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Leading by Example: Reaching that More Networked Future
 I have written before about the need for funders to collaborate together to deal with the large social problems afflicting the country. In my column, “Towards a New Type of Collaboration—A Networked Approach to Social Change,” I urged funders to lead by example when calling for increased collaboration among their grantees. Here at Venture Philanthropy Partners, we have made a big step forward in reaching that networked future.
Last month, VPP announced a new initiative: youthCONNECT. This initiative represents a new way of doing business for VPP, aligning public-private capital, evaluation experts, and innovative nonprofits to dramatically improve the life opportunities of vulnerable youth. With support from the newly created Social Innovation Fund, VPP will create a network of organizations working to improve the lives of low-income youth in the National Capital Region.
Hundreds of thousands of young people throughout our country are struggling to make the transition to a thriving adulthood. The completion of post-secondary education, whether it be vocational training or college, is critical to finding meaningful employment. Unfortunately, far too many of our most vulnerable youth don’t achieve this goal. As a result we are losing a valuable asset—innately talented young people who, with the right support, would be employed adults with the potential to innovate, start small businesses, and fully engage in their families and communities.
In the Washington, DC region alone, an estimated 135,000 low-income young people are at risk of falling between the cracks—dropping out of high school, or if they do graduate, unable to find their way to college because of costs and other barriers. And those of whom do make it to post-secondary programs, many do not finish.
youthCONNECT seeks to address this challenge head on by using a highly integrated approach to create a transformative network providing education, social services, and job training to low-income youth ages 14 to 24. The needs of this population are complex and no single intervention, program, organization, or funder can by itself mitigate the hurdles faced by these young people as they move toward adulthood. That’s why a networked approach is so important to this initiative’s success.
VPP will continue to make investments in individual nonprofits, but we believe investing in a more networked and collaborative way has the potential to create breakthrough results for our region and may serve as a model for other issues and geographic areas. Four organizations have already been selected for the network: College Summit - National Capital Region; KIPP DC; the Latin American Youth Center, and Year Up - National Capital Region. Up to four more organizations will be selected through a competitive process by early 2011.
By combining the creative and fiscal energies of the public and private sector with the innovative approaches of high-performing nonprofits on the ground working in communities, youthCONNECT seeks to change the life trajectories for up to 20,000 young people in our region over the next five years. And, as we demonstrate the effectiveness of new approaches individually and collectively, youthCONNECT has the potential to affect tens of thousands more kids around the country.
The promise of youthCONNECT is that this collective effort can develop transformative approaches to meeting critical social challenges. Network organizations will collaborate in very focused and intentional ways, including using evidence and evaluation systematically, addressing more than one challenge concurrently, creating efficiencies and minimizing duplication, overcoming common challenges, and informing public discussion.
For example, Year Up is a one-year intensive training program that provides youth with technical and professional skills, college credits, an education stipend, and corporate internships. What they and others in their fields have found is that lack of health insurance and access to health care can affect the health of workers as well as the health of their families which leads to missed work days, lower productivity, and at times, termination of employment. Year Up believes it can increase retention rates and student results if it provides health insurance and health education. Through youthCONNECT support, Year Up NCR will implement and evaluate a health education program to complement a partnership with Northern Virginia Community College and Kaiser Permanente that will provide health insurance to Year Up-NCR students and eligible family members for up to three years. This pilot, once proven, can be replicated throughout Year Up nationally and adapted by other workforce development programs.
Beyond innovative solutions like the one from Year-Up, VPP has also invested in comprehensive approaches to social change. VPP recently announced its second investment in Portfolio II (see below) to KIPP DC, which will more than double the number of students this public system of charter schools serve. VPP also selected KIPP DC as a part of the youthCONNECT network. youthCONNECT funding for KIPP DC will go to its “KIPP to College” program, which supports students as they graduate from KIPP and head off to secondary education to ensure successful completion. These two investments will help KIPP DC improve the lives of students from their first day of school until they graduate from college.
