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VPP Award Will Bring $7.2M Additional Funding to Collaborative Serving Low-Income Youth
“VPP is proud to continue its relationship with the Social Innovation Fund, a truly innovative initiative from the Obama administration. The continued support for another year extends our commitment to this collaborative effort serving the youth of this region,” said Carol Thompson Cole, VPP President and CEO. “Over a quarter of youth in the National Capital Region are low-income and struggling to transition to well-paying jobs, productive careers, and thriving adulthood. The youthCONNECT network, with its partnership of federal government, regional and national funders, and locally-based nonprofit service organizations, will serve 20,000 low-income youth over five years.”
Last summer, VPP joined the inaugural portfolio of the Social Innovation Fund, administered by the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS), when it was awarded a two-year grant of $4 million. The third year of funding of $2 million for VPP is based on significant progress to date. VPP will match the funds with its own philanthropic capital; the nonprofit partners in youthCONNECT will provide an additional match for an investment of $7.2 million, which totals over $20 million over the three years in programs providing education, workforce development, and health services to young people. Along with VPP’s funding, CNCS announced its second portfolio of Social Innovation Fund grantees and additional funding for many other intermediaries in the first portfolio. The Social Innovation Fund requires match funding not only at the intermediary level, but also at the level of the service providers, creating a three to one leverage of its capital. With VPP’s assistance, the nonprofits in youthCONNECT have secured over $1 million in match funding from 12 funders thus far: Accenture, The Morris & Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation, Citi Foundation, Deloitte Services, The Freddie Mac Foundation, the Gilead Foundation, the Kellogg Foundation, Marriott, the Meyer Foundation, Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, The Open Society Foundations, and The World Bank Foundation. “We could fund six organizations independently, but I’m interested in bringing them together and seeing how they can interact with each other better than before,” said Sheldon Caplis, Regional Director, Citi Community Development, South Atlantic Region. “I see the intersection among these organizations as tremendously valuable, not just in Washington DC, but in terms of replicating something like this around the country.” VPP Welcomes Two New Staff to Team This month, VPP welcomes two new staff to its team: Grace Katabaruki as Principal and Ayo Atterberry as Director of Outcomes, Assessment, and Learning. Atterberry comes to VPP from Atterberry Consulting, which she founded. In her consulting role, Atterberry supported healthcare organizations, federal agencies, and nonprofits with effective operations management and helped with business process improvement. Prior to this, she worked at LTG Associates, a leading evaluation firm with a community-based focus, as a Program Coordinator, where she conducted evaluations for nonprofit and federal organizations with a focus on qualitative and quantitative data analysis. Atterberry is an expert in evaluation and performance management, and she will bring great energy to her newly-created position at VPP. Katabaruki comes to VPP from Ka Po’e Hana LLC, a wealth management company, where she was Special Assistant to the controller and managed a variety of projects for senior staff. Prior to this role, she served in several Congressional offices, including those of Senator Jack Reed and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. Previously, Katabaruki taught for five years at Maret School, where she was awarded the Thomas Prize for Teachers New to Teaching. In her role as Principal, she will support the Investment Practice Group on investment selection and portfolio management. Please join the team in welcoming the newest members! VPP Launches “Voices of Youth” Section From its inception, VPP has committed to learning from others inside and outside its network, and one priority has always been listening to the ultimate beneficiaries of its work: The children and youth impacted by its high-engagement philanthropic investments. To highlight what we have learned, and to illuminate some of the amazing stories of the youth being served by our investment partners, we have created a new “Voices of Youth” section of our website. This page captures youth stories in the hopes that others can be as inspired from them as we at VPP are. You can view the site here. Please let us know of any feedback you have. VPP Survey Produces Two Lucky Winners! VPPNews is one of the ways we aim to share what we are doing, what we are learning, and to provide ideas and resources to help others in their work. Last month, we produced a short readership survey to see how we are doing on those goals. As a token of our appreciation, we selected two respondents at random to win a free Kindle. Aaron Knight and Kay Hocker were the lucky winners! Readers from across the world submitted feedback, and we will use their responses to improve our monthly communications to you. If you have any additional feedback about VPPNews, please contact Jeff Raderstrong at jraderstrong@vppartners.org. | |
“Saving Philanthropy” Begins Screenings The makers of the documentary film “Saving Philanthropy” are holding screenings at locations across the country. The film focuses on the movement within philanthropy and the nonprofit sector to manage to outcomes and collect programmatic data to improve the delivery of services. The film includes interviews with a diverse set of social-service organizations that have been nationally recognized for their work on performance measurement and evaluation, including representatives from VPP investment partner Latin American Youth Center. VPP Chairman Mario Morino is also interviewed in the film. You can learn more about the film and see upcoming screenings here.
