Children “at promise”: Hope is a powerful contraceptive

Dr. Michael Carrera with the Children Youth and Families Working Group

On April 20, the founder of New York City’s Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention Program addressed Washington Grantmakers’ Children, Youth, and Families Working Group about his plans for Washington, D.C. Dr. Michael Carrera is working with Washington Grantmakers member D.C. Children and Youth Investment Trust Corporation (CYITC) to develop a “flagship program” at the Trinidad Recreation Center in Ward 5, which reopened last month after a two-year, $6.8 million renovation.  

Carrera founded the Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention Program in Harlem in 1984 with a unique approach: Rather than thinking of youths as “at risk,” why not view them as “at promise” and focus on “goodness, gifts and possibilities”? The program works with youths in seven key areas: education, employment, family life and sexuality education, self-expression, lifetime individual sports, medical and dental care, and mental health services. What drives Carrera? ”I ask myself, what do I want for my own daughter? That’s what I want for other people’s kids, too.”  

Results for program participants–who may begin in 5th or 6th grade and continue throughout high school and sometimes beyond–have been impressive: a 50 percent reduction in teen pregnancies, a 20 percent increase in high school graduation, and a 17 percent increase in college acceptance.

Read more about Dr. Carrera’s recent work here.

Washington Grantmakers’ funders agree to align public education efforts

Thanks to our members’ participation in Washington Grantmakers’ April 17 discussion on public education, the educational reform movement in the District may get another boost. The funders at our table acknowledged their commitment to “academic excellence” and agreed to begin discussions about the best ways to coordinate specific funding priorities so as to maximize impact. So far, discussions have focused on the importance of teacher and principal preparedness toward achieving academic excellence, and the importance of strong advocacy for reform.

Choosing specific focus areas is not saying: These are the most important things to fund. There are many, many crucial stops on the path toward academic excellence. Quality early childhood programs are important. Parent engagement in middle schools is important. College preparation in high school is important. There are plenty of roles for stakeholders to play. But if the Washington Grantmakers community identifies priority areas, examines the research, and coordinates focused investments… what an impact we will have.

This is the chance of a lifetime for the District’s children. The Fenty Administration has prioritized improving the District’s inadequate educational outcomes for children. National funders are investing huge sums to work in tandem with the public sector. The planets are aligning for change in a way that hasn’t occurred in the District in decades, and by aligning our own funding efforts, we’ll maximize the effectiveness of our grantmaking. When funders collaborate, the whole is greater than the sum of the parts.

Contact Carolynn Mambu or Christian Clansky at Washington Grantmakers to learn more about the next steps in this important process.

-Tamara

Monday, April 30 - In the News…

PHILANTHROPY
“The Internet is giving rise to a new breed of nonprofits whose existence would have been inconceivable a decade ago.” (SanFranBusinessTimes - 4/27)

“Confluence of celebrity and philanthropy” (HuffPo, 4/27) 

CHILDREN/YOUTH
WG Members: Regional Children’s Issues Briefing - May 11
Learn about the most pressing issues facing children and youth in the region. Leaders of DC Action for Children, Voices for Virginia’s Children and Advocates for Children and Youth (Maryland) will brief funders on issues in their individual jurisdictions, as well as concerns across the region.

Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Washington heads for the suburbs (WaPo, 4/29)

HOUSING
In Pr. George’s, Montgomery, and Fairfax counties, available affordable units dropped by roughly 25 percent between 2003 and 2005. In D.C., the drop was nine percent. Facing potential eviction, Gaithersburg residents assert their rights (WaPo, 4/28).

In D.C., tenants organize to buy their building (Finalcall.com, 4/29) D.C. Department of Housing and Community Development: “We’ve helped hundreds of families purchase their building over the last 20 years.”

ENVIRONMENT
[D.C.] Plans for Kingman Island (WaPo, 4/29) - The “grand opening” event for this long-neglected patch of wilderness in the middle of the Anacostia was on Saturday, but the Anacostia Waterfront Corporation is still looking for the millions needed to turn it into an education center.

