Rachel Wick on building the next gen of health funders, Carol Thompson Cole on collaboration, D.C. youth programs face ‘perfect storm’ of cuts [News, 5/31/11]

The Consumer Health Foundation’s Rachel Wick co-authored a piece for the Grantmakers in Health bulletin about a fellowship program aimed at cultivating future leaders in health philanthropy. (GIH, 5/23)

Perhaps the most important part of the fellowship, though, has been the network of relationships that develop when experienced program officers are given the space and time to think, talk, support, and learn from one another. We believe that these new relationships have the potential to generate change for our field…Cultivating the next generation of philanthropic leadership is really about the craft of philanthropy. It requires all of us to focus our attention on the unique aspects of the practice and the people engaged in the work.

YOUTH | D.C. Kids Prep For A Summer With Far Fewer City Programs (WAMU, 5/31) “Non profits in Washington D.C. are calling it the ‘perfect storm’: Two months where funding for summer classes, a youth jobs program and enrichment activities have been slashed because of the District’s multi-million dollar budget shortfall.”

GIVING | Carol Thompson Cole, president and CEO of Venture Philanthropy Partners and a WRAG Board member, says that funders need to leave silos behind and focus on collaboration. (RE:Philanthropy, 5/26)

No one benefits from silos. Narrowly focusing on our own specific objectives ultimately causes us to miss opportunities that could help us achieve our missions more quickly and with greater results.

HOUSING | As foreclosures continue to force drops in home prices across the country, 12 major metropolitan areas have reached their lowest points since the housing bubble burst. Fortunately, our region is one of only two where home prices are rising. (WaPo, 5/31)

HYDRATE | I should be linking to this in August, not May. Anyway, a heat advisory is in effect until 8pm, and it will feel like 100-105 degrees out there. I miss water balloons and squirt guns. Hmmmmm…

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The Rolling Thunder parade on Sunday was loud and awesome – and really, really long. But the best part was watching a police officer at 6th and Constitution trying to keep people from crossing the street and getting rolled over by thunder.

At one point, a tourist thought he had the officer fooled when he sprinted through a very brief gap of bikes and made it across the street. The joke was on him though, as the officer whistled the motorcycles to a temporary halt, grabbed the tourist by the wrist, and pulled him back where he came from. It was hilarious.

Approved Prince George’s County budget restores funding to nonprofits [News, 5.27.11]

The Prince George’s County Council passed its budget yesterday and restored nonprofit funding that had been in jeopardy (WaPo, 5/27):

The spending plan gives the nine council members $100,000 each to hand out to nonprofit groups based in their districts; the executive branch will allocate other funds.

How and where that money goes is not certain; Baker plans to establish standards that his office hopes to announce in a few weeks. The council, meanwhile, leaves it to each of the council members to set up his or her own system to distribute the money, said the council’s chairman, Ingrid Turner (D-Bowie).

Education spending is down slightly, but the budget will likely allow the county’s school system to avoid previously proposed teacher layoffs.

JUST CONFIRMED: WRAG members,  join us on June 30th for a conversation on public education reform in Prince George’s County with County Executive Rushern Baker and Superintendent William Hite.

THE DISTRICT | Last night, the D.C. Council held a meeting about redrawing ward lines based on the latest census data. It didn’t go well. “When a hearing ends with Council member Marion Barry threatening to recite the alphabet, while other members are either trying to ignore him or cut his mic off, you know it’s been a contentious meeting, even by District standards. ” (WAMU, 5/27)

Here’s a video. Watch Jack Evans stick his face in his hands in frustration. What a show.

BRAC | House approves Mark Center changes sought by Virginia (Examiner, 5/27) Delays the transfer of thousands of workers by one year.

TRANSIT | Metro is set to fail locals and tourists alike this weekend as it closes Capitol Hill stations on the Blue/Orange line and has single-tracking on huge portions of the Red line. (WaPo, 5/27)

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Hope you all enjoy the long weekend – it’s going to be a hot one! Be sure to take a few moments to remember the men and women who died while serving our country.  See you on Tuesday.

