Region’s minorities have become majority…City sues HIV/AIDS nonprofit for using grants to build a strip club…Factoid: Reforming the NCAA [News, 8.31.11]

PEOPLE | A new analysis of census data by Brookings finds that minorities have become a majority in the Washington region over the last decade. (WaPo, 8/31)

Racial and ethnic minorities make up slightly more than half of the residents of the Washington region, according to 2010 Census figures. The region was 55 percent white in 2000 and 64 percent white in 1990.
…
Whites are minorities in the District and in Maryland’s Montgomery, Prince George’s and Charles counties. In Virginia, Prince William County is majority-minority.

Fairfax and Loudoun counties could switch by the next census. Arlington County is one of the only places in the region where the percentage of whites is growing. I wonder whether these huge demographic shifts will work to eliminate the majority/minority dichotomy, or simply reverse it. What are the implications of being a minority in one place and not another?

HIV/AIDS | The District is suing Miracle Hands, which claims to be an HIV/AIDS nonprofit, for misusing $329,653 of city funding designated to renovate a warehouse into a job-training center. Instead, the funds were used to build a strip club. Debora Rowe, who served as “interim housing chief of the city’s HIV/AIDS program from 2004 through 2008,” is now the executive director of Miracle Hands and stands accused of using her former post to ensure funding to the nonprofit. (WaPo, 8/31) This is absurd and terribly wrong on so many levels.

Related: Disclosure Requirements Weak For D.C. Officials Involved With Nonprofits

WORKFORCE | Md.’s public work force grows while Va. axes gov’t jobs (Examiner, 8/31)

LOCAL
- Walter Reed Center’s Closure May Be A Boon To D.C. (NPR, 8/31)

- Alexandria coal power plant to close next year (GGW, 8/30)

TRANSIT | Montgomery County officials are proposing a new 150-mile transit system that would create bus lanes on major roads and include a new fleet of vehicles. (Examiner, 8/30)

FACTOID | As college sports kick off a new season, learn about how the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation helped reform the NCAA when it was buried in corruption and public distrust. (WG Daily, 8/31)

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I know summer doesn’t technically end for a few weeks, but I think there is a mental transition between seasons when September starts. So on this last day of August, closing out an epic summer during which we survived hurricanes, heat waves, and earthquakes, I want to help you finish this season and start the fall with Good Vibrations.

Philanthropy Factoid Wednesday – Fixing a broken NCAA

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In the late 1980s, the NCAA was faced with major ethical problems – corruption, bribery, cheating, low academic standards – and severe public distrust. As the situation neared a boiling point, the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation created and funded the Knight Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics. The commission, consisting of academic, athletic, and business leaders, developed and lobbied for a reform agenda focused on framing college sports within the context of higher education. Most of the commission’s recommendations were adopted and have been credited with restoring confidence, and fairness, in college athletics.

“Reinvigorating a Humanistic Philanthropy”…Data shows TANF not functioning well…Optimistic economic views in D.C. highlight divide [News, 8.30.11]

PHILANTHROPY | In an article titled Reinvigorating a Humanistic Philanthropy, George McCully, president of the Catalogue for Philanthropy, explores the history and evolution of the concept of philanthropy, the fact that “people still don’t know what it means,” and the need to “expunge from our vocabulary the useless, negative, and factually incorrect word ‘nonprofit.’” (Tactical Philanthropy, 8/29) It’s a great read.

Related: Tamara shares similar views. In 2008, she wrote about the need to reframe the “nonprofit” sector, which has led WRAG to lean in favor of the term “social profit.” (WG Daily, 6/19/08) And this year, she asked What is Philanthropy? (WG Daily, 6/27/11)

POVERTY | A new analysis from the Urban Institute finds that the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program isn’t fulfilling its function during the prolonged recession, but the reason is unclear. (Urban, 8/29)

WORKFORCE | A recent Gallup poll finds that unlike the rest of the country, D.C. thinks the economy is getting better. A New York Times economics reporter says anomalous poll results have to do with recession proof jobs in the region, but they misrepresent reality. (NYTimes, 8/28):

Washington has one of the nation’s highest poverty rates, with 18.4 percent of residents living below the poverty line, a rate exceeded by only three states in 2009, the most recent year for which data are available.

