The nuts and bolts of mission investing

May 21, 2013 By Leave a Comment

PHILANTHROPY | Last week, Tamara wrote about how the Kellogg Foundation has used mission investing to maximize its impact. Today, Gretchen follows up with a closer look at the mechanics of mission investing – specifically, she writes about MRIs (not that kind) and PRIs. She also explores how the Consumer Health Foundation is using mission investing to improve our region. (Daily, 5/21)

Related:
- The Kellogg Foundation and Mission-Driven Investing (Daily, 5/16)

- How Philanthropists Can Help Companies Achieve Profit with a Purpose (Arabella, 5/14)

- Leveraging the Power of Foundations-An Analysis of Program-Related Investing (LFSP, 5/21)

OKLAHOMA | Our thoughts go out to Moore, Oklahoma, after yesterday’s monster tornado flattened huge parts of the city. Moore has been hit by similarly-destructive tornadoes three times in the last fifteen years. While the damage from the latest is devastating and the loss of life is significant, there is some relatively good news. Medical examiners have cut their death toll estimate in half, as of this morning. (Atlantic & WTOP, 5/12)

Our colleagues in Baltimore have pulled together a list of ways that you can help the victims. The Tulsa Community Foundation has also set up relief funds. And here are some options for local Oklahoma nonprofits.

Finally, here’s a heartwarming story amid the many sad ones. (Sky, 5/21)

POVERTY | Following up on yesterday’s news about the rise in suburban poverty, The Atlantic looks at some of the implications of suburban versus urban poverty (Atlantic, 5/21):

Poor people who live in high-rise apartments and dense urban blocks have neighbors who can pool childcare, or point each other to social services, or share rides to work. They have access to public transit, because transit follows density, too.
…
“That isolated poverty is a kind of hopeless poverty,” [Ford Foundation President Luis] Ubiñas said. It is also considerably less visible to the rest of us. “We won’t run into it on the subway or in the park,” he says. “We’ll drive past it on the highway.”

LOCAL | Here’s part two of WAMU’s investigation of local developers and their relationships with elected officials – Million-Dollar Properties, $1 Deals. (WAMU, 5/21)

TRANSIT | If you’ve been wondering how the Silver Spring transit center ended up as a $120 million-plus, useless mess, you’re in luck. The Post looks at the history of the project. (WaPo, 5/12)

JUVENILE JUSTICE | A new report from the National Youth Employment Center reviews the work of the organization’s Postsecondary Success Initiative, which works with disconnected and court-involved youth to help them achieve postsecondary credentials. The initiative is supported in part by the Open Society Foundations. (NYEC, 5/21)

EDUCATION | Process for Charters to Inherit Vacant DCPS Buildings Gets a Wee Bit Easier (CP, 5/21)

Ray Manzarek, a founding member of The Doors, passed away from cancer yesterday. It was a real tragedy that Doors lead singer Jim Morrison wasted his life on drugs, but the band’s impact on modern music was incredibly deep considering its short tenure. Here’s my favorite Doors song, which I think represents some of Manzarek’s best work - Riders on the Storm. It feels especially appropriate for today.

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Focusing on literacy to meet the demands of the workforce

May 14, 2013 By Leave a Comment

Funding for adult literacy in the District has been declining steadily, but the need remains incredibly high. More than 80 percent of D.C. jobs are projected to require at least a high school degree within the next five years, but more than 64,000 residents don’t have a high school credential.

Terri Lee Freeman, president of the Community Foundation for the National Capital Region and chair of the WRAG board, co-authored an op-ed for the Post that outlines the importance of increased literacy funding (WaPo, 5/11):

With limited basic math, reading and digital literacy skills, these residents have difficulty following written instructions, completing paperwork, communicating effectively with colleagues or helping their children with homework. This undermines the job security of workers, the economic viability of local businesses and the well-being of families.

Related: Business startup program aims to reduce unemployment in DC (Elevation, 5/14)

AGING | With the number of elderly immigrants having doubled over the last two decades, there is a growing trend of senior facilities catering to specific nationalities and cultures. As Berkeley professor Andrew Scharlach puts it (WaPo, 5/14):

In our fast-paced society, people with old languages and old customs often find they don’t have a place…Having a place where their knowledge, wisdom and skills are recognized is important.”