Council passes budget, eliminates ‘theatre tax’…Budget cuts mean uncertain summer for youth…Census data shows new regional trends for aging and Asians [News, 5.26.11]

BUDGETS | The D.C. Council unanimously passed a first-round vote on the budget yesterday, eliminating an income tax hike and the controversial “theatre tax,” and seemingly preserving funding for social services, including homeless shelters. The Post reports that “Brown and his colleagues found scads of revenue in several new taxes and fees — including a little-discussed proposal to tax non-D.C. municipal bonds for the first time.” (WaPo, 5/26) ‘Scads’ is certainly an obscure word.

SOCIAL MEDIA | Why I Tweet, Blog, and Facebook by Terri Freeman of the Community Foundation for the National Capital Region
(WG Daily, 5/26)

YOUTH | Budget cuts to summer programs will leave as many as 15,000 District youth without summer activities. (WAMU, 5/26) The article reports, “In response, the police department is restructuring its staffing to keep officers on the beat.” It is pretty depressing that that response is necessary.

- VIDEO: BB Otero, D.C.’s Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services, talks about how funders can partner with the city to ensure youth have a safe and fun summer. (Grantmakers Channel)

CENSUS
- Baby boomers and retirees are the fastest-growing populations in our region’s suburbs, according to Census data, and the Examiner says that growth “will strain state and local governments to the breaking point.” (Examiner, 5/26)

- Related: WRAG’s Working Group on Aging is dedicated to exploring the needs of the region’s aging population. In a recent program, they explored the region’s direct care workforce. (WG Daily, 5/17)

- The region’s Asian population has grown by scads – a 60 percent increase since the 2000 census. (WaPo, 5.26)

AWARDS | Congratulations to Horton’s Kids for winning The Washington Post Award for Excellence in Nonprofit Management! (Center for Nonprofit Advancement, 5/25)

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Now I have proof that the Rapture didn’t happen last weekend. I saw Paul Simon at Constitution Hall last night, and there is no way God left that man behind. He played scads of his hits, invited an audience member on stage to sing along with his song Gumboots, and came back for two multi-song encores. It was beautiful.

Terri Freeman: Why I Tweet, Blog, and Facebook

By Terri Freeman
President, Community Foundation of the National Capital Region
Vice Chair, WRAG Board of Directors
@TerriLeeFreeman

It’s practically a cliché now that social media is fundamentally changing the way that our society communicates. At the Community Foundation for the National Capital Region, we have embraced this and are tweeting, Facebooking, and blogging away (myself included!). While getting started on all these outlets took some time and effort, I think the payoff so far has been great, and as we learn more and refine our approach, its potential for impact is incredible.

Last month on the CFNCR blog, Giving It Some Thought, I wrote about how the myriad social challenges facing the Washington region require a new emphasis on community-building across the philanthropic, nonprofit, private, and public sectors, and suggested that the philanthropic community needs to be a leader in building these partnerships. In a lot of ways, I think our social media efforts play a small – but important – role in building this community. Our tweeting and Facebooking isn’t just about promoting CFNCR and letting the community know about our work (although it does do that), it’s also about reaching out, building connections, and, perhaps most importantly, learning about what is happening in the community, and sharing that information with our grantees and donors.

The current economic conditions in our region require innovative ideas and effective partnerships. To be the catalyst for change that we need to be, the philanthropic community needs to be ahead of the curve. Social media is not about to solve the serious problems facing our region, but it is a powerful (and not to mention incredibly cost-effective) tool in our collective toolbox that can enable foundations to engage, learn, share ideas, and inspire new ones.

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June 9th – Social Media: How and Why Foundations Should Join the Conversation. Register today!