Washington also has the highest income inequality in the country, according to the Census Bureau. For decades there has been a sharp divide between the haves and the have-nots in Washington.

POLITICS | D.C. Mayor Gray to name new chief of staff and deputy chief of staff. (WaPo, 8/30)

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Last night was the final installment of Crystal City’s summer outdoor film festival. It just happened to be my favorite movie – 2001: A Space Odyssey. As always, it left me feeling excited about the mysteries of space. Then I read today that astronauts might be abandoning the space station. Between that and the grounding of the space shuttle fleet, I have one thing to say:

You’re all going in the wrong direction. Space exploration means moving away from Earth! 

The post-Irene news vacuum [News, 8.29.11]

I certainly don’t want to diminish the suffering the people with serious tree-related damage (like my girlfriend’s neighbor) or the thousands who are without electricity.

But as things turned out with our old friend Irene, it felt a little familiar. You know, the annual occurrence where the weathermen predict “doomsday” snow accumulations (2-4″), the grocery store ends up looking like this, and then we get a light dusting. Seriously, it takes a hurricane to make people eat their frozen vegetables?

In the Daily Beast, Howard Kurtz says that Hurricane Irene was the perfect storm of “scaremongering” by self-perpetuating media and politicians covering their own hides. Seems about right to me.

Since the media has been preoccupied, there isn’t a ton to share with you today. For example, 18 of the 20 stories on WAMU’s homepage this morning are about the hurricane. Here are a few things that managed to slip into the news cycle:

AGING | The AARP Foundation has announced a new grants program “to identify and fund innovative and strategic business models that begin to build a national network of employment and income support services that address the specific needs of unemployed workers age 50 and older.”

EDUCATION | Listen: Q&A With New Montgomery County Schools Superintendent Joshua Starr (WAMU, 8/29)

SOCIAL MEDIA | More Foundation CEO’s Start to Tweet (Chronicle, 8/26) Check out Tamara’s Twitter feed @WRAGprez.

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In the lead up to the hurricane, Rose Ann Cleveland had the great suggestion of linking to this classic and relevant song. After the fact, I think we can also send this message to the media. Also, for the record, I’m glad things weren’t worse. I just don’t like being unnecessarily panicked by the media.

See you all tomorrow, hopefully with more news!

- Christian

Hurricane! Edition [News, 8.26.11]

HURRICANE
- The Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial dedication this Sunday has been postponed until sometime later this fall.  (WAMU, 8/26)

- DC’s Department of Public Works is distributing free sandbags starting today to residents who might need them. And here’s a cool hurricane tracker to keep tabs on the storm’s progress. (WaPo, 8/26)

- PEPCO is contacting customers to be prepared for power outages as a result of the storm.

PHILANTHROPY
- Bob Hughes, who spoke to WRAG members in March about the importance of learning from failure, has been selected to be the next president and CEO of the Missouri Foundation for Health.

Related: Can Failure Be the Key to Foundation Effectiveness? (WG Daily, 3/31)

- Two-Thirds of Donors Plan to Cut Back on Giving This Fall (Chronicle, 8/24)

EVENTS | Yesterday the DC Public Education Learning Series announced its 2011-12 line-up of school tours for education funders in the District. The series, co-hosted by WRAG, the Banyan Tree Foundation, CityBridge Foundation, and the DC Public Education Fund, sells out quickly, so be sure to register ASAP. For more information, visit washingtongrantmakers.org/edutours.

REVIEW | What better way to pass a rainy weekend inside than reading a book about social change? WRAG’s Katy Moore recently reviewed Getting to Maybe: How the World is Changed, which examines “ordinary people figuring out how to make the impossible happen.”

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Stay dry (and safe!) this weekend! – Rebekah

Profile of IBM’s Sally Scott Marietta…Race to the Top application released…Quakes, hurricane, etc. [News, 8.25.11]

GIVING | In a Capital Business profile from earlier this month, IBM’s Sally Scott Marietta talks about the corporation’s local philanthropy model (WaPo, 8/14). She says:

Our emphasis is giving our services and our technology within the greater Washington region. I like to tailor our technology and talent to a specific partner or organization.

