[News 10/31/07] It’s not easy being green

ENVIRONMENT
“Local Pollution Counters Region’s Reputation as Eco-Leader” (WaPo, 10/31)

> For WG members: Wed., Nov. 7: Join in a dialogue with key government representatives about how to successfully implement the landmark Green Building Legislation in Fall 2008.

PHILANTHROPY
A $77 million gift from Washington Post Co. Chairman Donald E. Graham to his wife, Mary Graham, “will be placed in a trust to be administered by her and will help establish a foundation. The foundation’s mission is being finalized.” (WaPo, 10/31)

“Foundations push presidential candidates to discuss poverty” (PND, 10/31)

“The Boston College Center on Wealth and Philanthropy is launching a groundbreaking study, The Joys and Dilemmas of Wealth.” (wire, 10/30)

BUDGET
[Md.] New report from Maryland Budget and Tax Policy Institute: “Left Behind in the Budget Debate” - “…the current budget seriously under-funds critical programs and services impacting vulnerable populations.” (wire, 10/30)

EDUCATION
[D.C.] Mayor Fenty and Chancellor Rhee will hold an Education Town Hall for Youth on Saturday (click and scroll down). 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. at THEARC. Fenty and Rhee will outline their plans and solicit ideas from students. (WaPo, 10/31)

[D.C.] “Shortchanging charter schools” (WaTimes editorial, 10/29) - “Some legal analysts say the supplemental request… would illegally bypass the Uniform Per Student Funding Formula…”

TEEN PREGNANCY
Courtland Milloy celebrates our region’s drop in teen pregnancy and birth rates. (WaPo, 10/31)

HOUSING/HOMELESSNESS
[Va.] “The Faces Of Affordable Housing” in Arlington, Va. (Connection, 10/30)

“You didn’t tell me you were gonna kill it!”

Gotta do it.

Happy Halloween! (Don’t get stuck in traffic!)

[News 10/30/07] Teen pregnancy and birth rates plummet in D.C. region

In 1996, D.C.’s pregnancy rate for females age 15 to 19 was 164.5 per 1,000. In 1998, a number of area funders committed to cutting D.C.’s teen pregnancy rate in half by the year 2005. The Summit Fund of Washington was an early leader, making a three-year, $750,000 grant to help launch the DC Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy.

“The city was remarkably unified,” recalled Brenda Rhodes Miller, executive director of the D.C. Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy. Advocates vowed to reduce the rate to the mid-70s by 2005. Instead, as statistics released this month show, it plunged to 64.4.” [more] (WaPo, 10/29)

The Campaign’s current supporters include several Washington Grantmakers members. 

PHILANTHROPY
“Overall, private support for arts institutions, including libraries, museums and public broadcasting, rose 17.5 percent from 2005 to $2.5 billion. By comparison, U.S. educational institutions, a leading magnet for private philanthropy, saw an 11.3 percent increase in private donations to $17.6 billion,” according to a Chronicle of Philanthropy survey. (Bloomberg, 10/29)

Here in blog-land, the Chronicle ponders a post on Albert Ruesga’s blog, which notes: “Effective board members exist, but they appear to be rare birds indeed.”

“Advisers not confident in guiding charitable dollars” (InvestmentNews, 10/29)

SCORES FOR SCHOOLS
That Gilbert Arenas seems like a good guy, eh? “His unexpected largesse had just cost him $62,000, and he left the Verizon Center the way he came in, giving high-fives and handshakes to each of the kids who lined his path.” (WaPo, 10/30)

Prince George’s County Needs YOU!

Do you want to make Prince George’s County a better place? Do you have ideas about strengthening the capacity of the county’s nonprofit sector? Do you recognize the importance and value of collaboration?

Then the Partnership for Prince George’s County needs you! (And other people like you.)

Moving swiftly towards its launch in January, the Partnership is looking for twelve individuals to participate in its Steering Committee. We encourage you to nominate yourself, and anyone else you think would make a strong leader.

Please review this document for guidelines, expectations, and process information.

