Nonprofit TV … Boosting census response in DC … “Extreme collaboration” … BOO! [News, 10.30.09]

Halloween on a Saturday this year, so no fighting traffic to get home! Woo hoo!

RECESSION
- Nonprofit executives try to deliver despite dwindling resources (WBJ, 10/30):

After its founding in 1993, D.C. Action became a voice arguing that the D.C. government must do a better job meeting the health, education and safety needs of the city’s youth. Now D.C. Action has lost its office space on P Street NW in Dupont Circle and laid off its entire four-person staff. It has about $18,000 in the bank, which doesn’t make for much of a salary for [HyeSook] Chung.

But she said there is hope for the organization because one of its founders, philanthropist Diane Bernstein, is still willing to support it. Bernstein offered Chung space for a desk in the offices of her foundation. … D.C.’s youth still need a strong voice, given the smattering of advocates in the city, she said. “I know there’s so much potential. There is a void. There’s fragmentation, there’s competition, and there’s no leadership.”

- Hoop Dreams founder reflects on wins, losses (WBJ, 10/30)

EDUCATION COLLABORATION | Baltimore’s “ready to learn” rates skyrocket. What happened? “Jennifer Gross, a senior consultant with the Annie E. Casey Foundation, calls B-LAP ‘extreme collaboration’” (Urbanite, Nov., ’09)

TEEVEE | “The Center for Nonprofit Advancement and DCTV will launch a new channel this fall to highlight the work of local nonprofits…”

CENSUS | DC seeks to boost census response, get federal funds (WaPo, 10/30)

AFFORDABLE HOUSING | Pr. George’s County “has till week’s end to earmark $5 million in federal grants,” for housing projects, or they lose the funds (WaPo, 10/30). Whoopsy!

13 days until the BIG meeting!

-Nick

A simple, powerful video for a Friday

Produced by RP3 Agency on behalf of WG member Washington Area Women’s Foundation.

Have a great weekend.

Kevin R. Webb to head Mitsubishi Electric America Foundation [News, 10.29.09]

PEOPLE
- Mitsubishi Electric America Foundation names new Director (10/26) – Kevin R. Webb comes to the position after four years as the Foundation’s Program Officer, succeeding Rayna Aylward.
- Stewart Bainum, Sr. Honored for Decades of Charity Work in Montgomery Co., Md. (wire, 10/29) – founder of Commonweal Foundation.

GIVING | Foundation Giving: What Might the Future Hold? (Chronicle discussion, 10/27) – “[H]ow are grant makers coping with a diminished pool from which to give?”

GRANTS
- Bank of America to give $20M in grants to nonprofits (WaPo, 10/27) – “including $400,000 to two organizations in the Washington area”…”CASA de Maryland, a group helping low-income Latino communities with such services as education and job training, and Manna Inc., which works to provide affordable housing and help tenants collaborate to purchase or renovate buildings.”
- Kaiser Permanente gives $19 million in grants (DailyTell, 10/27) – “…Other grants will go to community groups in California, Washington, D.C. and Atlanta that promote healthy eating among low-income youth.”

AFFORDABLE HOUSING | Washington area is short 40,000 homes affordable to average earners (WaPo, 10/29)

ARTS | Recent WaPo article highlighted the work of the Emergence Community Arts Collective (WaPo, 10/17)

This week, WG Daily hasn’t been very, oh how should I put this…daily. That’s because there are ***14 days until the BIG meeting!*** and we’ve all been hustling to get ready. (Will we see you there on the 12th? We really hope so. You are our favorite.)

- Nick

Gates Foundation and education policy… Millicent Williams to leave Trust… Charities forecast 9% drop in giving [News, 10.26.09]

PEOPLE
- Millicent Williams is leaving D.C. Children and Youth Investment Trust Corporation to lead DC’s Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency. “Over the next few weeks, the [CYITC] Board of Directors will announce its plan for the transition of leadership.”
- Mike Curtin: Expanding the kitchen (WBJ, 10/23) – CEO of D.C. Central Kitchen
- Sergey Brin aids charity that aided him (NYTimes, 10/24) – Google co-founder.

EDUCATION | Gates Foundation taking unprecedented steps to influence education policy (AP, 10/25)

GIVING
- Charities forecast a 9 percent drop in giving this year (NPR Marketplace, 10/26)
- In recession, the philanthropist next door balks (AP, 10/23) – This article meanders all over the place, but I thought you should know it’s out there.