EDUCATION | A City Paper article asks, Has D.C.’s Black Middle Class Given Up On Neighborhood Schools? (City Paper, 8/26) “Too many parents in those communities don’t want to speak out…Others are discouraged from demanding change…And still others have simply abandoned their neighborhood institutions.”

RACE TO THE TOP | The Department of Education has released the final application for Race to the Top’s Early Learning Challenge grant competition aimed at funding comprehensive birth-to-five early learning systems and enhancing school readiness. Applications are due October 19th and can be found here. An executive summary is located here. Thanks to the Hewlett Foundation’s Chris Shearer for sharing this info.

NONPROFITS | Nonprofits Are Expected to Use Social Media During Disasters (Chronicle, 8/25)

LOCAL
- Reforming D.C.’s constituent service funds (WaPo, 8/25)

- A Lawmaker Takes Experience Gained at Nonprofits to Capitol Hill (Chronicle, 8/25 – subscription) Profile of Maryland’s Rep. Donna Edwards.

NATURE | Ok, since these are the local stories “flooding” (zing!) all of the media outlets:

- There was a 4.5 aftershock early this morning, and more aftershocks are possible (WTOP, 8/25)

- National Cathedral damage will cost millions (WBJ, 8/25), the Washington Monument has a bigger crack than first realized (DCist, 8/25), and some schools remain closed for inspections though most are open (WTOP 8/25).

- Hurricane Irene is threatening to ruin the weekend (and a lot more) with heavy rain and strong wind.

We must have done something to deserve this. I blame both parties for all of the partisan bickering.

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Rebekah has the Daily covered tomorrow. I’ll be building an ark to sail to the Jimmy Buffett concert on Saturday. Hope you all have a safe weekend.

“The Big One” Edition [News, 8.24.11]

Hi folks, how are your nerves today? When WRAG’s top-floor offices started shaking yesterday – and since we’re located a few blocks from the White House – I think everyone here probably had the same first thought. Oh crud, aliens!

The few minutes of collective uncertainty were pretty eerie. Seismologists had previously predicted six quakes of this magnitude in the next 10,000 years on the fault line, so suffice it to say that it was a rare event. At the zoo, the animals apparently knew the quake was coming, which proves what I always say – when lemurs start “alarm calling,” run for the hills.

Also, my apartment actually sustained some damage. Problematic, but kind of cool. And now for something completely different.

GIVING | Yesterday, Prince George’s County was announced as one of six recipients, selected from 90 candidates, of the Wallace Foundation’s new $75 million “Principal Pipeline” initiative. The six year program will focus on developing effective principals in the selected urban school districts and then study the impact of principal development on student achievement.

Based on 10 years of research, Wallace has identified four key parts of a “principal pipeline” that can develop and ensure the success of a sufficient number of principals to meet district needs: rigorous job requirements, high-quality training, selective hiring, and on-the-job evaluation and support.

SIF | Social Innovation Fund Urged to Document Grant Decisions Better (Chronicle, 8/24)

NONPROFITS | After this year, Fannie Mae’s annual Help the Homeless walkathon on the Mall will be replaced with “mini-walks” which are intended to decrease overhead but actually increase fundraising revenues. Many local recipients of walkathon dollars are concerned, however, that the transition and new model might hurt donations. (WaPo, 8/24)

BUDGETS | District rings up millions in parking ticket revenue (WaPo, 8/24) No joke – as people were pouring out office buildings yesterday, we watched a city tow truck yank a car off of P Street. The city must not have an earthquake leniency policy.

FACTOID | Philanthropy Factoid Wednesday tells you why you don’t always need a doctor to get medical help. (WG Daily, 8/23)

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Well bless my soul, what’s wrong with me? 

Sorry, couldn’t resist!

Philanthropy Factoid Wednesday – Expanding the field of health professionals

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After WWII, population shifts contributed to a shortage of doctors and available medical care. Philanthropic support led to the creation of two new classes of health care providers.

The Commonwealth Fund gave a grant to the University of Colorado to help convert registered nurses into “nurse practitioners.” Soon after, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation funded the development of standards for the new profession. Similarly, funding from the National Heart Institute, the Carnegie Corporation, the Rockefeller Foundation, and Commonwealth allowed Duke University to train military medical corps members as “physician’s assistants.”

