Happy Fourth of July!

Something to set the mood…

Robert Wood Johnson Foundation supports new elder-care effort [News, 6/25]

AGING
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Supports New Elder-Care Effort (WSJ, via the Chronicle, 6/24) - “effort to replace large nursing homes with small, homelike facilities for 10 to 12 elderly residents”
> Related: WG’s FunderView (June 2008) - The Agua Fund’s Bonita Tindley talks about funding for elderly-care issues

PHILANTHROPY/NONPROFITS
- Washington Area Women’s Foundation Awards $645,500 in New Grants (6/23)
- Nonprofits struggle to keep up with needs (WBJ, 6/20) - Op-ed by the Women Foundation’s Phyllis Caldwell

HOUSING
D.C. Plans To Inspect All Rental Housing - will proactively inspect all buildings as part of crackdown on slumlords (WaPo, 6/25)

HEALTH
- District Sues CareFirst, Says Provider Must Donate Millions (WaPo, 6/25)
CareFirst’s D.C. operation is a federally chartered not-for-profit that must be run as a “charitable and benevolent institution.” But what exactly does “charitable and benevolent” mean? And there’s the problem.
- Doctors Balk at Electronic Records (WaPo, 6/24)

EDUCATION
- Teacher Bonuses Get Unions’ Blessing in Pr. George’s County (WaPo, 6/25)
- Report: Area math, reading scores spike (Examiner, 6/25)

Announced: Summer Film Series (WG event)

A two-part film series –private screenings for funders of short documentaries highlighting the issues and people of our region. Part I: Youth Matter! - July 10, 2008.

– Finding Our Turf (30 min.) — This film by The Ghandi Brigade, a Montgomery County nonprofit which works with and for youth preparing them to become powerful leaders, explores a teen hang-out space in renovated downtown Silver Spring.
– Redemption Stone: The Life and Times of Tom Lewis (30 min.) — This powerful film recounts the journey of the well-respected founder of the The Fishing School, an after-school program for youth ages 5 to 17.

Announced: “Family Philanthropy Symposium” - June 17 (WG event)

Join family foundation trustees from around the region for a dynamic, interactive discussion on the issues fundamental to the practice of family philanthropy. [info and register]

Foundation visitors see “The World in a Zipcode” in Md. [News, 5/19]

“Silver Spring - The World in a Zipcode” (WAMU, 5/16) - Gustavo Torres, executive director of Casa de Maryland, takes national foundation leaders and WAMU reporter Faryl Ury on a tour of Silver Spring, Maryland, home of residents from 140 different countries who speak over 140 different languages (summary). The site sessions, planned by the Washington Metropolitan Host Committee, left the 3000+ conference visitors with a new perspective on the D.C. region.

HEALTH
- Carefirst gives $1M to YMCA of Metropolitan Washington to help prevent childhood obesity, funding after-school events and YMCA’s Kids Health Mobile (WBJ, 5/16)
- A series on childhood obesity in the WaPo includes a video of Risa Lavizzo-Mourey, the CEO of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. [In related news, Trader Joes was packed yesterday. The checkout guy said it was unprecedented. I think it's because everyone read these articles.] [In related news, one cannot buy stock in Trader Joe's. It's private.]

CORPORATIONS
‘B corporation’ plan helps philanthropic firms (SFChronicle, 5/18) - Read this for a nice overview on the short history of the B Corp (the “B” is for “beneficial”). 

BURMA AID
Meeting in S.F. on getting aid into Burma (SFGate, 5/17) - For philanthropy, “the temporary nature of the waiver [of economic sanctions on Burma] is problematic. The real challenge will be in rebuilding schools and hospitals…”

EDUCATION
Opinion: The missing piece of D.C. education reform is adult education (WaPo, 5/18)

________________________________________
@ WG:
- May 19: CYF/PEWG: “Effect of New DCPS Policies on Out-of-School-Time Programs”

“Helping 9/11’s Survivors - A local charity’s intelligent response to trauma” [News, 5/13]

- WaPo editorial: “Helping 9/11’s Survivors - A local charity’s intelligent response to trauma” (5/12) - The Community Foundation ”modeled its program after one adopted to aid those affected by the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing… It enlisted Northern Virginia Family Service, a nongovernmental organization specializing in social work, to carry out its case management approach to helping survivors.”
- Nation’s First Ph.D.s in Philanthropic Studies to Graduate From IU (wire, 5/9)
- New CEO at Gates Foundation (WaPo, 5/13)

HOUSING
- Opening of 108 New Affordable Rental Apartments in Arlington (wire, 5/9) - “AHC’s Resident Services program serves 1,800 residents annually through six community centers in Arlington… [WG member] Freddie Mac Foundation is the largest sponsor of Resident Services.”

HEALTH
“Unless federal money comes through this summer, the community clinic for Prince William’s working poor will close.” (InsideNova, 5/11) WG member Northern Virginia Health Foundation recently gave the clinic $150,000.

NONPROFITS
D.C.’s Northeast Performing Arts Group struggles to pay the bills (District Chronicles, 5/11). The nonprofit serves children ages 3 to 18.