A shared framework of metrics and measurement is at the heart of youthCONNECT. The network has already agreed to drive its work towards the shared goals of employment and education for the population served and has committed to use common indicators to measure progress towards those goals. Participating organizations will also contribute data on other areas of service and outcomes where collection efforts are already in place, including social behavior and civic engagement, psychological and emotional well-being, health and safety, and more.
VPP is pleased to have Child Trends as its evaluation partner in youthCONNECT. Child Trends is the nation’s only nonprofit, nonpartisan research and policy center that studies children at all stages of development. It provides technical assistance to public agencies and private organizations that develop, analyze, track, and use statistical indicators of child and youth well-being. The firm maintains the Child Trends DataBank, a public one-stop source for the latest national trends and research in this field. Through analysis from Child Trends, the network will seek to identify new patterns and areas for learning and improvement. What we learn through youthCONNECT about collectively and effectively using data to amplify the work of multiple partners will benefit others on this new frontier of measurement and assessment.
In keeping with the goals and priorities of the Social Innovation Fund to expand the knowledge base of what works in the field, rigorous evaluation will be a part of each youthCONNECT funded initiative and of the network itself. Again, we will use evaluation and assessment as a tool for continuous improvement, for our grantees, and for ourselves. The eventual end goal of all of this is, of course, to help others replicate and expand what is proven to work into regions beyond the National Capital Area. VPP will share its findings from youthCONNECT through the Grantmakers for Effective Organizations Scaling What Works Action Network and other venues.
Applying our tested and refined philanthropic investment approach to a network of organizations will require new tools, approaches, and tactics for VPP. We will be increasing our own capacity in order to take our work to the next level in innovation and will be sharing what we learn as we go.
The Social Innovation Fund has provided the support that will enable us to try a different approach that seeks to tap the collective experience, wisdom, and expertise of effective organizations working along the continuum of youth development. Collective action is nothing new. However, true collaboration and coordination that produces results is often difficult to achieve, especially in a time of constrained resources where organizations feel more competitive with each other. The Social Innovation Fund, in making the grants to VPP and 10 other organizations, is stimulating new thinking, new partnerships, and new solutions. That is exactly what is needed as we continue to solve long-standing social challenges and work to change the trajectory for all low-income children and youth
- Carol Thompson Cole
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VPP Announces $5.5M Investment Partnership with KIPP-DC; More than Doubles Students Served
 Last month, VPP announced its investment in KIPP DC, the largest in its 10 year history. The funding will support KIPP DC’s vision to build and sustain a high performing school system for the District of Columbia’s underserved and will more than double the number of students enrolled.
The investment—$5.5 million over four years—will increase the KIPP DC network of schools from seven to ten and the number of students served from approximately 1,550 to at least 3,400 by 2015. KIPP DC is a part of the nationally-acclaimed Knowledge is Power Program, which provides free college preparatory schools to underserved areas throughout the country.
“KIPP DC has proven that it can help students from underserved communities achieve significant academic success. VPP’s investment in KIPP DC is not just about adding more schools, but about helping to create a school network that can continue to deliver the highest academic results for all of its students. KIPP DC provides an excellent investment opportunity based on KIPP DC’s current scale, history of student success, strong leadership, proven model, bold aspirations, and the potential, both directly and by example, to raise expectations of public education in underserved communities. All of these factors make KIPP DC an exciting investment opportunity for VPP,” said Carol Thompson Cole, President and CEO of VPP.
KIPP DC is the highest performing network of college-preparatory public charter schools in Washington D.C. All KIPP DC schools are tuition-free, open enrollment schools, and actively recruit and serve students in the city's most under-resourced communities. Almost 100% of the student body is African American, and more than 80% qualify for the federal free or reduced-price lunch program. KIPP DC educators emphasize a “whatever it takes” attitude and offer their support outside of classroom commitments—which include extended weekday hours, some Saturdays and most weeks in the summer.
When the KIPP DC school system reaches scale, at a minimum the network will include three early childhood schools, three elementary schools, three middle schools and one high school, with all but three of the schools located in Wards 7 and 8 and the remaining three schools located in Ward 2.
