Homelessness among families up 9 percent last year nationally, but up 25 percent in DC (WAMU, 7/10) – “The Mayor’s Housing First Program has found permanent housing for hundreds of individuals, but placing families has been a slower process.”

HEALTHCARE/TAXES/GIVING | Nonprofit groups urge taxing the wealthy to help finance health plan (Chronicle, 7/9)

ARTS
- Opinion: “Needed: A Federal Arts Policy” (HuffPo, 7/6)
- “Experiencing art is a crucial to producing young people who can understand the world’s complexity.” (LATimes, 7/9)

11-YEAR-OLD ACTIVIST | They’re making a movie. (WYFF4, 7/9)

By Katy Moore, director of member services, Washington Grantmakers

To help members address the challenge of board succession planning, Washington Grantmakers hosted a “Who’s Up Next: Planning for Leadership Succession” teleconference, featuring WG member Lorre Polinger, president of the Polinger Family Foundation.

We’ll have the recording up soon for members who couldn’t attend yesterday’s call, but here’s one quick example that you might be able to apply. To begin training their future trustees, the Polinger Family Foundation invited the nine members of the third generation to make discretionary grants. Each grandchild could make grants of up to $1,000, and the foundation encouraged family collaboration by offering matching funds of up to 8 to 1 for those who decided to pool their funds. Collaborate they did, and the combined grant allocations of these “3rd Gen” Polingers totaled nearly $40,000 in the first year.

If you are a family foundation staffer or consultant interested in succession planning or looking for creative ways to involve the next generation, we’re continuing the conversation at our July 21 Family Foundation Staff & Consultant Quarterly Meeting.

Reading Materials:
- “Successful Succession” (NCFP)
- Succession Workbook (COF)

Mom of best 11-year old ever: “Some little boys like to play baseball, some little boys like to play football… he likes to do charity work.” 

Zach Bonner, the boy who was walking from Tampa to Washington, DC to raise money/awareness to combat homelessness, arrives today! “Zach is scheduled to conclude his three-year, 1,225-mile odyssey on the morning of July 9, when he walks from Lafayette Park (across from the White House) to the U.S. Capitol. Several hundred children are expected to accompany him for the final mile.” When I was eleven, I really really really wanted a new bike, but my mom said my bike was just fine, and I told her she was the meanest mom in the world.

ARTS
- Big dollars coming to arts organizations via NEA (LATimes, 7/7) – View grants by state (”DC” includes national orgs.)
- Local Groups Call NEA Grants a Boost (WaPo, 7/9) – local arts jobs saved
- 45 young participants from the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities Summer Youth Employment program paint a mural. (7/9)

EDUCATION | DC Public Education Fund (DCPEF) announced yesterday that Michela English, President and CEO of Fight For Children (WG member), was elected to its board of directors (7/8). After a meeting with WG’s Public Education Working Group, DCPEF acknowledged a need for board members with grantmaking expertise and knowledge of the local community.

NONPROFIT MERGERS | “Foundations across the country have begun hosting workshops to help grantees…”  “Some have set up funds to cover the up-front cost of M&A.” (Arabella Quarterly, July – page 2)

HIGHER ED | Program to study formula for community college success (Daily Tell, 7/8) - funded by Gates Foundation (WG member).

HIV/AIDS | D.C. gets aggressive on AIDS testing (Examiner, 7/9) – Leaders pushing for opt-0ut policy …  ”normalizes and destigmatizes HIV testing,” said Dr. Shannon Hader.

HOMELESSNESS | Homeless numbers include more families (AP, 7/9) - up by 9%.

OUT OF SCHOOL TIME | D.C. Tennis Program to Put More Children on the Courts (WaPo, 7/9)

And finally, traffic congestion is getting better everywhere except for where YOU live. Gah!

-Nick

In the Stanford Social Innovation Review (7/6), Peter Manzo reflects on Dan Pallotta’s ideas:  

“Because it is hard to ’see,’ and therefore put a price upon, the value that nonprofits produce, funders, employers and watchdogs alike all focus solely on the pay nonprofit leaders and employees receive, rather than the value they create” … “for nonprofits, the problem is two-fold; the challenge is not just how to measure value creation, it is also where to find the surplus revenue to fund increased compensation.”

> Full article: “Rethinking Compensation for Nonprofits”
> Dan Pallotta will speak at the members-only portion of WG’s annual meeting on Nov. 12. (Save the date!)

By Tamara Lucas Copeland, president, Washington Grantmakers

Remember when you’d leave school in June ready to enjoy the summer and then your mom or dad would remind you of the dreaded summer reading list?