RACE | Teleconference, Wednesday, 10/28: “Race and its Impact on Social Justice Philanthropy” (RosettaThurman.com)

DC SCHOOLS
- WaPo: “D.C. officials must get beyond partisan interests to focus on education.” “Ms. Rhee needs to correct misconceptions about her actions and, we hope, clear the air.”
- Major changes at two troubled schools (WaPo, 10/26) “At their insistence, Rhee installed classroom walls at Dunbar, whose open-space design was considered insane by everyone.” Surprised it survived the editor, but I love that sentence.
- Rhee elaborates on firings (WaPo, 10/26)
- Council demands answers on failed database (WaTimes, 10/24)

GRANTS | WG member “Fight For Children recently awarded grants to 16 organizations that deliver high quality services that expand access to quality education options, improve student achievement, and address the critical link between good health and a quality education.”

17 days until the BIG meeting!
-Nick

WG’s annual meeting is less than three weeks away! [News, 10.23.09]

> Thursday, Nov. 12: “Big Change in the New Economy” – Washington Grantmakers’ 2009 Annual Meeting – Dan Pallotta, Allison Fine, Step Afrika!, Washington Improv Theater – Register!

____________
GIVING | Pittsburgh Foundation offers 50% match of individual donations (PostGazette, 10/22) – October 28 is PittsburghGives Match Day. Cool idea. It still seems like there’s huge untapped potential in the ability of foundations to increase/influence individual giving.

TRANSIT | “The District plans to conduct an environmental study on the streetcar plan by next year so it can receive federal funding.” (WAMU, 10/23)

GRANTS | Public Welfare Foundation Announces $7.9 Million in New Grants (PNN, 10/23)

ENVIRONMENT | Greater Washington Board of Trade proposal would spend carbon offset funds on D.C.-area projects (WBJ, 10/23)

HOMELESSNESS | Opinion: Fenty’s Explanation of Homeless Cuts Doesn’t Hold Water (CityPaper, 10/22)

Post your jobs here: $60 for 60 Days

• Partnership Manager at Water.org (District of Columbia)

Click here to post/view jobs. (WG members post for free.) Postings run on WashingtonGrantmakers.org, WG Daily, in WG newsletters, and enter the Simply Hired database to appear on LinkedIn, Myspace, and others.

DC unemployment up again…Some fired teachers back at work [News 10.22.09]

ECONOMY | D.C. leads nation in percentage of jobs lost in September putting unemployment at 11.4%. (WaPo, 10/21)

DC SCHOOLS
- Gone today, here tomorrow: DC “has quietly reinstated 25 teachers terminated last summer under the so-called ’90-day plan.’” (WaPo, 10/21)
- D.C. School Vouchers Have a Brighter Outlook in Congress (WSJ, 10/19)

HEALTH | DC Appleseed’s Walter Smith: “[I]n the District we have an opportunity right now to compel our largest health insurer to reduce premiums across the region.” (WaPo, 10/21)

H1N1
- Vaccine production is 25% lower than expected. (Wash Times, 10/22)
- That’s ok, because “More than six in 10 say they will not get vaccinated.” (WaPo, 10/22)

HOUSING
- Enterprise Community Partners “intends to funnel $4 billion in the next five years toward building and retrofitting homes that aren’t just affordable, but also green.” (Sun, 10/22)
- Bedroom community blues: foreclosure crisis creating suburban slums (Examiner, 10/22)

Hometown Morale | Steve Largent, President of WG’s next-door neighbor CTIA, has taken to the airwaves to show support for his good friend Jim Zorn. I still believe in Coach Zorn, too. (WaPo, 10/21)

- Christian

RWJF and Pew launch “Health Impact Project”… School budget cuts… H1N1 [News, 10.21.09]

HEALTH | Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, The Pew Charitable Trusts Launch National Initiative to Advance Policies That Promote Health (wire, 10/20) – Meet the Health Impact Project.

SCHOOLS
- D.C. teacher contract talks still stuck (WaPo, 10/21)
- Cuts are coming in Maryland (WaTimes, 10/21)
- Fairfax school officials submit preview of cuts (WaPo, 10/19) - “could extend to closing schools, increasing class size, ending summer school, discontinuing most full-day kindergarten classes and eliminating foreign language instruction in elementary schools.”