VPP’s investment will also help KIPP DC expand community and parent outreach, as well as build the management and financial support structure it needs for a much larger system. Additionally, VPP funding will help ensure that KIPP DC can recruit and retain high quality teachers at the scale required for future growth. The investment will allow KIPP DC to enhance its use of data, evaluation, and performance management systems to continuously monitor and improve its performance.
“This exciting partnership with VPP represents a new chapter for KIPP DC.” said Susan Schaeffler, KIPP DC's founding principal and CEO. “VPP’s investment in KIPP DC spells out change and opportunity for thousands of students, families and educators in our nation’s capital, and we are thrilled to get started on the next phase of our growth.”
KIPP DC began in 2001 with the establishment of KEY Academy in the basement of a church in Anacostia, which has since moved to a new building and been the highest-performing public middle school in the District for the last seven years. Under the leadership of Schaeffler and Allison Fansler, KIPP DC’s President and COO, KIPP DC has grown from 80 students in one school to over 1,500 in seven schools. DC’s Anacostia, Shaw/Petworth, and Marshall Heights neighborhoods are home to KIPP DC’s three campuses. A recent study from Mathematica showed that KIPP middle school students outperform their peers throughout the country.
VPP Introduces Investment Partner Case Studies
Sharing what we've learned and the successes of our investment partners is one of our top priorities. This month, we would like to introduce a new series of case studies that detail our investment partners' journeys with VPP to become stronger, more efficient organizations, and how that work has resulted in greater improvements in the lives of young people and families across the region.
VPP now has four case studies out, with more to come. Check back with VPPNews and our website to read new stories as they are released:
»Discover how AALEAD grew and adapted to its changing constituent population: AALEAD: Preparing for Growth
»Read about College Summit's challenge to expand in the National Capital Region: College Summit: A College Path for Every Student
»See how CentroNia worked to grow its programs while staying true to its identity and organizational culture: CentroNia: Growing Smart, Keeping Its Identity
»Learn how Mary’s Center implemented a strategic plan for the first time and successfully expanded: Mary’s Center: From Organic Growth to Strategic Growth
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Jeff Raderstrong Joins VPP Team as Communications and Assessment Associate
Venture Philanthropy Partners welcomes Jeff Raderstrong, Communications and Assessment Associate, to its team. Jeff will be working closely with Victoria Vrana, Vice President of Communications and Assessment, to share VPP’s lessons and approach, assess its performance and the performance of its investment partners, and communicate effectively with its stakeholders. He will also be serving as the Editor for VPPNews.
Jeff comes to VPP from La Clínica del Pueblo, a community health center in Columbia Heights, where he was Communications Assistant. There, he oversaw production of the organization’s online and print newsletter and managed all media relations. Before moving to DC, Jeff attended Grinnell College in Grinnell, IA, where he founded the microfinance group, the Social Entrepreneurs of Grinnell. In addition to his work at VPP, Jeff also blogs at Change Charity.
If you have any thoughts or suggestions about VPPNews or VPP’s website, please let Jeff know at jraderstrong@vppartners.org!
VPP in the News
Over the last two months, VPP and its initiatives have received a lot of media attention. Its recent KIPP DC investment announcement was featured in the Washington Post, the New York Times and the Washington Business Journal. The Post article, in particular, was the most extensive and prominently placed coverage of VPP to date.
VPP’s grant award from the Social Innovation Fund for youthCONNECT was covered in The Economist, USA Today, the Washington Post and the Chronicle Philanthropy. In The Economist article, VPP was referred to as one of "the leading intermediaries created by a new generation of philanthropists."
Spotlight on Youth
I-Sha Davis, Friendship Collegiate Academy
I-Sha Davis knows how to make the most of her opportunities. After ten years of hard work and honors at Friendship Collegiate Academy —where she graduated as salutatorian of her class—she will now be heading off to the University of Wisconsin-Madison in the fall.