[News 10/29/07] Case Foundation Names Top 100

The Case Foundation’s Make It Your Own Awards (TM) lets the public help award money by searching out great ideas online. In the end, a whopping 4,641 people submitted applications. A diverse team of reviewers has narrowed the field to 100 semifinalists and 20 finalists will be selected in February 2008.  (Wire, 10/26)

WG member Public Welfare Foundation “Seeks to Make a Greater Impact by Narrowing Its Focus” (Chronicle, 10/27 - subscription) 

Corporate: “How doing the right thing pays off” (WSJ, 10/28)

“The growth rate of donations to America’s largest charities slowed last year after several years of record gains.” (WSJ, 10/27 - subscription)

The Washington Business Journal previews National Capital Philanthropy Day (10/26) 

JUVENILE JUSTICE/YOUTH DEVELOPMENT
Colbert King: “A Sad Toll Within Juvenile Justice’s Realm” (WaPo, 10/27)

EDUCATION
WG member National Geographic Society’s Education Foundation will distribute $2.67 million to Geography Alliances across the country through grant commitments announced today. “Young people need to be geographically literate in order to understand and care about our planet. These programs reflect our commitment to prepare teachers and students for an increasingly interconnected world,” said Director of Grantmaking (and WG Board Member) Christopher Shearer. (TVPoint, 10/27)

[Va.] In Virginia, “young adults from high-income families are four times as likely as their low-income counterparts to attend college — the widest gap in the nation.” (WaPo, 10/28)

ENVIRONMENT
“Prince George’s announces Anacostia initiatives” - “The Trash Netting System and Green Street project will significantly improve the water quality in the tributary and ultimately the Anacostia River.” (TWC, 10/27)

NONPROFITS
Two D.C. nonprofits may get big donations resulting from a year-long legal battle between Verizon and Vonage. (WaPo, 10/29)

[News 10/26/07] $10 Million gift to pre-college program for students in D.C.’s Ward 7

EDUCATION
[D.C.] A $10 Million Gift from the Meyers Foundation (Boston businessman Daniel M. Meyers) will allow Georgetown University’s newly renamed Meyers Institute for College Preparation “to expand its proven model of academic success and college access to more than 500 public school students from the District of Columbia’s Ward 7 over the next ten years.” (10/25)

[Va.] With a budget shortfall expected, Fairfax school officials consider cancelling the annual cost of living increase for employees and teachers–and everyone thinks it’s a great idea! (Just kidding.) (Examiner, 10/26)

[Va.] “Kaine’s Plan to Expand [Pre-school] Access Bumps Against Fiscal Forecast, Frustration Over Funding Formula” (WaPo, 10/25)

VOLUNTEERISM
“Spending Time In Service To Others” (WaPo, 10/25) - “Residents of suburban Washington generally devote about 60 hours per year to volunteering, compared with 50 hours nationally.” Fairfax County residents can attend Volunteerfest this Saturday.

HOUSING/GROWTH
“Fairfax County Is Test Market for D.C.-Based Housing Center” (WaPo, 10/25)

HEALTH
“Wider Health Coverage Plan Proposed for Md.” (WaPo, 10/26) - The plan would cover 100,000 adults. Currently, “the state’s coverage for adults ranks among the worst, limiting benefits to those earning less than half of the federal poverty rate.”

FIRES IN CALIFORNIA
“The San Diego Foundation opens ‘After-the-Fires Fund’ to respond, recover, rebuild.”

[News 10/25/07] Report: Maryland’s nonprofits are underfunded

Maryland Nonprofits reports that “per capita revenue for Prince George’s nonprofits is the lowest in the region at $8,124 compared with a state average of $18,859,” with county donors largely supporting the county’s ”vibrant faith-based sector.” The new report, funded in part by WG member The Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation, will be released at a community briefing on Oct. 31.

The report draws heavily on the recent Prince George’s County Series sponsored by Washington Grantmakers and Prince George’s Community Foundation. In the wake of that series, Washington Grantmakers is helping to launch the Partnership for Prince George’s County to build the capacity of Prince George’s County’s nonprofits. 

POVERTY
“D.C.’s Two Economies” - D.C.’s poverty rate is the highest in nearly a decade, and “the employment rate for African American adults is at a 20-year low,” reports D.C. Fiscal Policy Institute. ”Income inequality in the District is greater than in every city in the United States other than Atlanta and Tampa.” (WaPo, 10/24)

PHILANTHROPY
“Hacking Philanthropy: the Emergence of Markets Can Change the Sector” (onPhilanthropy, 10/24)

“New eBay site lets people finance world’s poor” (Reuters, 10/23)

HOUSING/HOMELESSNESS
“District Closing ‘Inhumane’ D.C. Village” (WaPo, 10/23) - City promises transitional housing for all 115 families by week’s end