Now that we’re adults, summer reading is a luxury that we look forward to as we lounge at the beach or the pool. WG’s Health Working Group has taken summer reading to another level. They have identified various articles — from the New Yorker, Wall Street Journal, Health Affairs, and others — that they feel are important background reading to advise their work. And, later this month, the HWG Book Club will hold its first meeting.

I recently finished Platforms for Collaboration, by Satish Nambisan in the Summer issue of the Stanford Social Innovation Review, The Networked Nonprofit, by Jane Wei-Skillern and Sonia Marciano from the Spring 2008 issue of the Stanford Review, and Uncharitable, by Dan Pallotta. I commend all three to our membership. What have you read recently that you would recommend as we continue to think about the future of philanthropy?

Let us know in the comments!

ENVIRONMENT | Bay Is a Threat To Humans, Too (WaPo, 7/7) – Watch out for infection says this report from Chesapeake Bay Foundation. ”Swimmers should avoid water activities after a rain, which can sweep in animal manure and human waste from older sewage systems and leaky septic tanks… people should not let cuts or open wounds contact the water.” You had me at manure.

DC VOTING RIGHTS | D.C. Advocates Fear Gun Amendment on Budget (RollCall, 7/7)

AFFORDABLE HOUSING | TD Charitable Foundation Offers $2m in Housing Grants (HousingWire.com, 7/6) – “From Maine to Florida, the operating area of the banks, non-profit programs can submit their creative solutions for a rocky housing market”

LIES, DAMNED LIES … | Statistics! According to two recent philanthropy reports, either one-third or two-thirds of grant dollars are intended to help under-served groups. The Chronicle summarizes the debate (7/5).

- The World Bank Group’s Community Outreach Program is donating office supplies to non-profits serving the Greater Washington region.
- Washington Grantmakers has some office furniture for a reasonable price, or free for WG members.

Welcome back, and let’s get to it. (As always, send tips to me at grantmakers@gmail.com!)

AFFORDABLE HOUSING
- “Developers of 22 affordable housing projects in D.C. are seeking a slice of $33.7 million the city will receive in federal stimulus money from the Treasury Department.” (WBJ, 7/2)
- In marked shift, Fairfax County turning from housing buys (Examiner, 7/5) – “looking into several new strategies that don’t involve purchasing real estate”

OBAMAS in DC | “[S]ince she’s been in Washington, Michelle Obama has made it a practice to almost every week visit some worthy non-profit, sparking a game of guessing where she’ll turn up next.” (Newsweek, 7/3)

HOMELESSNESS
- Homelessness rising in DC as shelter budgets fall (GreaterGreaterWashington, 7/2) – by Ed Lazere
- Apartment Building for Women Set to Open (WaPo, 7/3) – developed by local nonprofit Open Arms Housing

NEWS NEWS | Report: Growing Philanthropic Support for Journalism (wire, 7/3)

JUVENILE JUSTICE
- D.C. Youth Facility Is Site of 2nd Jailbreak (WaPo, 7/6) – Wells: “certainly the youth are showing [Schiraldi] where the security weaknesses are in the new facility.” So thoughtful of them!
- Security Questions at New Beginnings (Kojo, 7/6)

DC VOTING RIGHTS
- DC voting rights, gun control politically intertwined (AP, 7/4)
- Opinion: Forget a ‘Clean Bill.’ D.C. Needs a House Vote (WaPo, 7/6)

PHILANTHROPY | Raising Children Who Care in Times That Need It (NYTimes, 7/3) – “Talk about a teachable moment”

Need furniture? This is our Craigslist ad: Office furniture available immediately — $50 each, but WG members can have it for free.

-Nick

PSA: Moriah Fund still has excess office space. They had a taker but it just fell through.
______________________________

HOMELESSNESS | Hope for Homeless Families in Loudoun (WaPo, 7/2) – “Opening Doors has served about 60 homeless people in Loudoun since it was launched in June 2008 with a $50,000 grant from the Freddie Mac Foundation. The recent $100,000 from the foundation will provide services to an additional 140 people, according to INMED’s figures.”

DC SCHOOLS | L.A. Nonprofit in Talks to Run D.C. High School – (WaPo, 7/2) – “In California, Green Dot Public Schools gets about $8,400 per high school student from the state. It also relies on philanthropic money. The per-pupil allotment for high school students in the District is $10,376 for the fiscal year beginning Oct. 1.”

WHITE HOUSE | Sean Stannard Stockton hopes President Obama was describing the Social Innovation Fund incorrectly. (Tactical Philanthropy, 7/1)

UNEMPLOYMENT | 467K Jobs Cut in June; Jobless Rate at 26-Year High (WaPo, 7/2)

But on the bright side, our country still produces stuff like this:

God bless America. Enjoy your holiday weekend.
-Nick