ARTS
- Rebekah reflects on creative strategies for advocating for increased philanthropic support of the local arts sector. (Daily, 5/14)

- Painting a path of hope for homeless youth through art education (WTOP, 5/14)

EDUCATION | The D.C. Council is pushing for parents to be given at least one year’s notice before school boundaries are changed. That would delay Chancellor Henderson’s plan for boundary changes by an entire year. (WaPo, 5/14)

GIVING | Rockefeller Pledges $100-Million to Help 100 Cities Cope With Crises (Chronicle, 5/14) Do political crises count? Speaking of which…

NONPROFITS | With the news that the nonpartisan IRS is actually quite partisan, there is concern that the impending fallout will impact the agency’s ability to regulate nonprofit organizations. (Chronicle, 5/14) And the IRS was doing such a great job before this whole thing broke!

Well, it’s been about five months since the last time we experienced what it means to be Washington sports fans. I guess the Caps thought we were overdue for a reminder.

Anyway, the recipe for Coca-Cola is a highly-guarded secret. However, a “treasure hunter” in Georgia thinks he found the secret recipe in a box of old letters. I wonder what other mysteries are hidden in forgotten places?

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Is ‘social housing’ a solution to our affordable housing challenges?

May 6, 2013 By Leave a Comment

HOUSING | Opinion: Roger Lewis, a professor emeritus from the University of Maryland, revisits some familiar statistics that showcase how un-affordable housing has become for both low- and moderate-income families. He even sketched the cartoon to the right to drive the point home. But he takes the conversation a step further and suggests a possible path forward (WaPo, 5/4):

We should take a cue from Europe, where countries such as Denmark and Austria build “social housing.” Social housing is public housing, but only in the sense that it is government-financed. European social housing is subsidized yet serves middle-class as well as low-income households, thereby avoiding many of the socioeconomic issues associated with America’s public housing.

Using the words “social” and “Europe” in an American policy debate virtually guarantees immediate dismissal. But that fact aside, what do you think of Lewis’ idea?

Related: Last week, WRAG released a new report on housing affordability in the Greater Washington region – What Funders Need to Know: Housing. It details many of the affordability issues that Lewis mentions. (Daily, 4/30)

Related: Earlier in the spring, WRAG heard from former HUD Secretary Henry Cisneros about ways that funders can support housing affordability. Check out number eight on his list, which directly relates to Roger Lewis’ idea of “social housing.” (Daily, 3/26)

Related: Housing Crash Fades as Defaults Decline to 2007 Levels (Bloomberg, 5/6) Related: What the heck, how many times can we write “related” in one issue?

Event: Next Saturday, the Communications Action Network (CAN), is sponsoring its Parade of Homes. The event features open houses at 20 affordable housing communities across the region. It’s a great opportunity to see the range of options and quality for local affordable homes. [Learn more.]

HOMELESSNESS | Advocates, City Officials Spar Over Homeless Amendments (CP, 5/3)

AGING | This is a tough but important read – Elderly Couple’s Tale Of Abuse Not So Uncommon (WAMU, 4/4)

GIVING | Opinion: The Hudson Institute’s William Schambra writes about the politics and potential impact of “genuine compassionate conservatism.” (Chronicle, 5/1)

BOOK REVIEW | In today’s Daily, The Community Foundation for Northern Virginia’s president, Eileen Ellsworth, reviews Do More Than Give: The Six Practices of Donors Who Change the World by Leslie R. Crutchfield, John V. Kania, and Mark R. Kramer. You can read the full review here. Eileen writes that the book is a worthwhile read for all funders (Daily, 5/6):

[Do More Than Give] is a useful and thought provoking work for every kind of donor, in any kind of community. If you are looking for a practical, step by step manual for how to become a more effective donor, this book has a very great deal to offer.

TRANSIT | If you’ve ever ridden the New York subway and accidentally ended up on an express train to the Bronx when you were aiming for Brooklyn, then you probably appreciate the relative simplicity of our Metro system. And if you haven’t had that experience, lucky you, because it’s a time-consuming mistake that makes you feel like a helpless dimbulb.