MAKING A DIFFERENCE
[Va.] A student-designed wetlands habitat project at Loudoun Valley High School was made possible by through a public-private partnership between the Newton Marasco Foundation (WG member) and the public schools system. (Leesburg Today, 10/25)

[Va.] “Sprint Foundation Awards $25,000 to Support Equal Footing Foundation Computer Clubhouse Program” (Wire, 10/23)

AFFORDABLE HOUSING
[Va.] “Alexandria OKs loan for affordable housing project” (WBJ, 10/24)

Meyer Foundation President Julie Rogers will speak…

… at Wolf Trap’s Philanthropy Forum on Friday, Nov. 2. ”Strengthening the Community Through Strategic Philanthropic Investment.” 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Register online or by calling (703) 255-4030.

[News 10/22/07] Election ‘08: “Foundations Shine Spotlight on Poverty”

Foundations Shine Spotlight on Poverty Issues in Campaign 2008 (Chronicle, 10/19) - “The Annie E. Casey Foundation [WG member] in Baltimore and the Eos Foundation in Boston are leading an effort to put the issues of poverty and opportunity high on the agenda…”

JUVENILE JUSTICE/YOUTH DEVELOPMENT
WaPo Magazine cover story on a wilderness adventure for Oak Hill teens. (WaPo, 10/21)

Colbert King: “Who’s Minding Troubled Youth?”  - King calls for “an independent case-by-case review of Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services placement decisions since 2006.” (WaPo, 10/20)

HEALTH
[D.C.] Mayor Fenty fires Health Dept. director Gregg Pane. Carlos Cano is the interim director. (WaPo, 10/20)

New GIH Report: “Findings From the 2006 Survey of Foundations Formed From Health Care Conversions” (PND, 10/22)

[D.C.] Final agreement reached on sale of Greater Southeast Community Hospital. The plan goes to D.C. Council for final approval on Tuesday. (WaPo, 10/20)

[Md.] Johnson Promises to Release Health System Funds for Prince George’s County - Hospital employees aren’t celebrating yet, noting that “Johnson could simply have wired funds to the hospital rather than announcing plans to do so soon.” (WaPo, 10/20)

COMMUNITIES/DEVELOPMENT
[D.C.] Residents Urge Fenty to Build Soccer Stadium at Poplar Point (WaPo, 10/21)

BUDGET
[Md.] Slots or no slots? Some think a ballot referendum may be the best way to decide. (WaPo, 10/21)

[News 10/19/07] Philanthropy Friday

Slate.com’s Philanthropy issue:

• - “Great Expectations: Why big donors back Teach for America (10/19)
• - “Fantasy Philanthropy Baseball: Compete for capital!” (10/19) (Seems so simple until he says “according to an agreed-upon set of metrics” –aye, there’s the rub.)
• - “Virtue for Sale: Will customers pay more to do good?” (10/19)

“CECP Releases New Research Analyzing Trends in Corporate Philanthropy” - Giving in Numbers 2007 (.pdf) Edition contains “an analysis of 2006 corporate philanthropy data from 136 leading companies.”

Hewlett Foundation looks into creating a “social marketplace” of information - Susan Bell: “[G]iven two organizations doing the same kind of work, it stands to reason that one might be more effective. And we’d like to create tools to help that one get more support… We don’t know what [the tool] looks like yet. But if you take DonorEdge, the great resource site that the Greater Kansas City Community Foundation created, and amplify it, that’s what we’re considering.”

Earlier this week, Eli Broad and the Heinz, Mellon and Tata families were awarded the Carnegie Medal of Philanthropy. (IHT, 10/17)

HEALTH
[Md.] “Erickson’s Charlestown community and St. Agnes Hospital are scheduled today to announce… a computerized link between the medical records at the two facilities… Erickson’s push forward comes as other highly praised public and private efforts to build electronic records exchanges have slowed down or sputtered out altogether.” (Baltimore Sun, 10/19)

SCHIP–down but not out  - “Four moderate Republicans sent Pelosi a letter outlining what they thought could win passage, including a cap at 300 percent of the poverty level, a phasing out of eligibility for some adults and an expressed prohibition on covering illegal immigrants. “The modifications needed are relatively modest,” said Rep. Heather A. Wilson (R-N.M.).” “Public opinion polls show that 75 to 80 percent of the nation supports the vetoed bill.” (WaPo, 10/19)