DC Council budget relies on ‘theoretical revenue’…Dr. Madye Henson leaving Greater DC Cares…MoCo revises plan to layoff teachers [News, 5.25.11]

BUDGETS | D.C. Council Chairman Kwame Brown has released his budget proposal, and it is set to be voted on today. Greater Greater Washington has a good breakdown of the budget and how it differs from Mayor Gray’s. Of note, the income tax increase for folks making over $200,000 has been removed and “many services for the less fortunate remain in limbo.” (GGW, 5/25)

Brown’s budget might have some trouble, however, as it relies on a predicted increase in revenue that may or may not come to pass. D.C.’s Chief Financial Officer, Natwar Gandhi, wrote a letter to the council warning against “doling out the theoretical revenue.” (WAMU, 5/25)

- Related: D.C. looking into claim that developers owe $100m in real estate taxes (Examiner, 5/25) …which is a ton of money.

PEOPLE | Greater DC Cares’ Dr. Madye Henson has announced her resignation as president and CEO. She will take over as the Deputy Superintendent for the Alexandria City Public Schools.

EDUCATION
- Montgomery County has scrapped a plan to layoff 168 teachers and will instead work to close a budget gap by cutting pay raises and some benefits, and by eliminating some non-teaching positions. (Examiner, 5/25)

- Target’s School Library Makeover Program has chosen five District elementary schools to “receive a minimum of $200,000 in renovations that will include light construction, technology updates, new furniture and 2,000 books.” (WaPo, 5/25)

GIVING
- Endowment Returns in 2010 Less Than in 2009, Say Two New Surveys (Chronicle, 5/24)

- Here are photos from the Washington Business Journal’s Corporate Philanthropy Awards where Jean Case (The Case Foundation) was named Philanthropist of the Year and Wells Fargo & Co. was recognized as the top local corporate giver. (WBJ)

Related: Next month, WRAG will release our 2011 edition of Our Region, Our Giving featuring the latest giving and asset information for the Greater Washington Region.

Free health clinic uses lottery to deal with high demand…DC Council budget set to circulate…Walgreens joins female condom campaign [News, 5.24.11]

HEALTH | Demand for a free health clinic in Arlington is so high that the clinic has to conduct a lottery to determine which patients will be served. (WAMU, 5/23)

- WRAG Event: Health Working Group meeting next Monday (open to WRAG members) | REGISTER

BUDGETS | D.C. Council Chairman Kwame Brown is expected to circulate his revisions to Mayor Gray’s budget, and the council is expected to take its first vote on it tomorrow. (DCist, 5/23)

HIV/AIDS
- The Washington AIDS Partnership – which leads the D.C. Female Condom Initiative – joins other advocates in commending Walgreens for being the first pharmacy to offer the female condom nationally.   This builds on a very successful partnership with local CVS pharmacies.

“We are pleased and appreciative that CVS Pharmacy and Walgreens are committed to helping fight HIV/AIDS…by carrying female condoms,” says Channing Wickham, Executive Director of the Washington AIDS Partnership.

- HIV drugs sharply cut risk of transmission, study finds (WaPo, 5/12)

PROMISE NEIGHBORHOODS | The Senate has introduced legislation to make funding for the Promise Neighborhoods program permanent. (Chronicle, 5/20)

EVENTS | The Young Nonprofit Professionals Network’s Annual Spring Conference is next Friday – a chance for emerging leaders in the nonprofit sector to network and share best practices with colleagues from across region. More info.

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After seeing this, I can’t wait for November! (Wait until about a minute into the video before you call me crazy.)

Diane Bernstein on voting rights…Va. legal position could end funding for arts orgs…Homeless services on the line in DC budget [News, 5.23.11]

DC VOTE | WRAG Board member Diane Bernstein (Diane and Norman Bernstein Foundation) wrote an op-ed for the Post this weekend about her experience getting arrested for D.C. voting rights (WaPo, 5/21):

I have seen how our lack of power in Congress negatively affects life in my beloved District, such as with the congressional override of local health-care decisions on AIDS prevention and reproductive services. I have seen how the president and congressional leaders treated the city like a pawn in budget talks. Our second-class status is a blight on American democracy.