Since I-Sha started at Friendship in the second grade, she has attended three different summer programs, at Georgetown University and the University of Maryland; interviewed for and received a Posse Scholarship; achieved a nearly perfect score on her SAT; and earned thirty-seven college credits through Friendship’s Early College program. Now that she’s leaving, she has a clear plan for her college years and afterwards: “I’ll be majoring in mechanical engineering…eventually I’d like to go into international engineering, so I’ll definitely be going to graduate school.”
This past March, during her senior year at Friendship, I-Sha’s ambition and hard work won her the chance to introduce US Secretary of Education Arne Duncan and Congressman George Miller to a room full of attendees at the New Schools Venture Summit. There, I-Sha was nominated by Dr. Arsallah Shairzay, Friendship’s Dean of Early College, which I-Sha says came as a big surprise: “I was approached by a teacher, and I didn’t know how I was selected.”
At the conference, she was asked to share her views on education, which she describes as neither optimistic, nor pessimistic, but somewhere in between. “It’s a three-part issue: you have the policy, administrative, and teacher side, and the quality has to be there. Then there are the students, who have to be willing to take initiative, and to work hard. Finally, there are the parents, who are just as important.” Not surprisingly, I-Sha had strong parental support throughout her career at Friendship: “My mother always told me Cs weren’t acceptable, so I knew if I got any I’d have a problem when I got home.”
 I-Sha Davis with Secretary of Education Arne Duncan.
Participating in the New Schools Venture Summit wasn’t the only honor I-Sha received during her last year at Friendship: She and two other Friendship students were chosen to be emcees for the White House Easter Egg Roll and she was one of the students interviewed by 60 Minutes for its story on Friendship Public Charter School, which is expected to air in late September or October.
And while leaving her academic family of the last ten years is bittersweet, I-Sha is excited and ready for what’s to come. “Leaving Friendship felt like the culmination of a very long journey. I’m grateful to have had all the opportunities they offered me…and I had such support from [my teachers], and [Friendship founder and CEO Donald] Hense. I’m just glad I was able to give him a hug after walking across the stage to get my diploma. He’s done so much for me.”
Programs and Services
AALEAD Addresses Gender-Specific Issues through Girls Leadership Program
Thanks to Rick R. Chen, Manager of Development & Communications, for this update.
In the 2009-10 school year, AALEAD incorporated a girls leadership pilot program into its Secondary School Program in order to provide the space and time for participants to talk about specific issues related to gender. This summer AALEAD continued the program through special “girls sessions” to empower students and build their self-confidence, teamwork, and cooperation.
Girls Leadership Program students work on a special collage, highlighting their perspectives as young women.
During the sessions, students created collages reflecting their perspective about themselves and others. There were sessions on communication skills with an emphasis on listening and speaking skills. For example, in one exercise, girls were required to present on seven different social issues for ten minutes, while others practiced listening skills. Students also participated in a workshop on etiquette and presentation skills, as well as a mini presentation on basic makeup skills.
“It’s amazing and very meaningful when I see my shy students taking initiatives and talking about issues openly.” said Masoora Ali, Girls Leadership Program Coordinator and Atlas Corps Fellow. “I am really glad that I was able to work with AALEAD in providing this important platform to the girls, who really deserve such opportunities to be empowered.”
 Capital One and the Heart of America Foundation Provide Boys & Girls Clubs with a new READing Corner
Thanks to Eric Liley, Vice President, Marketing & Communications, for this update.
Thanks to the generosity of the Capital One Financial Corporation and the Heart of America Foundation, Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Washington‘s FBR Branch recently received a new READing Corner . The ribbon-cutting ceremony was attended by Angie Halamandaris, Colleen Noland, and Kerri Daddazio from The Heart of American Foundation; John Finneran and Adam Ostrach from Capital One; and BGCGW members, board representatives, and staff.
Capital One works with The Heart of America Foundation to encourage a love of reading across the country. Together they provide books, redecorate facilities, and renew community support in the surrounding neighborhoods.
BGCGW Staff Members Christina Parrish & Elliott Brown (rear) smile with members Caprice and Clifton Humphries as their new READing Corner is unveiled to the public for the first time.