Our addition of the Silver Line – and it’s graphical rendering on the WMATA system map – is pushing things into confusing territory. (Atlantic, 5/6)

I’ve been trying to find something funny to share with you on this gloomy Monday. There’s a whole website of hilarious – sometimes intentionally and sometimes not – web product reviews. I can’t vouch for the appropriateness of the whole site, but this entry amused me. I guess a ceiling fan is a cheap alternative to these dudes.

And if you aren’t in the mood to laugh, here’s a really beautiful song – Where Our Destination Lies by Ben Gibbard. I don’t think I’ve shared it here before. Apologies if I have, but it’s a great one.

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Metro lines and tree canopy as indicators of inequality

April 26, 2013 By Leave a Comment

EQUITY
- Plotting the median annual household income of the neighborhoods around each Metro station makes for some striking graphs of the region’s income inequality. The orange line shows the most dramatic fluctuations, ranging from $142,000 at the East Falls Church stop to $34,000 at Minnesota Ave. (City Paper, 4/25)

- D.C. is known for its greenery, but there is a clear divide between the number of trees in high-income neighborhoods and the number in low-income areas. (WaPo, 4/25)

WORKFORCE | Goodwill of Greater Washington has been selected to provide recruitment and job training programs to fill 600 jobs at the new Marriott hotel opening next year near the convention center. The United Way of the National Capital Area collaborated on Goodwill’s bid and has pledged $350,000 to support the program. (WaPo, 4/25)

EDUCATION
- Robert Bobb, chair of the DC Children and Youth Investment Trust Corporation, writes in a Post op-ed that the various standardized test cheating scandals that have come to light around the country are indicative of a larger culture of corruption in some school systems (WaPo, 4/26):

For the sake of the nation’s children and its future, education reformers must begin to examine governance structures and the quality of management in public schools, including the handling of funds, distribution of bonuses and failed educational outcomes despite massive investments.

- Prince George’s County interim school superintendent announces resignation (WaPo, 4/26)

- D.C. attorneys respond to lawsuit challenging school closures (WaPo, 4/25)

HEALTH
- The state of Maryland will be giving $24 million in grants to local organizations to get uninsured residents to sign up for health insurance programs through the state-run insurance exchange. The Maryland Health Benefit Exchange’s Connector Program will create 300 jobs and raise awareness of insurance options for individuals and small businesses. (WBJ, 4/25)

- Local Food Advocates Prescribe Fruits And Veggies For Food Stamp Recipients (WAMU, 4/24)

ENVIRONMENT | Due to pollution in the Chesapeake, fisherman are catching some pretty freaky smallmouth bass. (WaPo, 4/26)

BUDGET AUTONOMY | Seriously? (WTOP, 4/26)

If you’re as scared of heights as I am, just watching this video will provide enough excitement for one day.

- Rebekah

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New report highlights the importance of civil legal aid

April 18, 2013 By Leave a Comment

The Public Welfare Foundation, in partnership with the Kresge Foundation, has released a new report on civil legal aid titled Natural Allies: Philanthropy and Civil Legal Aid. We’ve written before about how civil legal aid is frequently confused with criminal law. This report has a great section that clarifies what civil legal aid is – and why it is a critical area for philanthropy to support:

Legal aid helps people solve problems…Tenants facing wrongful eviction; Homeowners facing foreclosure due to fraudulent schemes; Women who are victims of domestic violence; Veterans and military families struggling in civilian life; Consumers bankrupted by predatory lenders; Workers cheated out of wages or denied lawful benefits; Children who need a stable home or special education; Elderly whose economic security or health care is in jeopardy; Disabled people denied opportunities; Immigrants who work the lowest-wage jobs without benefits or contracts; Communities devastated by natural disasters…

Related: WRAG Board member and Public Welfare Foundation president Mary McClymont recently wrote an op-ed on this. (Daily, 4/18)

WORKFORCE | The Community Foundation’s Greater Washington Workforce Development Collaborative has launched an advocacy campaign around adult literacy in the District. They are encouraging the D.C. Council to fully fund the Pathways to Adult Literacy Fund. Sarah Oldmixon, who leads the collaborative, shared this with us:

Over 64,000 D.C. residents lack a high school diploma or its equivalent. Moreover, forthcoming changes to the GED and National External Diploma Program will require expanded nonprofit capacity to address the needs of adult learners, making expanded funding opportunities critical. A new initiative of the Adult and Family Education office in the D.C. Office of the State Superintendent for Education, the proposed Pathways to Adult Literacy Fund will help 1,000 District residents enhance their basic skills and earn a GED, high school diploma, or post-secondary credential.