Region’s “carbon dioxide binge” (WaPo, 4/29) Emissions from vehicles and electricity in this region are estimated to have increased at more than twice the national rate between 2001 and 2005.

HEALTH
New health clinic for the homeless, courtesy Georgetown Medical Center (TheHoya.com, 4/30)

EDUCATION
[D.C.] Fenty reaches out to businesses for funds (WaPo, 4/28) - The mayor’s plan stresses public-private partnerships; a “Developers’ Education Roundtable” would adopt schools, maintain facilities and provide school supplies.

Send a message: Congress should help, not hinder, D.C.’s HIV prevention efforts

The Washington AIDS Partnership and Washington Grantmakers are signing on to a DC Appleseed letter to the Appropriations Committee in the U.S. House of Representatives about the pending D.C. appropriations bill. A rider attached to the bill would again prohibit the District from spending local tax dollars to support needle exchange – a proven “best practice” program in preventing the spread of HIV infections.  If approved, the rider will have a major impact on the District’s ability to respond appropriately to the HIV/AIDS epidemic.   

• > DRAFT Appleseed Letter (.doc)

As major players in the HIV/AIDS community locally, it’s important for funders to join local advocates in voicing opposition to this restriction. This policy speaks to two issues grantmakers care about deeply: 1) In a city with the highest new HIV infections rate in the country, supporting proven prevention programs is essential.  2) Self determination–needle exchange programs would be funded by D.C. residents’ tax dollars, not federal tax dollars. 

DC Appleseed is gathering signatures to demonstrate community support for this important issue.  They will deliver the letter to Capitol Hill on Monday, April 30. If your foundation is interested in signing on to this letter or have questions, please contact WG’s Director of Public Policy Carolynn Mambu at mambu@washingtongrantmakers.org or Josh Levinson, DC Appleseed at jlevinson@dcappleseed.org.

Friday, April 27 - In the News…

PHILANTHROPY
Wanted: A Few Good Foundation Thinkers (Chronicle, 4/25)
To blog is to share thoughts and ideas–a good thing, right? So why so few foundation bloggers? “Albert Ruesga, vice president at the Eugene and Agnes E. Meyer Foundation, in Washington, is one of the few foundation leaders who leads provocative discussions online.”

Start a Business, Save the World (MSNBC, 4/25)
Creative entrepreneurs contribute to the social good.

WG COMMUNITY NEWS/EVENTS
Anne Mosle is leaving the Washington Area Women’s Foundation to become the vice president for philanthropy and volunteerism at the W.K. Kellogg Foundation. (Women’s Foundation Blog, 4/25)

The Foundation Center’s Symposium on the Future of Philanthropy - Featuring WG Members Julie L. Rogers, President, The Eugene and Agnes E. Meyer Foundation, and Douglas W. Nelson, President, The Annie E. Casey Foundation.

Remarks by the First Lady at the Community Foundation for the National Capital Region’s [WG member] ’A Celebration of Civic Spirit’ Gala

EDUCATION
Billionaires Start $60 Million Schools Effort (NYTimes, 4/25)
Eli Broad and Bill Gates team up for “Strong American Schools,” a “$60 million foray into politics in an effort to vault education high onto the agenda of the 2008 presidential race.”

HEALTH
Report: D.C. mortality high for breast cancer (WaTimes, 4/27)

Thursday, April 26 - In the News…

EDUCATION
“A Boom for D.C. Charter Schools” (WaPo, 4/25)
“If the trend continues, more students will attend charter schools than traditional public schools by 2014, according to a study [.pdf] last year by Fight for Children [WG member].”

HEALTH
“Fenty Vows Mental Health Reforms” - Mayor names new director of the Department of Disability Services (WaPo, 4/26)

POVERTY
Attorney General seeks limits on predatory lending (WaPo, 4/26)

CHILD ABUSE
“Shaking a baby shatters lives” (WaPo, 4/26)
Advertisements on area buses show the effects of child abuse.