The new FBR Branch READing Corner, located at DC’s Town Hall Education Arts & RecreationCampus, includes vibrant paint, cozy seating, technology, and new furniture. The gift consisted of five new computers, 250 new library books—including 50 financial literacy titles —and presented members with five new books each to start their own personal home libraries.
The opening also included a celebration with activities and snacks for members and their families.
College Summit-NCR Kicks Off 2010-11 School Year
Thanks to Vinette Brown, Director of Development, for this update.
“It was challenging, and exhausting, and gratifying!” These are the words of just one of the over 70 supporters who volunteered at College Summit-NCR’s four summer workshops. The four-day workshops prepared over 250 rising seniors to be 2010-11 Peer Leaders, who will be expected to motivate their classmates and help build college-going culture in their schools. This school year, over 3,600 students in the National Capital Region will benefit from College Summit's curriculum and programs, which include almost 1,800 9th-11th graders, and 1,800 seniors at 22 high schools in the District of Columbia, Prince George's County, Baltimore City, Arlington, and Alexandria.
 Children Get Ready to Go Back to School Thanks to Mary’s Center’s Back to School Drive
Thanks to Lyda Vanegas, Advocacy and Communications Manager, for this update.
It was Friday, August 20th, only a few days before the school year was set to begin in the District of Columbia. Laura Sanchez couldn’t have felt more relieved.
On that Friday, she left Mary’s Center knowing that her three daughters were ready for the new school year to begin. They just had their annual physical exams and their immunizations --all for free-- at the Center’s Back to School Health Fair.
“We moved from Georgia three months ago and I had not been able to get an appointment anywhere in the District for their physical exams during the summer. Then I heard about Mary’s Center’s health fair,” said Sanchez. “This will be our medical home from now on.”
Kids Enjoy Mary's Center Back to School Fair
The Health Fair, an event open to the public, attracted more than 250 participants. In addition to providing medical and dental services to children, the fair featured four chefs from ARAMARK, the food services company. These professional chefs prepared easy, practical and healthy recipes, demonstrating --and handing out samples of-- the kinds of nutritious foods that would be ideal for children to take to school for lunches and snacks.
Children were delighted to have their faces painted, and they came away from the fair with balloons fashioned into animal shapes. And last but not least, all of the kids attending received backpacks chock full of brand new school supplies.
The kids didn’t enjoy everything, though.
"Ouch, that hurt!" squealed Laura Sanchez’s daughter Merle, who got six shots. Except for those minor interruptions from the fun, the fair was a huge success.
Awards and Recognitions
KIPP DC Student and Teacher Honored
Thanks to Anna Fodor, Communications & Marketing, for this update.
KIPP DC students and staff walked away winners at the national KIPP conference in Las Vegas last month. KIPP DC: KEY Academy alumnus, Jalalludeen “JD” Abdullah, received a $10,000 Doris Fisher KIPPster of the Year scholarship, and KIPP DC: AIM Academy 7th grade English teacher, Lelac Almagor, received the Excellence in Teaching Award at an award ceremony for all KIPP regions. Over 2,500 educators from 20 states attended the ceremony to honor those who have demonstrated excellence in teaching and learning.
KIPPster of the Year, JD Abdullah, receiving his award from last year’s winner, Crystal Lauti of KIPP Bridge.
JD —who recently started at St. Albans School in DC as a high school freshman—is one of only six students nationwide to win the KIPPster of the Year Award. With a GPA well over 4.0, JD is clearly a high achiever. As an 8th grader, JD worked with his teachers to pursue an ambitious mathematics curriculum beyond his grade level. In addition to his schoolwork, JD was the co-captain of his school’s basketball team, and also stayed after school to work with younger students at KIPP DC: LEAP Academy, where he shared his passion for reading with preschool children.
“The staff at KIPP DC: KEY Academy is very proud to have had the opportunity to work with JD and his family over the past 4 years,” said KEY Academy Principal, David Ayala. “We are thrilled to see him named as a KIPPster of the Year and look forward to his continued success in high school, college, and the world beyond.”