Local philanthropist makes gift to help Capital Area Food Bank serve fresh produce [News, 8.23.11]

William E. Conway, Jr. of the Carlyle Group is donating $1 million to the Capital Area Food Bank – our region’s “primary source for more than 700 food pantries and other nonprofit organizations” – to help eliminate a fresh produce fee that was recently added to curb rising food costs. (WaPo, 8/23)

“I had fresh produce last night with dinner. I had blueberries this morning with my cereal. It’s a luxury for some people,” Conway said in a phone interview. “I wanted to try to help.”

This gift follows a $5 million donation that Conway made to the food bank in November for construction on a new facility.

NONPROFITS | The Meyer Foundation’s Rick Moyers (also a WRAG board member) writes in the Chronicle, “The more effort nonprofit leaders put into supporting their boards, the happier they are with the board’s performance—but few leaders spend enough hours working with trustees to make a difference.” (Chronicle, 8/23)

WORKFORCE
- O’Malley to announce job skills partnership (WTOP, 8/23) “The O’Malley administration is aiming to increase the number of state residents who receive skills training through [Maryland's] workforce system by 20 percent by next year.”

- Washington-area jobless rates climb (WBJ, 8/23)

EDUCATION | D.C. charter schools have a ‘voice at the table’ (WaPo, 8/23)

TRANSIT | DDOT: Streetcar Now On Track For Mid-2013 (DCist, 8/23) With the track already laid along H Street, contractors are being sought to figure out everything DDOT didn’t think of – little things like how to power the streetcars.

POLITICS | D.C. Council committee faults Gray, aides for hiring problems (WaPo, 8/23) The report “did not uncover direct involvement by Gray…but it sharply criticizes the conduct of several of his most trusted deputies.”

ART | Here’s a look at some of the better murals painted around D.C., including the one commissioned by Daniel Solomon in support of voting rights.  (TBD, 8/22)

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This weather is perfect.  The weather is teasing me into thinking it is OK to have a pumpkin ale. It isn’t! Not til September!  Besides, summer can’t be over until Jimmy Buffett plays this Saturday.

HIV/AIDS funding held up by delays and glitches…MLK memorial opens to the public…A bank in Prince George’s school aims to improve student financial literacy [News, 8.22.11]

HIV/AIDS | Due to Congress’ slowness in passing its budget and further hindered by “glitches” at the agency responsible for distributing funds, key HIV/AIDS safety net dollars have been held up for months. (WaPo, 8/20)

“In these tough financial times, we would not be able to sustain the program very long on our own without this funding,” said Adam Tenner, executive director of Metro TeenAIDS, which provides HIV testing and sexual and reproductive health education to about 30,000 youths, primarily in the District.

Not surprisingly, there are conflicting reports about the funds. Federal officials say most of the funds have been delivered, local officials say they haven’t.  Perhaps the truth lies here.

HISTORY | The Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial finally opens to the public today, with the official dedication taking place next weekend. The Post has detailed coverage of the memorial including a look at the composition of the memorial and its timeline from inception to completion.

Related opinion: Courtland Milloy considers King’s legacy (“left unguarded”) and his various impressions of the memorial – ranging from Star Wars’ Han Solo to a giant chess piece. “As with any art, I see something new with each viewing.” (WaPo, 8/22)

WORKFORCE | A Brookings podcast talks about the U.S. male workforce and finds that “nearly one man in five is unemployed, wages for men who do have jobs are historically low, and workforce opportunities for men are shrinking.” (Brookings, 8/20)

Related: WRAG’s Corporate Philanthropy Affinity Group recently visited local workforce development program Training Futures.

NONPROFITS | A congressional proposal to restructure the Post Office would phase out nonprofit postage discounts. (Chronicle, 8/20)

EDUCATION
- Henderson: Gray ‘exceeded expectations’ (WaPo, 8/20)

- Bank opening inside Pr. George’s school (WaPo, 8/22) Teachers hope the bank will help emphasize the importance of financial literacy.

POLITICS | D.C. Councilmember Jack Evans has spent $135k on sports tickets over the last decade from a fund “that councilmembers typically use to help needy constituents.” (WTOP, 8/22) And he has never invited me to a Redskins game.