- Related: As Diane mentions in her piece, Tamara was also arrested at the protest.  She wrote about how her personal experience influenced the way she thinks about her job. (WG Daily, 5/12)

ARTS | Cuccinelli legal position may end Virginia funds for cultural, historical groups (WaPo, 5/21) “[A] recent ruling by the state’s attorney general, banning public funding of charitable organizations, could largely spell the end of taxpayer support for cultural institutions.”

HOUSING / HOMELESSNESS
- Opinion: Local businessman Benjamin Miller calls on business leaders to pressure the D.C. Council into restoring funding for homeless services that Mayor Gray’s budget cut. (WBJ, 5/20 – subscription) The cuts would “close city-supported shelters and put 1,500 men and women out on the street.”

- Opinion: Mayor Gray’s Actions Seem to Contradict His Words When it Comes to Affordable Housing (Housing for All, 5/20)

- Following up on the Post’s investigation of HUD, the Nonprofit Quarterly’s Rick Cohen says that it is “important for readers…to understand the context of nonprofits” within the story. (NACEDA, 5/15)

EDUCATION | Council to investigate suburban students in D.C.’s top schools (Examiner, 5/23)

TRANSIT | Metro is considering shortening or changing up to 20 station names. (WTOP, 5/23)

EVENTS | Tonight: ArtTable presents Art and Politics: Rethinking Arts Policy and Cultural Diplomacy featuring a panel including Jim Leach, Chairman of the National Endowment for the Humanities.

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I went to see the Ryan Montbleau Band at IOTA in Clarendon this weekend. Really cool venue, really cool band. I’ve posted a Montbleau song on the Daily before, but check out his newest – Songbird. I love it.

MoCo budget cuts benefits…HUD fires back at the Post…2011 High School Challenge results [News, 5.20.11]

BUDGETS
- The Montgomery County Council unanimously passed a budget yesterday that cuts health and retirement benefits for government and school employees by $33 million. (WaPo, 5/20)

- Mayor Gray has ordered a spending freeze for all District agencies that are directly under his control. (WTOP, 5/20)

SIF | 18 applications are competing for second round grants from the Social Innovation Funder (down from 69 last year) – and half of the applications are from United Ways. (Chronicle, 5/18)

HOUSING | Following the Washington Post’s investigation into mismanagement and waste at HUD, the agency responds with What the Washington Post Got Wrong About the HOME Program (The HUDdle, 5/19) Clever blog title…

EDUCATION
- Jay Matthews’ 2011 High School Challenge index is out. It ranks schools based on the number of AP, IB, and AICE tests compared to the number of seniors who earn diplomas. (WaPo, 5/20)

AGING | Va. Study: Many Baby Boomers Feel They Won’t Be Ready For Retirement (WAMU, 5/20) “Two-thirds of baby boomers said they do not think they will be financially prepared to take care of themselves when they retire.”

AFTERNOON DISTRACTION | Can you name the singular word from its plural? (Sporcle Quiz)

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It’s National Bike to Work Day! In its honor, I recommend watching the truly hilarious American classic Breaking Away. It even stars a local – Daniel Stern from Bethesda, MD. Plus, you can buy the DVD for less than the price of one ticket to the sure-to-be-putrid Pirates of the Caribbean 4.

Mario Morino’s new book released today…High rates of students in remedial community college courses…Talking with new DHCD head [News, 5.19.11]

COMMUNITY | Today Venture Philanthropy Partners, in collaboration with McKinsey & Company, are launching their latest publication, Leap of Reason: Managing Outcomes in an Era of Scarcity, by Mario Morino. The book calls on funders to empower their grantees to focus on impact and outcomes, rather than onerous reporting requirements, particularly during the current economic downturn when maximizing nonprofits’ impact is especially important.

