Susan Raymond on the next decade of philanthropy…Public transit use way up in our region…Should student proximity be given preference for charters? [News, 12.18.12]

PHILANTHROPY | Our final vignette from Reflections on the Past & Possibilities for the Future comes from Changing Our Future’s Susan Raymond. She says that philanthropy’s future over the next decade will be exciting – and also challenging. (Daily, 12/18)

GIVING | If you’re thinking about making a year-end donation, The Community Foundation for Montgomery County and the Arts and Humanities Council of Montgomery County have compiled a list of recommended nonprofits for Bethesda Magazine.

EDUCATION
- A District task force was, uh, tasked with considering changes to the charter school lottery system. Some major cities require preference to be given to kids who live close to the schools, but the District holds a citywide lottery. The task force’s report has recommended that the citywide lotto be preserved. (GGW, 12/17)

- Maryland releases new rating system for schools (Examiner, 12/18) The Schools Progress Index aims to “measure student growth, graduation rates and progress toward closing the achievement gap for minority students.”

FOOD | Greater Greater Washington looks at the geography and demographics of Ward 8 to consider where a grocery store could thrive. (GGW, 12/18)

TRANSIT | The Examiner compares census data from 2011 to 1999 and finds that the number of people riding public transit has increased considerably across the region. (Examiner, 12/17) I’m not sure why they didn’t compare the data to 2001, but I assume it has something to do with the fact that Star Wars: The Phantom Menace was released in 1999. And my assumptions are usually correct.

VIOLENCE | Courtland Milloy’s column this week makes a great point. In the wake of the Newtown shootings, we must take the time to reflect on smaller (but not lesser) acts of violence happening right here at home. (WaPo, 12/17)

Related: The Post has a wonderful story about a Fred Rogers quote and photo that went viral this weekend. I won’t spoil it, but it is worth a read. (WaPo, 12/18)

LOCAL | Trying to win support for a bill that would give new protections to ex-offenders, Marion Barry wrote a letter to D.C. Council Chairman Phil Mendelson in which he said, “You sound like the white southerners who opposed the public accommodation bill and the Civil Rights Act.” (Examiner, 12/18) No, this isn’t an article from The Onion.

DAILY | What the heck…some how the holidays are upon us already! Rebekah is going to close out the week for the Daily. After that, the Daily will be taking a holiday break until January 2nd. Well, technically the editors will be taking a break until then.

In the meantime, we’re excited to announce something new for 2013. As you may have noticed, this blog was created when the Washington Regional Association of Grantmakers (WRAG) went by the shorter name “Washington Grantmakers.” That shorthand did a disservice to the important concept of regionalism, so our organization has been going by “WRAG” for a while now – but we haven’t changed the blog’s name.

Next year, we are going to be weaving in more content to the blog to complement the news roundup – guest columns from experts, unique perspectives from funders, thoughts from the WRAG staff. It’s going to be great and it’s going to be fun. And to mark the expansion, we’re introducing a new name: The Daily WRAG. Stay tuned for more details to come!

So, the world might end on December 21st and we might go off the ominous fiscal cliff before I get back. Dramatic times we live in! But I don’t actually think either of those things is going to happen, so I instead want to wish all of you the happiest of holidays. Enjoy your time with friends and loved ones – and make sure to do something nice for a few people. Also, find a reason to laugh! If you’re in the market for some humor, Elf is a very funny seasonal movie. This is one of my favorite bits.

See you all in 2013!

- Christian