Meyer Foundation Releases Report on State of Nonprofit Executive Directors The third installment of “Daring to Lead” has been released by the Meyer Foundation. The report, which was also released in 2001 and 2006, is the result of conversations with over 3,000 executive directors about their career ambitions and constraints on their leadership. The report found that about two-thirds of the executive directors surveyed were planning to leave their jobs within five years. This is a decrease from 2006, when three quarters reported they would leave, but still illustrates the problem of executive turnover within the sector. The executives also reported on issues related to the impact of the recession on their organization and the influence of their board on their performance. You can download the report here. |
VPP announced last month it has been awarded $2 million for another year of funding for its youthCONNECT initiative from the Corporation for National and Community Service through its Social Innovation Fund. 
AALEAD Brings Digital Literacy to its Youth and Beyond Thanks to Rick Chen, Director of Development, for this update.
For the first six weeks of the program, AALEAD high school students were engaged in lessons on various areas of digital literacy, including IT, software/internet applications, and financial education. After completing the lessons and passing a certification test, students went out to their own local communities to give presentations and teach others what they learned. The aim of the program was to both expand their digital literacy and empower them to become leaders of their own communities through the passing of knowledge. To date, AALEAD students have performed over 500 trainings and aim to complete 900 by the end of September. “I learned a lot of things that I was confused about with technology,” said one AALEAD student from Albert Einstein High School. “Now I can use it in outreach programs and at home.” Boys & Girls Clubs Receives Donation from Safeway Barbecue Battle Thanks to Andrea James, Communications Manager, for this update.
D.C. Mayor Vincent C. Gray joined officials from Safeway Inc. as they presented a check for $81,500 to Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Washington as a result of the 19th Annual Safeway Barbecue Battle in support of Camp Ernest W. Brown.
For the past 74 years, through a partnership with the Metropolitan Police Department, Camp Brown—a 168-acre residential summer camp situated on the picturesque Potomac River—has provided children ages 7 to 13 an opportunity to take a break from city life to connect with nature and explore the outdoors. Through the generous support of the Safeway Barbecue Battle, which has raised a cumulative $1.3 million for the Boys & Girls Clubs, over 100 campers each week participated in hiking, boating, fishing and watercraft safety activities lead by police officers and Boys & Girls Club counselors. This year, Camp Brown also offered swimming lessons, organic gardening and classes in international sports facilitated by AmeriCorps volunteers. As the summer comes to a close, Camp Brown continues to make a positive impact in the lives of children in Washington, D.C. and beyond. The DreamDog Foundation Visits CFNC, Empowering Students to Believe in Their Dreams Thanks to Manager of Development Anna Berke for this update.
In August, CFNC summer school children enjoyed a visit from The DreamDog Foundation, an organization dedicated to empowering kids to believe in themselves and their dreams. The DreamDog Foundation's founder Rainey (aka Lorraine Friedman, JD) brought campers from her "Do the Write Right Thing" Summer Camp, "Jazz" the DreamDog, as well as a host of songs, dances, and children's books—all of which she wrote and produced for the DreamDog program. Their positive energy and enthusiasm inspired both CFNC preschool students and teachers to get up and dance, sing, and play along with the DreamDog visitors. "It was just great," noted Sharon Shackelford, CFNC's Director of Education. "I was thrilled that our students had the opportunity to meet The DreamDog Foundation and learn the important lesson that they teach. It was evident from the children's faces just how much fun they were having, too. We welcome the opportunity to see Rainey and Jazz at CFNC again." The Alexandria News covered the story of DreamDog's visit to CFNC. Check it out here. Lt. Governor Brown Visits Crossland High School to Highlight Innovative College Summit Program Thanks to Vinette Brown, Director of Development, for this update.
Last month, Lt. Governor Anthony G. Brown visited Crossland High School to speak to students and highlight the school’s implementation of the College Summit program. The Lt. Governor also toured the career and college center and met the team of Peer Leaders, 24 Crossland students who have been trained to help build a student-led, college-going culture in their school.
“Governor O’Malley and I remain committed to improving public education and increasing the number of college-ready and college-bound students. But we can’t do it alone,” said Lt. Governor Brown. “The success of the College Summit program at Crossland is a remarkable example of what happens when we partner with visionary business leaders, civic associations and educators who are committed to helping us provide the best education possible. I look forward to seeing College Summit continue to expand in Maryland.” Crossland is one of six high schools in Prince George’s County that are being served by College Summit-National Capital Region. During the 2010-11 school year, over 2,600 students, grades 9-12, at 22 high schools in the National Capital Region benefited from College Summit’s curriculum. This year, the program expects to serve approximately 3,700 students at 23 schools in the region. KIPP DC: College Preparatory is the Highest Performing, Open-Enrollment High School in the District of Columbia Thanks to Lindsay Kelly, Communications Manager, for this update.