BUDGETS | Yesterday advocates demonstrated to protest the cuts to services for the homeless in the District’s FY2012 budget. They seem to have gotten their message across: Council Chairman Kwame Brown told the crowd that he would “do everything I can to restore all of the homeless services” in the budget, though he said he wouldn’t be doing it by raising the income tax. (WAMU, 5/19)

EDUCATION
- A new report shows that significant segments of students at the region’s community colleges have to enroll in remedial English, math, and English as a second language courses. (Examiner, 5/19)

- Jay Matthews takes a look at the controversy around an extremely rigorous new DC charter school, which opponents think won’t adequately meet the needs of special education students and students learning English as a second language. (WaPo, 5/12)

- Closing more bad charters sooner (WaPo, 5/15)

- D.C. schools investigate security breaches in 2011 tests. (Examiner, 5/19)

HOUSING | John Hall, the new director of the Department of Housing and Community Development, talks about his plans and priorities for his new position, particularly with regard to ensuring a supply of affordable housing. (City Paper, 5/17)

ENVIRONMENT | New technology being acquired by DC’s Wastewater Treatment Plant will be the “largest source of clean renewable energy in Washington, D.C.,” according to George Hawkins, the head of DC’s Water and Sewer Authority. (WAMU, 5/17)

AWARDS
- The Community Foundation for the National Capital Region is inviting nominations of exceptional youth and young adult leaders for its 2011 Linowes Leadership Award. The foundation awards four people annually, with one award specifically recognizing a young person, age 18 or younger. Nominations must be in by May 25. More information is available here.

- Greater DC Cares’ 2011 Impact Summit, where regional business, nonprofit, and volunteer leaders who have made an impact in philanthropy, volunteerism, and service will be recognized, is coming up on June 15. The is an open call for nominations in each category. Nominations are due by May 27. Forms and more information can be found here.

GIVING | Today is the Dulles Greenway’s annual “Drive for Charity” day. 100% of the tolls collected today will be donated to five Loudoun County nonprofits. If you’re wondering how much one day of tolls amounts to, last year’s Drive for Charity day raised $226,427.

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Today’s news round-up by Rebekah.

Training a Quality Direct Care Workforce in the Greater Washington Region

By Rebekah Seder, Program Coordinator

We know that there is a rapidly growing demand for direct care health workers due to the region’s aging population, so how do we ensure that this demand will be met by a supply of well-trained and highly competent health workers?

This was the topic of discussion last week at the Working Group on Aging’s second Quality Jobs/Quality Care session, which featured a panel of leaders from community colleges and nonprofits in Northern Virginia, DC, and Montgomery and Prince George’s counties that offer training programs leading to Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) and other direct care certifications. These programs provide a pathway for workers, many of whom are female, low-income, and often foreign-born, into direct care jobs that are in ever-growing demand.

While these programs are meeting a critical need, obstacles persist. Because CNA and other training programs are generally non-credit programs at community colleges, the federal government doesn’t provide financial aid for students in these programs, so keeping these programs affordable for students is challenging. In addition, licensing regulations vary across jurisdictions, making it very difficult to live, study, and work in different counties throughout the region. Finally, ensuring that the direct care jobs that these training programs lead to are of high quality, professionally supervised, and well compensated, is a continuing issue.

VIDEO: Judy Berman, Deputy Director of DC Appleseed, talks a bit more about the region’s training programs, and what role the local philanthropic community can play in strengthening the direct care workforce:

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The Quality Jobs/Quality Care series is sponsored by WRAG’s Working Group on Aging, the Greater Washington Workforce Development Collaborative at the Community Foundation for the National Capital Region and the Washington Area Women’s Foundation. The series will continue on September 21 and December 13. Details TBA at www.washingtongrantmakers.org.