YOUTH
- At Hearing, Youths Express Fear of Violence, Call for More Programs (WaPo, 5/11)
- Profile: Youth Leadership Greater Washington (WaPo, 5/13)

EDUCATION
- Profile on Imagine Schools: “Pair Break Barriers for Charter Schools” (WaPo, 5/12)
- D.C. revamps vocational education (WaPo, 5/11)

TRANSPORTATION
- Washington Area Bicyclist Association expects record turnout for Bike-to-Work Week (WaTimes, 5/13)

Philanthropic response to the cyclone in Burma (nat’l conference call)

Monday, May 12 at 3pm ET. Click here for information.

Honors for Women’s Foundation, Stepping Stones, & Fannie Mae’s Stewart [News, 5/2]

HONORS
The Women’s Funding Network will honor the  Washington Area Women’s Foundation tonight for being one of its “most innovative, dynamic members,” and Fannie Mae’s Stacey Stewart for her work with the Foundation’s Stepping Stones economic justice program. (release, 5/2)

CORPORATE
Bank of America (WG member) announces foreclosure prevention efforts and a new 10-year, $2 billion national corporate philanthropy goal (wire, 4/28). Separately, BofA’s Philanthropic Management department adds a searchable listing of all grant opportunities from foundations it serves as trustee, co-trustee or agent. (NMBW, 4/28)
________
@ WG … May 15: When the Giving Gets Tough: Corporate Giving in Today’s Economy

ECONOMIC DOWNTURN
- Economic Troubles Multiply Requests for Help in D.C. Area (WaPo, 5/2) - ”Spikes in gas, food and energy prices are having a devastating effect . . . on poor, working families.”
- Red ink in D.C.’s affordable housing fund growing (WBJ, 5/2 - subscription)

HEALTH
WaPo covers Maryland eCare, $3M investment from CareFirst (5/1)

DATES & MILESTONES
- May is National Foster Care Month
- Happy 10th birthday to GEO

CareFirst funds groundbreaking “Maryland eCare” [News, 4/29]

HEALTH
- Long-distance medicine… WG member Carefirst BlueCross BlueShield will make a $3 million grant to fund Maryland eCare at six Maryland hospitals (WaPo, 4/29). Doctors will oversee overnight care for patients from a command center in Wilmington, Delaware. These hospitals are facing a shortage of emergency room doctors. CareFirst and VP of Corporate Communications Maria Harris Tildon were also featured in this weeks’ Baltimore Business Journal article “You Have to Give Back to Win.”

- Northern Virginia Health Foundation (WG member) works to keep a vital health clinic open in Prince William County, Virginia. (Examiner, 4/26)

PHILANTHROPY
- “Bank of America, Wachovia among most charitable businesses” (Charlotte Observer, 4/25) - Several other WG members make the top 25 list in a new Foundation Center report.
- “New grantmaking priorities at the Freddie Mac Foundation were on display April 22, when the foundation announced a $500,000 grant to Reston Interfaith…” - (WBJ, 4/28 )
- The Women’s Foundation’s 1K Club was featured in the Washington Business Journal earlier this month. (4/11) - “By asking young female professionals for smaller amounts early in their careers, Caldwell hopes to inspire a lifetime of giving.”

DC SCHOOLS
- WaPo editorial: “The educational interests of 1,900 D.C. children are riding on Adrian Fenty’s trip to the Hill tomorrow.” (WaPo, 4/29)
- Rhee Gets Say Over Teacher Transfers (WaPo, 4/29) 

PEOPLE
- Patricia Pasqual Named Director of Foundation Center’s Washington, DC, Office (wire, 4/28 )

FYI
- Deadline for WBJ/Greater DC Philanthropy awards is today.

_______________________
@ WG:
- tomorrow: Arts & Humanitites Working Group kick-off!

“Chess for Success” for DC Youth [News, 4/18]

Richard and Lois England are providing seed money to bring “Chess for Success” to the District. Chess for Success will parter with Project My Time (a city-wide initiative through the Trust) to implement two pilot programs at Kelly Miller (Ward 7) and Lincoln (Ward 1) Middle Schools.

“Colleen Hahn, executive director of the Equal Footing Foundation, explains how her nonprofit is connecting more students in Northern Virginia with technology.” (WBJ)

“One of Washington, D.C.’s most successful tutoring programs is expanding to Baltimore.” (WBJ, 4/17) Atlantic Philanthropies and WG member Jack Kent Cooke Foundation fund the Higher Achievement Program expansion.

DC SCHOOLS
- WaPo on the teacher buyout: “Sounds like a win-win proposition, particularly since the plan is strictly voluntary.” (WaPo, 4/18 )
- Troubled D.C. Schools May Get Outside Help (WaPo, 4/18 )

YOUTH DEVELOPMENT
More about the “Innovations in American Government” award for the D.C.’s Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services’ “Postive Youth Development” initiative. (So, the WaPo fiiinally catches up to us on this story.) Here’s Harvard’s full list of 50.

Happy Friday. Get thee outside.

-Nick