It’s Pat-Ourselves-On-the-Back Friday! [News, 5.29.09]

“SPENDING OUT” | Environmental Foundation Expires, as It Always Wanted (NYTimes, 5/29)- Gray Lady covers Beldon Fund spend out. More from onPhilanthropy (5/29). (WG Daily readers heard about the Beldon Fund before Beldon was cool.)

RECESSION | Funders urged to keep giving (PhilanthropyJournal, 5/28) – A write-up of GEO’s “Smarter Grantmaking in Challenging Economic Times” report, which we brought to your attention 10 days ago in GivingMatters. (Well, today is pat-ourselves-on-the-back Friday.)

GIVING TRENDS | Community foundation giving increased 6.7 percent in 2008 despite economy, a new Foundation Center report finds. (5/28)

CHILD CARE | Kaine: $38 million in stimulus funds allotted for Va. child care programs (Examiner, 5/28)

YOUTH | In today’s WaPo, “Oak Hill Center Emptied And Its Baggage Left Behind” (5/29) - More background in yesterday’s Daily.

HEALTH | Maryland Telemedicine Project Begins (5/29) – Startup costs for the project are funded by a $3 million grant from CareFirst.

VETERANS | McCormick Foundation, Major League Baseball announce $2.6 M in additional grants for “Welcome Back Veterans” (wire, 5/28)

DC SCHOOLS | D.C. Council Grills Nominee for State Superintendent of Education (WAMU, 5/29) …but not literally, because that would be a felony.

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Nick

Turns out, nonprofit financial statements can be fun!

Tom Raffa addresses Washington Grantmakers members

“Extremely helpful!”
“Great!”
“Lively, energetic and very informative.”

This is what the 35 grantmakers who attended WG’s workshop “Reading Between the Lines of Nonprofit Financials” last Wednesday had to say. (It had to be good if they’re saying this about a financial workshop!) 

Tom Raffa, president and founder of Raffa, P.C, walked attendees through sample grantee financial statements, illustrating what funders should consider when reviewing nonprofit financials in the current economy. Attendees learned how to spot “red flags,” how to identify if a nonprofit is gaining or losing ground, when negative cash flow is really a deficit, and much more.

For those who didn’t attend, these session materials will give you some idea of what you missed. Have a suggestion for a future training? Email me!

-Katy

Goodbye to Oak Hill, Hello to “New Beginnings” [News, 5/28/09]

Oak Hill Youth Center closes today (Justice for D.C. Youth, 5/28) – “For too long, Oak Hill represented the abusive and inhumane confinement of hundreds of D.C.’s youth and an ineffective approach to reducing juvenile delinquency,” says JDCY’s Director, Shani O’Neal.

“New Beginnings Youth Development Center” opens on Friday (Campaign for Youth Justice email, 5/28) - DYRS is opening a new, smaller facility, “New Beginnings” which reflects a more effective approach to working with young people…Please join us: Friday, May 29th;  Official opening of the New Beginnings Youth Development Center; 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.; New Beginnings Youth Development Center, 8400 River Road, Laurel, MD 20724

Background:
- Leading the way in D.C.: A public-private partnership for juvenile justice reform (WG Daily, Sept. 2007)

- Washington Grantmakers testifies in support of reform efforts in D.C.’s juvenile justice system (WG Daily, Dec. 2007). Mary Hallisy, former chair of WG’s CYF Older Youth Task Force:

“[W]e strongly believe that it is in the best interest of both our youth and our community that this reform effort moves forward. We will continue to work with DYRS and with nonprofit organizations like those here today to help provide the opportunities our youth need to succeed…”  

Moriah Fund has excess office space [*BB]

“Moriah Fund has excess office space… If you are looking for a vital, dynamic nonprofit to share your space or if you would be interested in moving into Moriah Fund’s space, please contact Barbara @ (202) 783-8488, ext. 228.…” [FULL DETAILS]

New CEO: Gates Foundation learns from education experiments [News, 5.28.09]

EDUCATION | New CEO: Gates Foundation learns from experiments (AP, 5/28) – “The most effective path, he said, is to support good, effective teachers.”