Community Development Update

Here’s the latest news from Washington Grantmakers’ Community Development Support Collaborative (CDSC). Coming up:

May 31 - Neighborhood Tour - Ward 8
Learn about the opportunities and challenges entailed in revitalizing Ward 8.
9 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. Lunch provided. Registration required–contact Tamar Greenspan at 202.296.4582 or tgreenspan@lisc.org.

June 16 - MANNARAMA
Celebrate 25 years of community development in Washington, DC at ”The HOMEcoming dance.” (Lowell School, 1640 Kalmia Road, NW.) “Dress as you did back then, and get ready to do the stroll, the bump, and even the Soul Train line!” Tickets online for $45 or $55 at the door. Proceeds support Manna, Inc. and DC LISC.

The March/April issue of Newsbriefs is online. In this edition:

- Preserving Affordable Housing in Ward 4
- New House for Women in Employment Training Program
- Tenant Purchase in Manor Park
- Residents of Copeland Manor Purchase Property
- ONE DC Secures $2 Million for New Training and Hiring Program
- Local Rent Supplement Program Awards Announced
- National Development Council Training Comes to Washington

Funders in Washington Grantmakers’ Community Development Support Collaborative (CDSC) work to revitalize and stabilize low-income, distressed neighborhoods in the District of Columbia - especially in the preservation of affordable housing.

In the News…

…is home with a sick child today. Back tomorrow.

Tuesday, April 24 - In the News…

PHILANTHROPY
“Idol Gives Back” - 30 million ‘American Idol’ viewers will learn about Save the Children, The Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, and UNICEF Malaria No More. (Christian Post, 4/24)
E.J. Dionne: “What marks a genuine cultural change is “Idol’s” interest in poverty itself… The program will, in effect, be a sustained, two-night argument to “Idol” viewers that they might have an obligation to do something about injustice and the pain of others.”

BUDGETS
[Va.] Fairfax County Budget… (WaPo, 4/24)
- increases school spending by 4 percent;
- does not make up for loss of $6M in federal funding for child care. 960 child-care slots will be lost (waiting list already at 3,000);
- continues to preserve 1 cent of tax rate ($22.7M) for affordable housing and stormwater management;
- does not provide for a “living wage” for county employees.

EDUCATION
[D.C.] After resigning from the D.C. Board of Education in protest, Jeff Smith joins school advocacy organization DC VOICE as executive director. (WaPo, 4/24 - scroll)

HEALTH
[D.C.] “St. Elizabeths is making progress,” say Hospital Exec and D.C.’s director of mental health dept. (WaPo, 4/24)

[D.C.] “G’town med students to open clinic for homeless” (WBJ, 4/20)

VOTING RIGHTS
Poll: 61 percent of Americans favor D.C. House seat (WaPo, 4/24)

Monday, April 23 - In the News…

EDUCATION
“Teach for America” expands area presence (WaPo, 4/23)
Noting a new commitment to education reform in D.C. and Pr. George’s County, program officials hope to send 500 teachers our way by 2011.

“Community College: The Smart Transfer”  (NYTimes, 4/22)
The Jack Kent Cooke Foundation [WG member] provides scholarships to transfer students and funds top universities “to more effectively reach out to high-achieving community college students.”

CHILD WELFARE
[D.C.] D.C. child welfare system on trial (WaPo, 4/23)
A foster parent convicted of cruelty to children faces the judge today, and the Post revisits the “wreck” that is D.C.’s child welfare system. Advocate: “They haven’t even met the goals they’ve set for themselves.”

ENVIRONMENT
[Md.] Maryland Joins Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (WaPo, 4/21)
I’m thrilled that the state of Maryland is no longer sitting on the sidelines” - Brad Heavner, Environment Maryland.

HEALTH
[Md.] Montgomery Co.’s new $310,000 addiction recovery outreach program (WaPo, 4/23)

BUDGET
[Va.] Arlington’s FY 2008 budget ups school spending, restores human services, expands environmental initiatives, and gives employees raises. (WaPo, 4/22)