In July 2009, KIPP DC opened its first high school, KIPP DC: College Preparatory, in hopes of offering its middle school students an outstanding high school option and a continued path for college preparedness. Just two years later, the school is proving that it has done just that. This August, when the Office of the State Superintendent of Education released the results for the District of Columbia Comprehensive Assessment System (DC CAS) tests, KIPP DC: College Preparatory’s scores confirmed that they are the highest-performing, open-enrollment high school in the city in both reading and math. At KIPP DC: College Preparatory, which currently serves students in grades 9-11 in Anacostia, 92% of 10th grade students demonstrated proficiency in math and 78% demonstrated proficiency in reading, scoring 43% higher than the state proficiency rate in math and 34% higher than the state proficiency rate in reading. These results are truly remarkable for a new and growing school, and reflect the hard work and tenacity of the school’s students, teachers, and school leaders.
“I am so proud of the high school teachers and school leaders who have worked extremely hard to develop a high school model where all students can and will be prepared for college,” said KIPP DC Founder and CEO Susan Schaeffler. “And, I am thankful for the commitment from our students and families, who work tirelessly towards success in school and the goal of college." “Our students have set a high standard for achievement in the District. Our test scores prove that every single student, regardless of zip code, can and should have an opportunity to attend a rigorous high school and pursue a college degree,” said KIPP DC: College Preparatory Principal Cheryl Borden. LAYC wins Legg Mason Outstanding Sportsmanship Award for Tennis Thanks to Araceli Curiel Rosenberger, Communications Specialist, for this update.
LAYC is proud to announce that its tennis team received the Legg Mason Outstanding Sportsmanship Award for positive attitude and good character. The team, made up of three boys and one girl, participated in Legg Mason's Annual Stars of Tomorrow Junior Challenge, held August 4-6, 2011, for 10-and-under players. Over three days, the LAYC team played alongside the best twelve tennis centers in the region. While they didn't win, Mohamed Abdulah and Yacob Gebrelul, had a great performance in a doubles match, finishing with a strong 8-6 score. Delia Albarenga competed in a mixed doubles match with teammate TJ Coles, also ending with an 8-6 score. The teams may not have won the challenge, but their attitudes and sportsmanship indeed took the trophy.
"Although we did not make it to the final rounds, it was three solid days of playing tennis at the highest level for our kids. They were truly inspired by the players and atmosphere at the tournament," said Vivian Coto, LAYC's tennis program coordinator. "We won the sportsmanship award this year and we'll be back next year stronger than ever." The junior challenge was a special event during the Legg Mason Tennis Classic 2011 in Washington DC. LAYC's Richard "Pancho" Gonzalez Youth Tennis and Education Academy offers minority youth the opportunity to learn and enjoy the sport of tennis. MTA’s Healthy Relationships Program begins its third cycle Thanks to Colleen Hughes, Development Manager , for this update.
Metro TeenAIDS began is third cycle of Healthy Relationships, a small-group intervention for 13-to-24-year-old youth who are living with HIV/AIDS. The program is one of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) “effective behavioral interventions” and is designed specifically for HIV-positive youth. Healthy Relationships is facilitated by three of MTA’s Care Advocates and helps youth learn how to communicate effectively when disclosing their HIV status to family and friends. The program includes a large amount of role-playing activities to help youth gain concrete skills in talking to their sex partners about HIV infection and planning for safer sex. The youth also receive feedback from their peers and the MTA Care Advocates to help them build self-awareness, gain coping skills, and learn about triggers that lead to risky behaviors so they can plan for, and make, healthier choices. MTA has held two successful Healthy Relationships cycles this year, one in the spring and one over the summer, attended by approximately 10 youth per session. The third cycle of Healthy Relationships began on August 25 and will consist of weekly two-hour sessions over five weeks. A MTA Peer Educator who attended the last cycle plans to attend again, commenting: “Healthy Relationships made me realize educating yourself is important — very important. Also, from Healthy Relationships, I learned more people are out [sexually] in DC than I realized and I found comfort in that.” Dr. Khalek Kirkland Joins The SEED School of Maryland as Head of School Thanks to Laura O'Connor, Director of Communications, for this update. The SEED Foundation and The SEED School of Maryland are kicking off the new 2011 – 2012 school year by welcoming Dr. Khalek Kirkland as the new head of school. 