AFFORDABLE HOUSING | A Montgomery County homeless advocacy group is taking a new approach…, converting a Bethesda office building into individual living quarters and renting out the ground floor to retailers. (WaPo, 5/28)

FEDERAL | Opinion: “Nonprofits should fight for federal funds” (Philanthropy Journal, 5/26)

SCHOOLS | Online enrollment growing for area public schools (Examiner, 5/27)

HEALTH | Health Crusade Saves Lives (Washington Informer, 5/28) – WG member CareFirst sponsored the event.

YOUTH | D.C. Mayor Promises a Smoother Summer Jobs Program (WAMU, 5/27)

HUNGER/NUTRITION | Lottery Bonus Will Go To Food Bank, Store Says (WaPo, 5/28)

GIVING/TAXES/HEALTH | White House Official Defends Deduction Proposal (Chronicle, 5/27)

ONLINE |  Children’s hospital wins Target Corp’s “Bullseye Gives” contest on Facebook. “More than 97,000 new fans joined the retailer’s Facebook page during the contest, and daily views of its page increased by 4,800 percent. “

Latest studies on family and corporate foundations [News, 5.27.09]

SOCIAL SECTOR
Latest studies on Family and Corporate Foundations (Foundation Center DC blog, 5/27)
- Key Facts on Corporate Foundations (.pdf) – Giving unchanged in 2008; just over half surveyed expect giving to decline in 2009.
- Perpetuity or Limited Lifespan: How Do Family Foundations Decide? (.pdf) – Perpetuity is the norm; 12% plan a limited lifespan;  25% are undecided.

- Opinion: Why Nonprofits Should Spend Money on Advertising (Harvard blog, 5/26) – Dan Pallotta

PEOPLE | The Examiner interviews Bill Hanbury (still the CEO of Desination DC) about summer tourism in DC (5/26). Hanbury will become CEO of WG member United Way of the National Capital Area on July 1.

FORECLOSURES | The Prince George’s Community Foundation has released Keeping Your Home: A Guide to Foreclosure Prevention and Assistance in Prince George’s County.

Nonprofit event: “It’s Right Sizing not Down Sizing”

Registration is now open for WG member Booz Allen’s June 8 event in its series for nonprofits. Speakers: Chuck Bean (Nonprofit Roundtable), Glen O’Gilvie (Center for Nonprofit Advancement), Veronica Nolan (Urban Alliance), and Patricia Williams (RAFFA, P.C.)

Date: June 8, 2009 | Time: 8:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m.
Location: Booz Allen Hamilton Newman Auditorium, McLean, VA or via the Web

This session will include: assessing staff strengths, re-working job descriptions, overcoming staff perceptions; repositioning staff; keeping staff motivated, broadening their skill set; coping as an employee in a small organization; the economies of a shared back office.

Sign up here: https://www.signup4.net/Public/ap.aspx?EID=NONP12E

Hope your weekend was wonderful [News, 5.26.09]

Here’s some news you may have missed:

ARTS | DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities Launches 2010 Grant Cycle for Artists & Arts Organizations (wire, 5/23) – More info here.

SERVICE | Opinion: What Obama’s call to national service needs – “More volunteers won’t help if nonprofits aren’t ready for them.” (CSMonitor, 5/20)

SCHOOLS
- D.C. School Population Disputed - “Council holds back funds, claiming Rhee is inflating numbers” (WaPo, 5/25)
- Reform, Through the Eyes Of New York’s Chancellor (WaPo, 5/25) - “I would like to see us have more rational pay systems, the kind of thing Michelle is proposing.”
- Demand Is Increasing For Subsidized Meals in area schools (WaPo, 5/24)
- Indiana nonprofit hired to fix D.C.’s special-ed problems (Examiner, 5/26)
- At-Risk Need a Mix of Good Teachers, Social Service Help (WaPo, 5/25)