This WAMU story helps demonstrate the importance of the funding. It feature the Academy of Hope and Southeast Ministry. (WAMU, 3/31)

The Community Foundation has a change.org portal for their effort, with talking points, action items, and recent news.

EDUCATION | A new report from the Walton Family Foundation finds that per pupil funding in the District is $13,000 higher for traditional public students than charter students. (Examiner, 4/18) Here’s the research, which actually finds similar disparities in other cities.

- Parents, activists say chancellor’s budget undermines D.C. schools (WaPo, 4/18)

TRANSIT | The Columbia Pike streetcar project didn’t get the federal funding it sought, but the project is pressing forward nonetheless. (WAMU, 4/18)

It’s been a bad week, right? The bombings, the Senate utterly failing at representing the will of the people, the factory explosion in Texas. Well, here’s something that might cheer you up: funny notes written by kids. Scroll down after reading the love note for a whole gallery of notes.

Also, check out these houses that have indoor slides! The pirate-themed one is especially cool.

- Christian

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Learning to “fail fast”

April 15, 2013 By Leave a Comment

FAILURE | Greater Greater Washington’s David Alpert wrote a piece for the Post on the cycle of government programs and the accumulation of inefficiencies after each cycle:

Here’s a common pattern: An agency spends a few years working on a project that could improve residents’ lives. Procurement delays and construction issues take extra time. The project opens, there’s controversy and people call for changes or say the project was a waste. Public employees get the message. Next time, they spend even more time designing the project.

Are we on a cycle in which everything government does happens slower and slower?

He goes on to suggest that, while we can’t necessarily ward off failure, we can learn to “fail fast” and move on. It’s interesting to consider his frame applied to philanthropy. Does philanthropy slow down over time? Is it willing to admit defeat, learn lessons, and move on? (WaPo, 4/15)

TAXES | In an op-ed for the Chronicle of Philanthropy, philanthropist Earle Mack talks about how the proposed limit to the charitable tax deduction would negatively affect his own giving. It’s a compelling read, especially considering that Mack represents the type of philanthropist whose personal giving is in the millions (Chronicle, 4/7):

It’s not that I object to paying my fair share. People like me can certainly afford to do that, and I think it’s the right thing to do, especially if that’s what it takes to keep our economy and country sound.

But there are better ways to go about it than abandoning a system that has worked so well for us for almost 100 years.

- Related: Ever wonder where your federal tax dollars go? The White House has a calculator that will show you. (Note: your tax money is not being spent on website maintenance, because at publishing time the page link is experiencing problems. I assume the link will once again work shortly.)

TRANSIT | The Columbia Pike street car project is expected to create an economic boom in Arlington and Fairfax, reduce congestion (of the traffic variety), and allow for the preservation of affordable housing. But the project failed to secure as much as $75 million in expected federal funding. (WaPo, 4/15) I think Galaxy Quest can teach us a lesson here.

- The H Street street car line in D.C. still isn’t open for some reason, but the city is already mocking up possibilities for a Union Station-Georgetown line. (GGW, 4/12)

EDUCATION | Jay Matthews’ fifteenth annual index of top high schools is out. Accompanying the index is a piece about how bureaucracy is threatening to close some of the country’s best public schools – and how it could happen here, too. (WaPo, 4/15)

- Students leaving mid-year raise questions for charter school (Examiner, 4/15)

- Should charters also be neighborhood schools? (GGE, 4/15)

LITERACY | We generally talk about education outcomes by looking at youth. But here’s an important story from the other side – how illiteracy affects adults. (WAMU, 3/30)

HOUSING | The federal Fair Housing Act goes a long way to make housing discrimination illegal. But there are a few categories it doesn’t cover. In many states, it is legal to refuse housing based on marital status, gender identity, and sexual orientation. Believe it or not, much of our region allows discrimination in these categories. (Atlantic, 4/15)

DUMMIES | One of my high school math teachers had a favorite metaphor about learning. He’d tell us that if you want to rob an ATM, you have to get a truck, attach a chain around the machine, and hit the gas. Basically, there’s no easy way to get what you want. Well, these guys took Mr. Corrigan’s method literally…and failed. So, I guess he was right! I’ve yet to determine if these were classmates of mine. (WTOP, 4/15)

I think it is safe to say that Tax Day is a stress elevator. Here are ten instant stress busters.

