April 30, 2008
Philanthropists raise $28.7M for new facility for Capital Area Food Bank (WaPo, 4/30) - This will double food storage capacity, and give them the ability to prepare hot meals and accept bulk shipments. The list of donors includes several Washington Grantmakers members, including $500,000 each from The Cafritz Foundation, CapitalOne, the Phillip L. Graham Fund, and the J. Willard and Alice S. Marriott Foundation. The largest private donation is $3M from J.W. Marriott, Jr. D.C. government contributed $15M. The campaign’s goal is $36M.
The Year in Philanthropy - 2007 - A collection of the Foundation Center’s ‘07 works and some new interviews. Looks like a good read.
Profile: Hispanics in Philanthropy (HispanicBusiness.com, 5/1) - (Note: HIP’s 25th anniversary shindig this Sunday.)
PEOPLE
Interview with George Jones of Bread for the City (Examiner, 4/29)
DC SCHOOLS
Mayor Fenty says that Chairman Gray’s fund transfer plan will put art and after-school programs at risk. (WaPo, 4/30)
INTERNET
How non-profits are using social networking to raise money and awareness (ChiTrib, 4/30) - “We’re not claiming [online networks are] the panacea for philanthropies,” said Ben Binswanger, the Case Foundation’s chief operating officer. “[But] we think it’s way too early to dismiss it as an Internet fad. … We’re going to keep pushing down this path because we see enough spark here to make it interesting.”
IMMIGRATION ENFORCEMENT IN Pr. WILLIAM
Some kind of big policy change last night (WaPo, 4/30)… but after reading this thing twice, I’m not sure exactly what happened. Worst. Article. Evarrr.
HIGHER ED
HHMI Awards $60 Million to Invigorate Science Teaching at Liberal Arts Colleges (4/22) (via)
_______________________
@ WG:
- today! Arts & Humanitites Working Group kick-off!
- May 4-7 - Philanthropy’s Vision: A Leadership Summit (Council on Foundations)
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April 29, 2008
HEALTH
- Long-distance medicine… WG member Carefirst BlueCross BlueShield will make a $3 million grant to fund Maryland eCare at six Maryland hospitals (WaPo, 4/29). Doctors will oversee overnight care for patients from a command center in Wilmington, Delaware. These hospitals are facing a shortage of emergency room doctors. CareFirst and VP of Corporate Communications Maria Harris Tildon were also featured in this weeks’ Baltimore Business Journal article “You Have to Give Back to Win.”
- Northern Virginia Health Foundation (WG member) works to keep a vital health clinic open in Prince William County, Virginia. (Examiner, 4/26)
PHILANTHROPY
- “Bank of America, Wachovia among most charitable businesses” (Charlotte Observer, 4/25) - Several other WG members make the top 25 list in a new Foundation Center report.
- “New grantmaking priorities at the Freddie Mac Foundation were on display April 22, when the foundation announced a $500,000 grant to Reston Interfaith…” - (WBJ, 4/28 )
- The Women’s Foundation’s 1K Club was featured in the Washington Business Journal earlier this month. (4/11) - “By asking young female professionals for smaller amounts early in their careers, Caldwell hopes to inspire a lifetime of giving.”
DC SCHOOLS
- WaPo editorial: “The educational interests of 1,900 D.C. children are riding on Adrian Fenty’s trip to the Hill tomorrow.” (WaPo, 4/29)
- Rhee Gets Say Over Teacher Transfers (WaPo, 4/29)
PEOPLE
- Patricia Pasqual Named Director of Foundation Center’s Washington, DC, Office (wire, 4/28 )
FYI
- Deadline for WBJ/Greater DC Philanthropy awards is today.
_______________________
@ WG:
- tomorrow: Arts & Humanitites Working Group kick-off!
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April 29, 2008
HIP’s celebration on the morning of the COF Summit has a big line-up:
* Margarita Zavala, Wife of the President of Mexico
* Gara LaMarche, President of Atlantic Philanthropies
* Luis Ubiñas, President of the Ford Foundation
* Luz Vega-Marquis, President of the Marguerite Casey Foundation & HIP Founder
Register and find more info here. Contact Brianna Evans (brianna@hiponline.org) with questions. (Sunday, May 4, 2008 | 9:00am-12:00pm, Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center, 201 Waterfront Street | National Harbor, Maryland)
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April 28, 2008
EDUCATION
Profile: Michelle Rhee reveals her plans for the private sector’s role in D.C. school reform (WBJ, 4/25) - “In a meeting with members of The Philanthropy Roundtable on April 1, she repeated Fenty’s blunt request that they contribute $75 million every year for the next five years — while adding that most of the money would probably go toward teachers’ salary incentives.” This article is subscriber only, but a great interview. Read this week’s WBJ: (See also: PEWG)
Q: I’ve heard some nonprofits and businesses complaining that they can’t get a meeting with you.
A: I would agree with that. Everybody wants to meet with me. The bottom line is I can’t pay attention to every single little nonprofit that wants a meeting with me. If you try and appease everybody and take a meeting with every single person, all you’re going to do is spend all day long in meetings. I have to have focus. I have to have discipline.