YOUTH | Opinion: “The District should focus its resources on strengthening youth employment and summer programs rather than on punitive policies” (WaPo, 5/24)

WORKFORCE | Unemployment in D.C. nears 10% (WBJ, 5/22)

DONATIONS | Charities: Tough Times Call for Smarter Giving (WSJ, 5/24)

FORECLOSURES | Law protects renters from foreclosure evictions (AP, 5/22) – RealEstateRama, I shall not doubt you again.

-Nick

Reinoso: “The council is essentially undoing parts of mayoral control of the schools just two years in” [News, 5.21.09]

SCHOOLS
- Marc Fisher: Fenty has a plan to get through to kids, if Council stays out of the way (WaPo, 5/21.) Reinoso: “The council is essentially undoing parts of mayoral control of the schools just two years in, when they committed to trying this for five years.” More about the funding issue from the Washington Informer.
- Md. school officials target class of 2012 to improve graduation rate (Examiner, 5/20)

PHILANTHROPY
- “A growing number of philanthropists are adopting spending deadlines and sunset provisions“ (WSJ, 5/21) – Article cites the Beldon Fund example I linked on Monday. 
- A Quiet Meeting of America’s Very Richest (NYTimes, 5/20) – “The event was jointly conceived by Mr. Buffett, Mr. Gates and the elder Mr. Rockefeller, Ms. Stonesifer said. ‘This is a time when the needs are great. So it seemed like a really good time to get together.’“

NONPROFIT SALARIES | Dan Palotta’s recent piece “For a Charity or the Money? You Can’t Work for Both” sure touched a nerve. The Chronicle blog’s recap has 37 comments and counting.

DONORS | Smart Giving in a Troubled Climate (NYTimes, 5/20)

GRANTS | Montgomery County Community Foundation Gives to 46 Groups in Md. (WaPo, 5/21)

No news round-up tomorrow. Have a safe and pleasant Memorial Day weekend.
-Nick

D.C. Council withholds $27.5M from D.C. public schools [News, 5.20.09]

SCHOOLS
- WaPo opinion: “Mayor Adrian M. Fenty should try to overrule” DC Council’s “misguided decisions”  to “enlarge the role of the elected State Board of Education at the mayor’s expense, gut the office of deputy mayor for education…” “Ms. Rhee is now faced with having to cut individual school budgets that were developed in painstaking collaboration with the public. A $27.5 million reduction is equivalent to 338 teachers.”

FORECLOSURES
- Renters Have Immediate Protections from Foreclosure Under New Bill (RealEstateRama, 5/20) – The president is expected to sign “Helping Families Save Their Homes Act” today. (I feel uneasy linking to “RealEstateRama, but no one else seems to be on the case with this. Either that or they’re wrong. [gulp])
- Creative New Venture to Help Communities Revitalize Neighborhoods Hit Hard by Foreclosures (wire, 5/19) – “National Community Stabilization Trust, a new collaborative venture of nonprofit housing organizations, private philanthropies, and financial institutions”

GIVING TRENDS
- America’s poor are its most generous givers (McClatchy, 5/19) - “people who have money don’t know people in need,” saId Tanya Davis, 40, a laid-off security guard and single mother.” Makes you think.
- Study: “Women are shaping the future of philanthropy” (BostonGlobe, 5/19) “as they create their own wealth and continue to outlive men”

$TIMULU$ | Charities eye slice of Obama’s stimulus pie (Chronicle, 5/19)

GRANTS
- The Montgomery County Community Foundation, an affiliate of The Community Foundation for the National Capital Region, announces $440,000 in new grants to 46 nonprofits serving Montgomery County’s children, families and seniors hit hardest by the recession.    (wire, 5/12)
- The Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy Announces 2009 Maryland Initiative Grant Recipients (wire, 5/11)