And since laughing out loud (or LOLing, as the interwebs call it) is one of the techniques listed, maybe this video will help. It’s the Gorillage People singing YMCA!

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Maximizing local philanthropy’s culture of collaboration through collective impact

April 10, 2013 By Leave a Comment

The Greater Washington region doesn’t have a hometown mega-funder driving our philanthropic work. As such, our funders have had the benefit of leading together. In her latest column, WRAG President Tamara Copeland looks at the successes that have resulted from our culture of collaboration. There’s more to be done though:

As our region moves forward to address major concerns like disconnected youth, affordable housing, and workforce development, we know that our goal is to comprehensively address situations that are deeply entrenched. No quick fixes. The objectives and strategies must be clearly defined and the plan of action must be embraced broadly by all who can, and should, play a part in solving the problem.

To this end, she looks at “collective impact” as a potential model for maximizing change in our region.

Related: Strive Network’s Jeff Edmondson will discuss collective impact as part of our Brightest Minds series next week. We hope you can join us – the event is open to the community! More info and registration here.

COLLABORATION | The Open Society Foundations have announced a new funding opportunity that will provide long-term grants to teams of charities that are working to improve the lives of low-income and minority populations.

The program is designed to foster collaboration, speaking directly to the idea of collective impact that Tamara wrote about in her column (Chronicle, 4/8):

The new program, called the Open Places Initiative, reflects a belief at the foundation that achieving real change will require greater collaboration among the local groups that have been tackling such problems independently.

GIVING | The Community Foundation for the National Capital Region has launched a new blog series called “Why I Give.” The series will profile the motivations, philosophies, and strategies of funders in our region. First up is Leanne Posko, senior manager of community affairs at Capital One. She says (CFNCR, 4/10):

At Capital One, we have a long-term commitment to strengthening and adding value to the communities in which we live and work. We take a holistic approach, which we call “Investing for Good,” to community involvement that includes financial support, but also volunteerism, pro bono service and thought leadership – for us it’s about providing a system of wrap-around support for a community or an issue.

- A report from the Association of Fundraising Professionals finds that six in ten charities reported an increase in funds raised in 2012. (PND, 4/10)

HOUSING | Well, this is the opposite of affordable housing. New data show that our region’s median home sale price has hit an all time high. (WaPo, 4/10)

WORKFORCE | The Urban Institute has a new report on the financial consequences of long-term unemployment over the last few years. Despite unemployment benefits, half of the workers who had been unemployed for six months or more experienced family income declines of at least 40 percent. (Urban, April 2013)

EDUCATION | One year in, Greater Greater Education takes a look at the progress of D.C.’s 5-year strategic schools plan. (GGE, 4/9)

AGING | The number of centenarians is increasing in our region and a local nonprofit has taken the time to celebrate them. (WaPo, 4/10) If I make it to 100, I will call myself a “centurion” instead. And I’ll wield a sword and shield so that the young whipper-snappers know who’s in charge.

In 2009, new director Neill Blomkamp unleashed the sci-fi/social commentary hybrid District 9. It was brilliant and original in every respect, and it earned a well-deserved Oscar nomination for best picture. Later this year, we finally get the director’s second movie, Elysium. Here’s the first jaw-dropping trailer.

Also, I highly recommend this article about Jordan’s King Abdullah II. He’s a fascinating leader navigating a tremendously complicated environment.

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Carol Thompson Cole on shifting our region’s youth from economic liabilities to assets

April 8, 2013 By Leave a Comment

WORKFORCE | Our region will need to fill three million jobs over the next few decades, primarily in health care, education, technology, and finance. But is the next generation of workers being positioned to meet this need?

