The doctor will see you now [News, 1.30]

HEALTH
- Bread for the City will receive $1.35 million as part of the DCPCA’s Medical Homes DC initiative. Exec. Director George Jones: “a critical step forward in our capital campaign to double the size of the Northwest Center.”  “It will have twice as many visitation rooms, specially-equipped for specialty care and almost tripling our capacity to serve the community.” (BeyondBread, 1/29)

- Senate Approves Children’s Health Bill (NYTimes, 1/29) – “to cover more than four million uninsured children by 2013, while continuing coverage for seven million youngsters.”

EDUCATION
Stimulus Plan Would Provide Flood of Aid to Education (NYTimes, 1/27) – “The District of Columbia would get the most per student, $1,289, according to the [New America Foundation's] analysis.” [Thanks Darcy!]

PHILANTHROPY
- A list of private foundations that invested with Bernie Madoff - Times columnist Kristoff: “I’m posting the list [.pdf] because this is a matter of public concern: These foundations serve the public interest, and if the non-profits that rely on them have been financially crippled we should get a heads up.”
- Family Foundations Prioritize Giving for the Economically Disadvantaged, new Foundation Center report finds (1/29)
- California foundations agree to invest more in minority areas (SacBee, 1/29) 
- America’s foundations step up aid in downturn (AP, 1/28)

CHILD WELFARE
“Contempt!” A child advocacy group says the Fenty administration is blocking child welfare reform, and levels contempt charge. (WaPo, 1/30)

ONLINE FUNDRAISING
And finally, if your fundraising isn’t going very well… just win an online contest!  Apparently,  nonprofit Atlas Service Corps won/raised over $100,000 that way in 2008. Okay, perhaps hard to replicate completely, but still goes to show–there’s gold in them thar internets.

(Related:
)

Have a great weekend,
Nick

More Maryland families turning to food stamps [News, 1.29]

More Families In Md. Turning To Food Stamps, Other Programs (WaPo, 1/29) – “food problems are one of the first indicators of a family’s financial distress”

Foundations see assets dropping, demands rising (SFGate, 1/28) – Focuses on the SF Bay area, but probably sounds familiar.

Whitman-Walker Clinic Asked to Return Grant Funds (WaPo, 1/29 – scroll down)- asked to reimburse $396,000 “for improvements to a facility that the clinic will close in March”

PEOPLE
Forum of Regional Associations of Grantmakers announces Michael Litz as new President and CEO (1/29)

ARTS
Graffiti Artists Add Color to D.C. Streets (TheHoya, 1/29) - about the D.C. Creates Public Art project

TRANSIT
Stimulus cash bonanza for transportation projects (WaPo, 1/29)

Demand the Vote! [News, 1.29]

- D.C. voting rights no longer a bad joke (WaPo, 1/29)

- Let Them Into the House (Slate, 1/28)

- DC Vote’s Open Letter to President Obama, January 2009

…and finally, “DEMAND THE VOTE,” a song by Joe L. Da Vessel in collaboration with band Melodic, commissioned by DC Vote. Not bad! If you want to see Eleanor Holmes Norton throw her hands in the air, and wave them as if to indicate that she does not care, please to be clicking.

DC voting rights do-over [News, 1.28]

- Debate over D.C. voting rights resumes before House panel (Examiner, 1/28) – “Norton’s voting rights measure is likely to pass the House again, perhaps within weeks, leaders indicated. The Senate remains the sticking point, but Democrats there are nearing a filibuster-proof majority. President Obama would be expected to sign the bill.” DC Vote receives funding from several WG members.
- D.C. Voting Rights Act Gets Another Chance (WaTimes, 1/27)

EDUCATION
“School Reform That Works” – By Bill Gates (WaPo, 1/28) – WaPo editors run the education related excerpts from Gates’ annual letter in today’s op-ed page.

