Committee of Washington Grantmakers came together to review the board’s strategic framework and offer guidance on our 2008 – 2010 plan. We asked them to come prepared to respond to four questions:
1. What do you as a grantmaker want most from Washington Grantmakers?
2. What should be our top two or three priorities?
3. What shouldn’t Washington Grantmakers be doing?
4. Should/could the work of Washington Grantmakers fall under an overarching thematic umbrella?
And prepared they were. Over five hours, the leaders of our working groups, affinity groups, collaboratives and other interested members of the Program Committee discussed ways to make sure that Washington Grantmakers is a value-added entity in the philanthropic community. I don’t want to share their ideas because we want to hear a fresh perspective from as many of you as possible. Next, we are convening a select group of foundation CEOs, and then we’ll ask for the entire community’s input at town hall meetings coming up in the spring.
Washington Grantmakers is YOUR membership organization. I hope you will give some thought to how you would answer the above questions, and then participate in our strategic planning process to help ensure that we meet your needs.
Best regards,
Tamara
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Posted by washington grantmakers
February 20, 2007
Children, Youth & Families (CYF) Working Group
Discussed on Thursday:
- building relationships with the new administration
- learning from other cities (report: New York City’s Disconnected Youth; CYF’s trip to New York with Mayor Fenty; )
- shared goals
- possibilities for regional collaboration around an age group or issue
- supporting the push for better cross-agency data
- DC government’s truancy task force (Truancy in the district is four times the national average)
- and more
Looking Ahead:
- Feb. 23 - WG’s Children, Youth & Families Working Group quarterly meeting (Guest: Deputy Mayor for Public Education Victor Reinoso)
- March 26 March 27 - DC Gov’t Summit: “Reconnecting Disconnected Youth”
- March 28 - Kickoff meeting: The Community Foundation for the National Capital Region’s Greater Washington Education Initiative
Read the rest of this entry »
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Posted by washington grantmakers
February 20, 2007
EDUCATION
[DC] After-School Programs for Middle-Schoolers (WaTimes, 2/19)
Project My Time is an initiative of the DC Children and Youth Investment Trust Corporation [WG member]. The trust is in partnership with several other stakeholders to carry out the initiative, including the mayor’s office, the D.C. Council, D.C. Public Schools, district agencies and philanthropic organizations.
[DC] Cautionary Wisdom on the Schools Takeover (WaPo, 2/17)
[VA] Teachers Fight Proposed Salary (WaPo, 2/18)
Prince William County Superintendent’s budget denies teachers a cost of living raise. (Related - Dec. 2006 study: “Teacher Pay Reforms: Political Implications of Recent Research“)
HEALTH
[MD] Expanded Health Care Becoming a Priority in Maryland (WaPo, 2/17 - scroll down to article)
Maryland House is full of bills to expand health care, but Senate leadership remains skeptical.
PHILANTHROPY
Guiding a New Generation of Philanthropists (U.S. News, 2/18)
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Posted by nick geisinger