Lelac Almagor (right), who won the Excellence in Teaching award. Hannah Schneider (right), another KIPP DC teacher and last year’s winner, is presenting the award to Lelac.
KIPP DC educator Lelac Almagor was also recognized for her work. One of only ten teachers selected from a nationwide pool, Lelac is described as her school’s “Keeper of the Vision”: if it is right for kids, then it needs to be done, and will be done, no matter what sacrifice is required. Outside of the classroom, Lelac brings many resources to the school, including tickets to a Shakespeare play, a mountain climbing excursion, and the creation of an equestrian team where students learn how to take care of and ride horses.
 LAYC's AmeriCorps Program Highlighted in New Report
Thanks to Mark Wellborn, Grant Writer/Manager & Communications Specialist, for this update.
The Latin American Youth Center’s (LAYC) DC-based AmeriCorps program was recently highlighted in a new report entitled Transforming Communities through Service: A Collection of 52 of the Most Innovative AmeriCorps Programs in the United States. The report was released by America's Service Commissions and Innovations in Civic Participation. Funded in part by the Mayor's Office on Volunteerism, Serve DC, LAYC's AmeriCorps program was the only DC group highlighted for its innovative work.
LAYC's AmeriCorps program is divided into three teams -- civic engagement, health, and education. The program works in DC public schools providing support to students who are performing below grade level as well as working in various other capacities in the city's neighborhoods. An excerpt from the report exemplifies the program's success:
The members of LAYC's Americoprs Program.
In the 2008-09 program year, LAYC's AmeriCorps program met and exceeded its target number of students served during the school day and helped 42% of those students increase their proficiency by one full letter grade in either math or reading. LAYC's AmeriCorps program also met and exceeded its target number of students served during after-school time and maintained a 75% attendance rate with an 83% homework completion rate for those students.
Due to the success of the program, LAYC recently expanded AmeriCorps operations into two of the Center’s locations in Maryland.
Announcements of Note
 SEED Featured in Documentary Film about Education Reform; Co-Founder Eric Adler Participates in Panel Discussion at Aspen Ideas Festival
Thanks to Laura O'Connor, Director of Communications, for this update.
This fall, Academy Award-winning director Davis Guggenheim’s film, Waiting for Superman, will be released nationally. SEED has been working with Paramount Vantage and Participant Media to promote the film’s role in education reform.
Waiting for Superman argues for the need to find lasting educational solutions for all students and reveals the high stakes that families face as they fight for better schools and opportunities. The film shows those stakes in very real terms through the eyes of five students, one of whom hopes to attend The SEED School of Washington, D.C.
Left to right: Geoffrey Canada, Bob Schieffer, Eric Adler, and Bill Gates, Aspen Ideas Festival Panel Discussion.
In July, SEED co-founder Eric Adler participated in a panel discussion following the Waiting for Superman screening at the Aspen Ideas Festival. He was joined by film director Davis Guggenheim, Microsoft founder Bill Gates, Harlem Children’s Zone founder Geoffrey Canada, and film producer Lesley Chilcott, who offered their views on the film’s potential impact on public education reform. The discussion was moderated by CBS News’ Bob Schieffer.
This film was the recipient of the Audience Award for Best U.S. Documentary at this year’s Sundance Film Festival. SEED encourages you to see Waiting for Superman when it is released in your city this fall. Watch the trailer and pledge to see the film here: www.waitingforsuperman.com.
Monitor Institute Report Outlines Next Practices for Philanthropy
In “What’s Next for Philanthropy,” released last July, the Monitor Institute shares their findings from a multi-year project on the future of philanthropy. In addition to discussing the changes to the philanthropic sector over the last ten years, the report outlines several “next practices” to be used by funders to increase effective grantmaking.
The practices center around two issues: Acting Bigger and Adapting Better. Because social issues are large and complex, the report urges foundations and philanthropists to focus more on coordination and adaptation in the coming years to continue to be effective.
Along with the report, the Monitor Institute has released a “What’s Next Innovation Toolkit,” to help funders think about and apply ideas from the report to their efforts. You can download the toolkit, as well as the full report, on Monitor’s site.
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