Philanthropy a century ago. [News, 1.31.11]

Ever wonder what philanthropy looked like a century ago? Then encourage a funder to make a big grant to build a time machine! Or, instead, check out a review of a rediscovered NY Times article from 1911. (Forbes, 1/27)

[I]n 1910 the majority of total charitable dollars went to educational and religious institutions as well as to certain larger human service organizations (e.g., Salvation Army, the YMCA and the American Red Cross). In 2010, according to GivingUSA, an annual report on charitable giving, education and religion still receive the largest share of Americans’ charitable dollars, followed by grantmaking foundations (of which just one existed in 1910) and human service organizations.

EDUCATION

- According to the person whose question prompted Mayor Gray’s comments about the IMPACT teacher evaluation system, the media failed to report on the context in which the statement was made. (WaPo, 1/29)

- Interest in charter schools is rapidly growing in Maryland and Virginia, but applicants seeking to open schools are running into resistance from the states’ public school boards. (Examiner, 1/30)

A charter advocacy group says,”school boards see charter schools as competition.” Well, public school boards, make your schools more competitive. What a country we’d live in if every student had to choose between great schools.

- Q & A with Kaya Henderson (WaPo, 1/31)

WORKFORCE

- Current and future housing demands are likely to increase the number of construction jobs in the region for the first time since the recession started. (WaPo, 1/31)

- Steve Case, chairman of The Case Foundation, will lead “Startup America” – a new White House initiative aimed at “fostering entrepreneurship and job growth.” (The Hill, 1/31)

HOMELESSNESS | A local running group has a unique constituency – homeless individuals. “We use running as a means to build strength, self confidence and self esteem, but the bigger picture is using running as a metaphor for the rest of your life.” (Fox DC, 1/28)

MUSIC | Almost a year ago, the Post praised go-go music as being the “soul of Washington,” and then effectively pronounced the music form dead. Good thing the city’s soul can’t be killed by words, because today the paper reports that go-go is back and more energetic than ever. This makes me very happy. (WaPo, 1/31)

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Hope everyone had a nice weekend. Being a nerd, I was somewhat surprised to hear that the new Superman movie has been cast with a British actor. That means that Batman, Superman, and Spider-Man are all being played by Brits using American accents!

“Most of the news is still about snow” edition [News, 1.28.11]

HEALTH
- The White House recently claimed that up to 129 million citizens might have pre-existing health conditions that would prevent them from being eligible for insurance if the health care bill were to be repealed. The Post reports that the number is probably closer to 50 million. Or at least somewhere between 50 and 129 million. Depends on who you are trying to convince, I suppose. Any way you slice it, it’s still a whole lot of people. (WaPo, 1/28)

- Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley is proposing increasing a nursing home tax to cover Medicaid pay to hospitals. (Baltimore Biz Journal, 1/28) There’s a “geriatric Robin Hood” joke in there somewhere, but I won’t be the one to make it.

EDUCATION | Opinion: “There isn’t likely to be peace in the education world over charter schools and standardized testing, but on this we can and should agree: The need to focus attention on disparities among our youth in education and in health.” (WaPo, 1/28)

ARTS | In response to the State of the Union address, Americans for the Arts says, “The education reforms that the President and leaders in Congress should be looking at are ones that strengthen the role of the arts and truly implement it as a core academic subject in schools throughout the country.”

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Short edition today. Friday is usually a little slower on the news front, but that’s compounded this week by the fact that every article seems to be about snow horror stories. Well, I hope the snow doesn’t ruin your weekend – see you on Monday.

Foreclosures down in the region – for now. [News, 1.27.11]

The region’s foreclosure rate dropped by 22% last year – the largest decline in the country’s major markets, and one of the only markets that actually declined rather then increased.

Though the news is good for now, the numbers might be somewhat artificial. One expert notes that a sharp decline at the end of last year was likely due to a temporary lull while the national foreclosure process is under investigation. The Examiner suggests that between the temporary foreclosure suspensions, President Obama’s proposed federal spending freeze, and regional job losses, the first two quarters of this year could see a spike. (Examiner, 1/27)

PHILANTHROPY | Low Overhead Doesn’t Equal High-Quality Philanthropy (Chronicle, 1/27)

EDUCATION
- There seems to be some disagreement between DCPS leaders and the Washington Teacher’s Union about the group hired to study the IMPACT evaluation system. (WaPo, 1/26)  “Now that I am president, I am the chooser,” [WTU President Nathan] Saunders said, channeling George W. Bush.

- Many D.C. teachers turn down bonuses (Examiner, 1/27)

HOMELESSNESS | Last night, Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments staffers took part in counting the region’s homeless population. The results won’t be available until the spring, but initial reactions will be posted on COG’s Facebook page today and tomorrow.