In June, Dr. Kirkland came to SEED from Brooklyn, New York. He is a school leader with nearly 20 years of experience as an educator, including serving as principal of Ronald Edmonds Learning Center – Middle School 113 in Brooklyn, New York for seven years. Under Dr. Kirkland’s leadership, MS 113 moved from a school designated by the state as a school in need of improvement to magnet school status. MS 113 is now acclaimed for both its artistic programs and advance placement courses. Most recently, he worked with schools across New York City as a school improvement facilitator for the NYC Department of Education. In this role, he conducted quality reviews for schools throughout NYC and provided professional development to principals throughout the city around instituting the new Common Core State Standards. Khalek received his bachelor’s degree from Morehouse College, his master’s degrees from New York University and Fordham University, and his doctorate with a focus on classroom structures for middle school students with disabilities from Fordham University. Dr. Kirkland was selected after The SEED School of Maryland conducted a national search, in which more than 80 candidates applied. Finalists, including Dr. Kirkland, interviewed with faculty, students, parents, SEED leadership, and the Board of Trustees. “My family and I are thrilled to be living on The SEED School of Maryland’s campus—it’s been a really smooth transition for us,” said Dr. Kirkland. “I am eager to work collectively with the SEED family this year—and for many to come—with the goal of academic excellence for every student, and eventually, for every student to graduate from college.” Urban Alliance Ends the Year With Highest Results Yet Thanks to Sean Segal, Chief of Staff, for this update.
Urban Alliance’s 2010 – 2011 program year wrapped up with a series of events last month. In Washington, DC, nearly 200 youth participated in the 11th annual Public Speaking Challenge (PSC). At the PSC, youth presented PowerPoint presentations outlining what they learned during their internships. Over 130 youth finished year-round internships at top corporations around DC and an additional 50 youth completed summer internships at the World Bank and Fannie Mae. At the PSC, Urban Alliance released a new documentary which can be viewed at: http://www.theurbanalliance.org/Urban-Alliance-Documentary/. Urban Alliance is extremely proud to announce that 100% of our program graduates completed high school on time. This year, 98% of those youth will be attending 2 and 4 year colleges this fall, the highest result the program has seen thus far. “We believe a partnership with Urban Alliance, which has demonstrated success for reaching disconnected youth, offers a great opportunity to serve more youth at a time when it’s critical for their future success,” says Nadia Brigham, Program Officer at the W.K. Kellogg Foundation. “It’s really an impressive program and we’re pleased to support its expansion.” As September begins, Urban Alliance is setting out to recruit its largest class yet, with 170 youth in DC and an additional 40 youth in Baltimore. This year’s cohort will be part of an experimental design study conducted by the Urban Institute over the next five years. An Interview with Julius Black, Year Up National Capital Region’s Inaugural White House Intern Thanks to Marlissa Hudson, Manager of External Relations, for this update.
In January of 2011, Year Up National Capital Region was delighted to have two students accepted as White House interns, a position that lasts for 5 months. Their successful completion of the internships opened the door for two additional Year Up students to participate each year. Year Up staff recently sat down with Julius to talk about his experience in the internship and what he learned. Year Up: How would you describe your experience as a White House Intern?
Julius: The overall experience was enlightening; a good experience to have to find out how our government operates. I have a lot of respect for the Obama Administration. Year Up: What was your role as an intern? Julius: I worked with the First Lady’s “Let's Move” initiative, under the guidance of Robin Schepper. In the first couple of months, my job was to help manage the First Lady’s schedule; I worked extensively with individuals and organizations that wanted to meet with her or requested her for speaking engagements. Halfway through my position rotated, and I became part of the call center. I fielded various questions from the general public about how to get involved, and would often troubleshoot if people had concerns. Yeap Up: What will you remember the most? Julius: There was so much to remember, that’s a difficult question to answer! Really, I will never forget the experience of actually working with the staff in the White House. Although many people see working there as very mysterious and secretive, it’s really more like a regular company. The people who worked there are very passionate and dedicated to their jobs. Year Up: Any advice for the next wave of interns? Julius: Don't be afraid to let your guard down and try different things. If you have ideas you want to pursue, go after them. Failure isn't a bad thing; it makes you more open to the idea of trying different things. Julius is currently employed at Acumen Solutions as a helpdesk technician. He plans to attend the University of Maryland this Spring to obtain his B.A. in English with a concentration in journalism. | ||||||||||||||||
| Venture Philanthropy Partners (VPP) is a philanthropic investment organization that helps great leaders build strong, high-performing nonprofit institutions. It concentrates money, expertise, and personal contacts to improve the lives of and boost the opportunities for children and youth of low-income families in the National Capital Region and cultivates a growing donor community of high net worth families to generate funding and influence in support of these institutions and of social change. | ||||||||||||||||
This summer, AALEAD participated in a new technology-focused pilot program called Digital Connectors, a nationwide initiative headed by One Economy and Comcast and funded through the American Recovery Reinvestment Act (ARRA) to bring digital literacy to underserved communities.
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