UNEMPLOYMENT
Unemployment up slightly in D.C, Maryland and Virginia (WBJ, 1/27)

HOMELESSNESS
DC area government group will count the homeless (Examiner, 1/27) – COG’s annual count happening today

CHILD WELFARE
D.C. Faces Contempt Hearing in Stalemate With CFSA Monitor (WaPo, 1/28)

TRANSIT
Montgomery County votes for Purple Line to be rail (WBJ, 1/27)

Workshops: “New Ways of Working Together” – Feb. 2,3

The Nonprofit Roundtable’s five-part workshop series is “designed to provide nonprofits with tools and knowledge to lead, adapt and thrive through economic change.”  Feb. 2 Workshop: “Nonprofit Mergers”…. Feb 3 Workshop: “Shared Back Office Administration.”  
[Click here to register.]

• Appropriate for nonprofit executive directors, staff, board members, and funders. 
• Sponsored by WG members Children and Youth Investment Trust Corporation, the Community Foundation for the National Capital Region, and the Meyer Foundation.

DC Children and Youth Investment Trust Corp. awards grants [News, 1/27]

AT-RISK YOUTH
DC Children and Youth Investment Trust Corp. awards grants (WaPo, 1/27) / District Unveils Program Targeting At-Risk Youth (Washington Continent, 1/27) –  CEO Millicent Williams: “The At-Risk Youth Assistance Program…makes it possible for the District to exert positive influences into the lives of at-risk youngsters before they are enticed by negatives influences in the community.”
- For background on The Trust, read WG’s Jan. ’09 issue of The Power of Collaboration: “Making Out of School Time a Priority”

LEAD IN THE WATER
Walter Smith of the nonprofit advocacy group D.C. Appleseed Center for Law and Justice said his organization is still pushing for independent testing of the water. (WaPo, 1/27)

PEOPLE LIKE LISTS
Slate and The Chronicle of Philanthropy Publish Annual Ranking of America’s Biggest Donors in 2008 (wire, 1/26) – The piece is here.
- At $235 Million, Bloomberg Was Biggest Giver in U.S. (NYTimes, 1/26)
- The Dead, More Generous Than the Living in 2008 (WSJ, 1/26)

This lousy, lousy, lousy, lousy economy [News, 1.27]

First, the bad news:
Credit Crisis Is Leaving Charities Low on Cash (NYTimes, 1/23)
Bear Market for Charities (WSJ, 1/24)
When Donors Can’t Keep Their Pledges (WSJ, 1/27)
Economic downturn frays America’s safety net (CSM, 1/26)
Can Volunteers Be a Lifeline for Nonprofit Groups? (NYtimes, 1/24)

And now, some pick-me-ups:
In midst of economic recession, WG member Calvert Foundation experienced robust asset growth in 2008 and attracted more socially minded investors (wire, 1/27). “Calvert Foundation focuses on using investment capital, rather than conventional philanthropy, to create a sustainable, scalable model that enables nonprofit organizations, microfinance institutions and social enterprises to address critical social problems.”

Gates Group Plans to Give More in 2009 Despite Losses (NYTimes, 1/26)
2009 Annual Letter from Bill Gates: “I am impressed by individuals who continue to give generously even in these difficult times.” 

In Sunday’s Post: Washington Grantmakers/Nonprofit Roundtable op-ed [News, 1.26]

“Washington’s Nonprofits: Where ‘Remaking America’ Begins” (WaPo, 1/25), co-written by WG’s Tamara Lucas Copeland and Chuck Bean of the Nonprofit Roundtable.

“Among the many indelible images from the past week is one of Barack Obama, paint roller in hand, volunteering at Sasha Bruce Youthwork, our city’s only emergency shelter for homeless youth and one of 4,000 active nonprofit organizations serving our region.  [more]

ECONOMY/ARTS
Arts Leaders Urge Role for Culture in Economic Recovery (NYTimes, 1/25) – “We wanted to make sure arts were not left out of the recovery,” said Robert L. Lynch, president of Americans for the Arts … “The country’s 100,000 nonprofit arts groups employ some six million people and contribute $167 billion to the economy annually.”