BUDGET | D.C. workers will be furloughed for four days in an effort to save the city $19 million. (Examiner, 1/27)

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Good luck to anyone who is without power today – especially the folks in Prince George’s County who are still dealing with the water problems from earlier this week. This was a weird and unpleasant storm and I intend to have some serious words with OPM about their decision not to give us a snow day!

Scores suggest kids won’t be ready to “function in society”… Joblessness down in D.C. [News, 1.26.11]

EDUCATION
- Va. students outshine Md.’s in dismal science report (Examiner, 1/26) Both states, however, have a huge percentage of students performing below the “basic level” on a test that “experts say predict[s] not just which kids will become rocket scientists, but who can function in society.” I added the italics there because that is a terrible sign, especially considering President Obama’s call to “win the future.“

- Gray, Brown differ on school vouchers (WaPo, 1/25)

- Md. overturns Montgomery’s rejection of charter schools (Examiner, 1/26)

STATE OF THE UNION | The Post has a neat breakdown of the address by issue area. Overall, I thought it was a good speech. I especially liked this quote: “We need to out-innovate, out-educate, and out-build the rest of the world.”

That said, I’d really like to send somebody back to the moon with a high-def camera in tow.  Can you imagine watching a moon landing live and in high definition?

WORKFORCE | The unemployment rate in D.C. dropped slightly in December, although Maryland and Virginia remained the same. (WaPo, 1/26)

ENVIRONMENT | Editorial: It’s time for Maryland and Virginia to pass a bag tax (WaPo, 1/25) I was at D.C. Bed, Bath, and Beyond the other day (stop laughing at me, or else…) and I was offered a recycled plastic bag at no charge. That seems like a good companion for the bag tax.

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The Phantom of the Internet seems to have struck the Daily yesterday. Not sure why the email version wasn’t delivered as scheduled, but you can always check giving.wordpress.com for the latest content.

Arts vitality lowest in 12 years [News, 1.25.11]

In the first update to its National Arts Index, Americans for the Arts says that the vitality of the country’s arts industries has hit a 12-year low. The plunge is an alarming reflection of the recession’s impact on the arts.

According to the Index, the vitality of America’s arts sector reached a 12-year low in 2009, dropping a record 3.6 points to 97.7. What’s more, since the onset of the Great Recession, the Index has plummeted 6.2 points. In fact, the losses sustained from 2007-2009 were nearly double the gains made from 2003-2007 (3.9 percent)…

[A]rts and culture continue to lose their market share of philanthropy to other charitable areas, such as human services and health. The portion of all philanthropic giving going to the arts dropped from 4.9 percent to 4.0 percent over the past decade. In other words, if the arts sector merely maintained its 4.9 percent share from 2001, it would have received $14.9 billion in contributions instead of $12.34 billion in 2009—a $2.5 billion difference.

ARTS | An unexpected consequence of the Smithsonian censorship debate is that it is bringing attention to a relatively new element of the philanthropic sector - artist-endowed foundations. The largest of these represent a combined $2.7-billion in assets. (Chronicle, 1/19)

GIVING | A poll by The Chronicle of Philanthropy found that more than sixty percent of charities surveyed measured higher holiday-season contributions in 2010 than 2009. Despite the overall improvement, nearly thirty percent still reported drops in giving. (Chronicle, 1/24)

HEALTH | In Virginia, major changes may be on the way for the state’s system of care for people with developmental disabilities. (WAMU, 1/25)

EDUCATION (Politics Edition)
- Rep. John Boehner and Sen. Joe Lieberman intend to introduce pieces of legislation aimed at reviving the school voucher program in D.C. Mayor Vince Gray is a big supporter of the vouchers, but not of Congress controlling their fate. (WaPo, 1/25)

- For policy wonks: WaPo writer Nick Anderson says that education is a relatively safe political topic for the State of the Union Address since it “offers [the president] a respite from passages that deal with war, terrorism or polarizing domestic subjects such as taxes and health care.” He has a rundown of education in each of the last eleven addresses. (WaPo, 1/25)

President: …and ensuring quality education for our children is the key to our country’s futu…
Crazy Congressman: Boooo! Knave! LIAR! FOOL!

NOMINATIONS
- The District: Mayor’s Arts Awards (Due by 2/11)
- Montgomery County: Philanthropist of the Year (Due by 4/1)

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Until the Oscar nominations were released this morning, I thought that 2010 was a pretty weak year for movies. But now I’m having a tough time deciding in most of the major categories. Good as they were, I don’t think either Black Swan or The King’s Speech was the best picture.