- Pr. George’s Chief John Deasy backs proposal for equalized federal spending on schools in wealthy and poor areas. (WaPo, 4/28 )
- Fight for Children gives $300,000 to D.C. schools - this time in the WBJ (4/25)
- N.Va. Hit With Cost Of School Migration - “Pr. William policies drive immigrants to inner suburbs” (WaPo, 4/28 )
NONPROFITS
- Local nonprofits make case for funding before D.C. Council (WaPo, 4/26) - “Council Chairman Vincent C. Gray (D) chided [Youth Court's executive director] for failing to establish a board of directors and more sources of funding, pledges she’d made last year when the group requested and received $450,000… Dallas said her staff of a half-dozen is juggling 1,500 juveniles’ cases and has not had time to address those issues. Without the money, the 12-year-old-program will likely fold…”
- The WaPo has a profile of The Breastfeeding Center and director Pat Shelly. (WaPo, 4/27)
ENVIRONMENT
D.C. discovers that once per year isn’t enough for its Household Hazardous Waste and E-Cycling event. (WaPo, 4/27)
_______________________
@ WG:
- April 30: Arts & Humanitites Working Group kick-off!
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April 25, 2008
Fight for Children awards $100,000 grants to three D.C. schools (WaPo, 4/25) - “Michela English, president of Fight for Children [WG member], said she hopes the awards will lead to better communication among the city’s different school systems. ‘We want different schools working with intercity low-income schoolchildren to do more of what works well…‘”
HIV/AIDS
With Congressional ban lifted, D.C. to invest $494,000 in needle exchange programs by the summer. PreventionWOrks!, HIPS, Bread for the City, and Family Medical and Counseling Service will receive funds (WaPo, 4/25). (Background on grantmaker involvement here.)
PHILANTHROPY
- Charities may gain from tax plan (ChiTrib, 4/24)
- Rockefeller Gives Harvard $100 Million (NYTimes, 4/25) - A rabble-rouser might point out that this increases Harvard’s endowment from $35 billion to $35.1 billion.
PROBLEM!
D.C. drivers take the lead in drug use, driving drunk (Examiner, 4/25)
VOLUNTEERING - Next week is National Volunteer Week.
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April 24, 2008
Here’s the thing: Most nonprofits and foundations don’t capitalize on “the world’s oldest form of viral marketing”–their stories. They waste their most valuable communications asset. Why are stories more effective than data, mission statements, or values statements? Because “numbers numb, jargon jars… but stories are stored.”
At last Thursday’s lunch event, communications expert Andy Goodman broke down the elements of a good story for Washington Grantmakers and Nonprofit Roundtable members, and suggested specific buckets of story-types that we should make sure to fill. It was tremendously useful and entertaining, but since I’m paid to tell you things like that, here are a couple of other opinions:
“Just superb! Inspiring, immediately useful, thought provoking and engaging — a rare combination.” - Ruth Schimel, The Schimel Lode
“It’s not often that you attend an hour-long seminar and come away with real, concrete steps that you can implement immediately without extra cost or even a huge amount of time. Everything he talked about was very doable, and intuitive. I started using his ideas that same afternoon as I was drafting some talking points. And, he was hilarious to boot.” – Lisa Kays, Washington Area Women’s Foundation
If we missed you at this event, we hope to see you soon!
Andy Goodman, Tamara Lucas Copeland (president, Washington Grantmakers), and Chuck Bean (Executive Director, Nonprofit Roundtable)
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April 24, 2008
HOUSING
- Help for Low-Income Residents Sought (WaPo, 4/24) - “SOME, the Coalition for Nonprofit Housing and Economic Development, and the Fair Budget Coalition are circulating the petition and lobbying council members to support the request for an additional $15 million” for the D.C. Housing Authority’s Local Rent Supplement Program.
- The National Coalition for the Homeless released a report today forecasting an increase in homelessness due to the foreclosure crisis. (wire, 4/23)
EDUCATION
- More carrot, less stick, for NCLB? Pr. George’s Schools Chief John Deasy and a bunch of other experts call for a new role for the federal government in public education. (Examiner, 4/24)
- Report: “The racial homogeneity … of [DC] schools is just striking.” (Examiner, 4/24)
KIDS
Study: For Children, A Better Beginning (WaPo, 4/24) - “We still have quite substantial levels of problems to deal with, but isn’t it nice to see some trend lines that say some programs are having impact?” Indeed it is. Will the nonprofit behind the report will eventually post it to their website? Stay tuned!
SMARTGROWTH - D.C. is safe for pedestrians than suburbs. (Examiner, 4/24) - More about this on the GreaterGreaterWashington blog, a must read for you smart-growth enthusiasts.
…and The Big Read starts today in D.C. The Great Gatsby.
_______________________
@ WG:
- today: Public Education Working Group
- April 30: Arts & Humanitites Working Group kick-off!
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April 23, 2008
Reston Interfaith’s new Housing OpportUnities Strengthens Everyone (HOUSE) initiative is made possible in part by a $500,000 investment by WG member Freddie Mac Foundation (Fairfax Times, 4/22) ”Through HOUSE, 34 homeless families (128 individuals) will have access to town homes along with resident services with the goal of helping more vulnerable families stabilize their lives and stay in their
homes.” (wire, 4/22)
PEOPLE
WG member Carol Trawick receives Interfaith Works’ Humanitarian of the Year award. (Gazette, 4/23)
ENVIRONMENT - Montgomery Aims to Make Green Homes Mandatory (WaPo, 4/23)
HOUSING - City Asks For Muscle To Address ‘Slumlords’ (WaPo, 4/23)
EDUCATION
Rhee Says Schools Overhaul May Take Years (WaPo, 4/23) - She’s lowering expectations for the worst of D.C.’s schools…
TELEVISION
Oprah’s Big Give is over. I didn’t watch, but these folks did–and were not impressed. (Chronicle, 4/21)
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(Interviews with funders, monthly, in the Update and on WashingtonGrantmakers.org.)