> Bob Lynch will join Washington Grantmakers on Thursday for “WG Thought Leaders.” Register here! )

U.S. museums pinched by recession cut hours, staff (Reuters, 1/25)

HUNGER/NUTRITION
A Fresh Look At How Best To Get Food To 35 Million (WaPo, 1/24)

ENVIRONMENT
LETTER TO EDITOR: “Green D.C.” (WaTimes, 1/25) from Dana Minerva, executive director of the Anacostia Watershed Restoration Partnership

DC SCHOOL REFORM
Discipline Code Under Review As Suspensions Lose Impact (WaPo, 1/25)

CAMPAIGNS
United Way of Central Maryland Aims to Raise $1 Million for Emergency Food, Shelter and Utility Assistance (wire, 1/23)

EDUCATION
Maryland: Funding Might Decrease For Some Area School Systems (WaPo, 1/24)

Walmart gives $300,000 to local nonprofits [News, 1.23]

Walmart gives $300,000 to local nonprofits (WBJ, 1/16) - The WG member gives $150,000 each go to D.C. Central Kitchen and the Covenant House Washington. “We realized that the money Wal-Mart might spend on a reception or forum could be put to better use helping people who might live only a mile or two from the inaugural parade route, but who lack food and shelter.”

SOCIAL SECTOR
Opinion: Volunteer to save the economy (NYTimes, 1/23) – “Providing more opportunities for national and community service won’t just lift the nation’s spirit, it could help save the economy” [Right on.]  “And because jobs at nonprofit groups pay so little, they would cost the government less than many other stimulus measures.” [OUCH!]

HEALTH
Mentally ill in D.C. will be shifted to private clinics (WaPo, 1/23) -  Vanessa Dixon, a representative for the Doctors Council of the District of Columbia: “What they propose to do is take a public system that works extremely well and close it down and give it to private providers who admit that they don’t have the capacity to serve clients.”  I don’t know muich about this particular plan, but I’m pretty sure that history will judge our treatment and care of the mentally ill to be barbaric/shameful.

SCHOOLS
Twelve Prince George’s County public schools are targeted for closure next year (WaPo, 1/23) – would save $11.9 million

Philanthropy, journalism, and the demise of the newspaper [News, 1.22]

- Jan. 29 @ WG: “Thought Leaders”: Americans for the Arts’ Bob Lynch

PHILANTHROPY & JOURNALISM
Newspapers may seek philanthropy to support news-gathering (OJR, 1/22) – Very interesting. Seth Godin recently asked, “When newspapers are gone, what will you miss?” That is, what functions of newspapers aren’t already being done better elsewhere? His answer: “Local news, investigative journalism and intelligent coverage of national news. Perhaps 2% of the cost of a typical paper.” Should foundations consider funding those functions? (Would they disappear otherwise?)

DC VOTE?
D.C. officials see great hope for city through Obama (Examiner, 1/21) – Ward 5 Councilman Harry Thomas Jr.: “I think we have a great deal of optimism and hope for a lot of things we couldn’t get done under the last administration.”

PHILANTHROPY
Chronicle survey of foundations - with endowments taking a hit, over half of respondents expect to give less in ’09.

LOCAL BUDGETS
- Maryland:  In O’Malley’s $14.4 billion budget proposal, “community colleges would not receive expected funding increases, which would be likely to lead to tuition increases. The phase-in of a subsidized health initiative would be slowed down, delaying planned coverage to adults without children. An education program that benefits Montgomery and Prince George’s counties would be scaled back.”
- Virginia: Innovative Guidance Program At Fairfax High Is Threatened (WaPo, 1/22)

CHARITABLE GIVING
Opinion: Conservatives Have Answered Obama’s Call (WSJ, 1/22) – “people on the political right outperform those on the left when it comes to charity”