A new giant in philanthropy [News, 1.24.11]

A conversion of stock shares will shift as much as $9 billion to the Margaret A. Cargill Philanthropies. (Chronicle, 1/21) The new asset base will make the three-fund collective the third largest grantmaker in the country behind only the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and Ford Foundation. In anticipation of the move, the foundations have begun increasing staff size and broadening their issue scope:

The Margaret A. Cargill Foundation has a broad mandate. It will eventually support many causes: animal welfare; arts and culture; care for the elderly; children and families; the environment; and relief, recovery, and development. Its grant making in arts and culture, the environment, and relief and development is scheduled to begin this year.

Meanwhile, the Akaloa fund supports groups in Southern California; the Anne Ray Charitable Trust supports seven national and international charities including the American Red Cross and the Nature Conservancy.

EDUCATION
- Nothing like an uplifting story to start your week. Thanks to the determination of its principal and the dedication of an alumna, Ballou High School finally has something it has sorely lacked in the past: a library.  (WaPo, 1/24)

- DCPS hopes to use International Baccalaureate programs as a way to retain middle schoolers who might otherwise seeks out charter or private schools. Kwame Brown has declared middle schools to be a top priority for the school system. (WaPo, 1/23)

- Is KIPP abandoning the neediest students? (WaPo, 1/24) Jay Matthews wonders whether a shift in age focus will compromise the success of the Knowledge Is Power Program.

DC BUDGET | Two tools: The DC Budget Process Explained and An objective tool to assess the mayor’s budget and the Council’s changes (Susie Cambria, 1/19)

TRANSIT | Metro has named Richard Sarles to be its new CEO and General Manager.  (WSJ, 1/21) When Sarles came out of retirement to serve as interim manager last year, he was adamant about not being interested in a permanent position. With crumbling infrastructure, a massive budget problem, and even more proposed funding cuts, it’s no wonder he changed his mind.

ARTS | This is from a few weeks ago, but here’s an interesting article about small orchestras in the region. (WaPo, 1/7)

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I played tourist this weekend and went to the top of the Washington Monument. I took the opportunity to clarify some of the urban legends I’ve heard about building height in D.C. A park ranger told me that a building can’t be more than 20 feet taller than the width of the street it fronts. This sounds like another urban legend, but it’s true!

And all because of the Cairo Hotel on Q Street – which can be seen from WG’s office and looks like the creepy building from Rosemary’s Baby.

Gray nominates deputy mayor for planning and economic development [News, 1.21.11]

Mayor Gray has nominated Victor Hopkins, the former secretary of housing and community development in Maryland, to be his deputy mayor for planning and economic development. (WaPo, 1/21)

[Gray] said repeatedly during his mayoral election campaign that he would like to expand the deputy mayor’s role beyond management of real estate projects to include workforce development responsibilities.

EDUCATION | The Harvard think tank that experimented with paying D.C. middle schoolers for good grades and behavior will also study the IMPACT teacher evaluation system. (WaPo, 1/20)

HOMELESSNESS | $1.4-Billion in Federal Grants to Homeless Programs Announced (Chronicle, 1/20)

GIVING | A survey ranking the top cities for online giving puts our region at the top with three of the top five spots claimed by Alexandria (1), Arlington (3), and D.C. (5).  (Chronicle, 1/21)

D.C. also ranks number 5 on Travel and Leisure‘s list of rudest cities. But those classless twerps don’t know what they are talking about and should stay out of my way. (Joking aside, I actually think people are pretty nice here.)

BUDGETS
- Virginia Medicaid wasting more money (WaPo, 1/20) – We learned a few months ago that Virginia Medicaid paid $38.9 million in fraudulent or erroneous Medicaid claims in 2009.

- House group wants to slash $360m of Metro, District funding (Examiner, 1/21) The cuts are part of a proposed $2.5 trillion reduction in federal spending in the next ten years – which, let’s be honest, is probably necessary if we don’t want to be owned outright by China. At the same time, have these congressmen been to Farragut North? I literally sprint out of there for fear of the entire station collapsing and squashing everyone inside.

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Happy Friday and have a great weekend, folks. If your afternoon starts to lull, consider briefly distracting yourself with an amusingly absurd video courtesy of Margie Siegel: a shopping penguin.

Millions could lose health coverage locally…Washington National Opera gets new life [News, 1.20.11]

HEALTH
- According to the Department of Health and Human Services, a lot of locals could lose health coverage if the health care act is repealed – 3.5 million in Virginia, 2.5 million in Maryland, 260,000 in D.C. (WBJ, 1/19)

- Three thousand more low-income District residents will be served through an expansion of Bread for the City’s Northwest Washington medical clinic. Rose Ann Cleveland, executive director of the Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation and WG board chair, participated in the grand opening ceremony with Eleanor Holmes Norton and David Catania. (WaPo, 1/17)

ARTS | The Kennedy Center has officially announced that it will be taking over the Washington National Opera. (WaPo, 1/20) This is great news. The Post reports that if the merger hadn’t happened, WNO would have been “doomed,” which is a more dramatic scenario if you consider it while listening to this.