MEMBERS | “The Washington Area Women’s Foundation has a mission: To attract ‘guys who get it’…” (Politics Daily, 10/21).

DOMESTIC VIOLENCE | Md. Congresswoman: Budget Shortfalls Leave Abuse Victims Without Services (WAMU, 10/21)

H1N1 | Swine flu vaccine clinics are curbed as supplies lag (WaPo, 10/21)

NOMINATIONS | The Washington Area Women’s Foundation is now accepting nominations for its annual Leadership Awards.

And today is a good day to hit a Montgomery County Whole Foods Market, because 5% of your purchase will benefit the Neighbors in Need Montgomery Fund.

-Nick

Nonprofit retraining program for single mothers… Social Innovation Fund [News, 10.20.09]

WOMEN | Amidst Recession, Some Women Get a Lift (WAMU, 10/20) – “Center for Employment Training, a nonprofit retraining program for single mothers”…funded by Washington Area Women’s Foundation.

NEWS NEWS | Report urges broad actions to preserve journalism (AP, 10/19) – authors “urge philanthropic organizations to support local reporting.” At last week’s ComNet conference, Clay Shirky worried: “I think the old watchdogs will disappear before the new watchdogs show up… Who’s going to send someone down to City Hall today just in case?”

SOCIAL INNOVATION FUND | A few questions on the Social Innovation Fund (Adin Miller, 10/17)

GIVING | On Nov. 2, GiveMN will be the first giving site focused specifically on nonprofits in a single state (wire, 10/19)

ENVIRONMENT | Cardin says bill would prod states to clean up Chesapeake (WaPo, 10/20) – “puts teeth in the goals”

HIV/AIDS | D.C. officials to scrutinize spending by AIDS groups (WaPo, 10/20)

Cafritz Foundation plans new development… Word, Beats & Life wins Impact Award… HIV/AIDS spending in the news [News, 10.19.09]

DEVELOPMENT | Cafritz Foundation plans new housing, retail and arts space near Fort Totten (WaPo, 10/19) – “[T]he foundation will provide current tenants with apartments in the new building and pay the difference between their rent now and the new, higher rent.” Jane Cafritz: “We are not a profit developer. Any money that we make will be put back in money that we distribute.”

PEOPLE | Phyllis Caldwell, president of the Washington Area Women’s Foundation, will be leaving the organization’s staff on Oct. 30. She has accepted the Chief of Home Ownership Preservation position in the Department of the Treasury, Office of Financial Stabilization. (10/19)

HIV/AIDS
- So far, the three-part WaPo investigation of the DC HIV/AIDS Administration spending is focusing mainly on the previous director, and largely on the nonprofit Miracle Hands. (WaPo, 10/19)
- Troubled groups get millions while well-regarded ones like Women’s Collective teeter (WaPo, 10/19) – Many of the groups mentioned in the series as well-regarded organizations–Women’s Collective, Miriam’s House, Joseph’s House, Metro TeenAIDS–are grantees of WG’s Washington AIDS Partnership.

AWARDS | Word, Beats & Life (WBL) is the 2009 Lehrman Foundation Impact Award recipient. “WBL helps youth connect Hip-Hop to real-life skills: emceeing helps with public speaking, building vocabulary and presentation skills…”

DC SCHOOLS
- Opinion: The Pain and the Gain for D.C. Schools (WaPo, 10/18) – “The past two years have produced a steady stream of good news.” “[P]rincipals made separation decisions based on which teachers and staff were contributing the most value to student learning — not by seniority or favoritism.”

- Anger Over Layoffs Vented in 18-Hour Hearing (WaPo, 9/18) – One former teacher “had to be held in her seat by colleagues as she…denounced the young Teach for America graduates ‘infiltrating’ the school system because of Rhee. She said they ‘have no idea how to educate a black child.’” Well, I won’t second-guess that particular personnel decision.

GRANTS | Open Society Institute awards grants to 10 Baltimore groups (BalSun, 10/18)

DC VOTING RIGHTS | Voting Rights Could Move Forward on Defense Bill’s Back (WaPo, 10/17)

Next WG Event:
Oct. 21: Public Education Working Group: Briefing on DCPS Evaluation by the National Research Council

-Nick