EDUCATION | In Alexandria, fight over additional class time mirrors national debate (WaPo, 1/20)

GIVING
- A Good Omen for 2011 Fund Raising – “[T]he number of American adults who said they plan to increase their contributions to charity this year increased to 18 percent.” (Chronicle, 1/20)

- Post readers donate $355,992 for Children’s Hospital (WaPo, 1/20)

ELECTIONS | Gabe Klein won’t be running for a city council seat after all. Bummer. On the other hand, one of these 17 people will be.

SAFETY/PRIVACY/RIGHTS/LOCAL/ET CETERA
Adding to a network that already includes 4500 cameras from DDOT and DCPS, D.C.’s Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency plans to centralize feeds from thousands of cameras operated by private businesses and Metro. (Examiner, 1/19)

Surveillance is a can of worms inside of Pandora’s Box. The debate typically steers towards an Orwellian fear of being “watched.” But do the implications change if nobody is actually watching? Then there is the whole public/private property question. Interesting times we live in.

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Speaking of the times we live in, here’s a fun story for your Thursday. One of my college classmates posted a funny video on YouTube asking millionaires to give him just one million dollars. So one did.

Arts and social change…Lots of council contenders…Halted foreclosures [News, 1.19.11]

ARTS
- Americans for the Arts has released Trend or Tipping Point: Arts & Social Change Grantmaking – a look at arts funders, social change funders, and others supporting civic engagement and social change through the arts.

- Smithsonian Secretary Defends Removing Controversial Art (NBC, 1/19)
-  Related: Artistic Censorship in DC by Michael Bigley (WG Daily, 12/3)

ELECTIONS | D.C. Council Race For At-Large Seat Gets Crowded (WAMU, 1/19) “Another big name out there is Gabe Klein, the former transportation director.” Klein worked on some neat projects in the city…so that would be interesting.

WORKFORCE | Kwame R. Brown has introduced a proposal that would require contractors to guarantee that at least 20 percent of workers on city projects be D.C. residents. (WaPo, 1/19)

EDUCATION
- Is Rhee’s key D.C. reform being tossed? (WaPo, 1/19)

- Merit pay proposed for Va. teachers (Examiner, 1/19)

- Montgomery unsure how to help older students with reading (Examiner, 1/19)

HOUSING | About 250 foreclosures in Maryland overseen by Ally Financial, Inc., have been halted thanks to a total nincompoop of an employee who didn’t bother actually reading the cases before foreclosing. (WBJ, 1/19)

Child services director responds to criticism [News, 1.18.11]

In response to a number articles criticizing the D.C. Child and Family Services Agency, director Roque Gerald responds frankly (WaPo, 1/15):

Many criticisms of the imperfect system here and nationally are valid. At the D.C. Child and Family Services Agency (CFSA), we certainly acknowledge the legitimacy of many of these criticisms. But the critics and advocates do not agree on appropriate solutions, and even the most well-intended opinions do not confront the full range of issues affecting child welfare nationally, and especially locally, in all their complexity…

No child should be injured by a family or by the system designed to protect him or her. But no system can function at its best in a climate that does not allow for a dialogue involving realistic expectations and balanced, constructive criticism.

YOUTH | Here’s a big mess: In December, the District awarded contracts to 10 nonprofits to provide year-round youth job training. The contracts totaled about $4 million. Last Friday, the city unexpectedly canceled the funding and told the groups to reapply for contracts to be awarded at the end of June.  (WaPo, 1/14)

EDUCATION

- New D.C. Council chairman Kwame Brown lays out his vision for DCPS reform (WaPo, 1/16). His four priorities:

1.) Increase transparency and cost-effectiveness of school renovations.
2.) Hold principals and school leaders accountable.
3.) Close the achievement gap between wealthy and African-American/Hispanic students.
4.) Increase career and technical training.

- Gray: IMPACT teacher evaluation system has ‘a long way to go’ for fairness (WaPo, 1/17)

PROMISE NEIGHBORHOODS | Against Tough Odds, a ‘Promise Neighborhood’ in D.C. Gears Up (Chronicle, 1/9)

- Related: Opportunities for impact: Big federal programs and place-based strategies (WGDaily, June 2010)

HEALTH | As the health care debate continues, the White House has released a report claiming that as many as 129 million individuals under 65 people suffer from preexisting conditions. (NPR, 1/18) That number seems unreasonably high…but yikes if it is true.

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Hope you all enjoyed the weekend, minus the icy ending. On Saturday, I went to see one of my favorites – local go-go band Virginia Coalition – at the 9:30 Club. Two highlights: a cover of Lean on Me with the kids of School of Rock, and a surprise appearance by Nationals mascot Screech!