Carol Thompson Cole, president and chief executive of Venture Philanthropy Partners and a member of WRAG’s board of directors, points out that we have some major obstacles to overcome (WaPo, 4/8):

Poverty remains the biggest issue. Children growing up poor are at higher risk for health issues, low school achievement, drugs, teen pregnancy and crime. In sections of the District, child poverty rates are worse than in Mexico. Even our most affluent suburbs are seeing double-digit increases.
…
More alarming is the rising number of young people who have dropped out of the system. Regionally, 14,000 youths ages 16-19 are not in school or working. Over their lifetime, they will cost us an estimated $13 billion in lost earnings, lower tax revenue and higher social service spending.

She goes on to discuss how companies including Capital One, Clark Construction, Pepco, Hilton and Kaiser Permanente are stepping up to meet these challenges with new programs focusing on giving our region’s youth the opportunity to “become economic assets instead of social liabilities.”

Related: D.C. struggles to meet welfare work requirements (Examiner, 4/8)

Related: Why Unemployment Has Hit Black Households the Hardest (Atlantic, 4/8)

PHILANTHROPY | The IRS is taking baby steps to make 990 data more accessible. (Chronicle, 4/6) As a wise man once said, “All I have to do is take one little step at a time and I can do anything!”

WRAG | We interviewed Charlie Cummings, a current Philanthropy Fellow working at the Morris & Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation, about his experience in the program. (Daily, 4/8) WRAG members: The deadline for applying for a fellow is Friday, May 10. More info.

Related: Cafrtiz’s Tobi Printz-Platnick shared her thoughts about working with a Philanthropy Fellow last week. (Daily, 4/1)

YOUTH | New data from the Census Bureau show that child care costs have almost doubled in the last 25 years. (Census, 4/3)

LOCAL | Our region is the most post-industrial in the country! I knew we could do it. What does it mean? We have the best ratio of services to goods. (Atlantic, 4/8) I wonder what the most pre-industrial is? I suspect somewhere in Pennsylvania or New York.

REGION | In the wake of Newtown, the board of the Metropolitan Council of Governments took an official position on gun violence by adopting a position paper from the nonpartisan International Association of Chiefs of Police.

Now, the boards of Loudoun, Frederick, Prince William, and Manassas are threatening to stop paying dues to COG. Loudoun Supervisor Matthew F. Letourneau says, “Taking a position opens COG up to being used as a forum for political issues that are not constructive for the region.” (WaPo, 4/8)

That’s a deeply confusing statement since, by nature, a council of governments is a forum for political issues. More importantly though, gun violence is a serious and destructive problem across our region – particularly for many of the youth that Carol Thompson Cole wrote about today.

Related: Here’s a good Kojo Nnamdi show about gun violence in our region. (WAMU, 3/20)

It’s hard to imagine any current public figure earning the revered, iconic status that Margaret Thatcher did. And it’s fair to say that there is no hyperbole in The Economist’s obituary, which is titled The lady who changed the world. A life well lived.

On a cheerier note, there’s a chance we’ll hit 90 degrees on Wednesday, at which point my musical mood will shift completely. In the meantime, I’ve always felt like Simon and Garfunkel wrote the perfect spring song. This is especially impressive since the song comes from Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme, which features a lead track (Scarborough Fair) that is truly weird, dark, and depressing. They could have at least included oregano. 

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Students want high school to be more like school, less like prison

April 5, 2013 By Leave a Comment

EDUCATION
-The front page story of the Post today profiles students participating in the Critical Exposure program and how they are using photography to protest the oppressive security at their high schools. The students are advocating for “restorative justice” programs to counter the “school-to-prison pipeline” that the tough discipline policies at some D.C. schools have created. While some school administrators say security is necessary for student safety, especially after the Newtown shooting (WaPo, 4/5):

H.D. Woodson High School senior Mike Ruff and other classmates have armed themselves with cameras to make the opposite point. They say that their learning environment has been scarred by relentless security. They say their high schools, among an estimated 10,000 nationwide with police on campus, feel like prisons.

- A new report shows that 56 percent of low-income children in Fairfax County are unable to get into pre-k programs. In other jurisdictions in the region, most, if not all, low-income children are able to access pre-k classes. (NBC4, 4/4)

- In an op-ed, Bill Gates calls for a fairer way to evaluate teachers. (WaPo, 4/3)

- We’ve linked to stories about the new documentary about Washington Metropolitan High School, 180 Days: Inside an American High School, but now you can view the whole documentary on the PBS website. I haven’t watched it yet, but it sounds compelling.

WORKFORCE | On the Washington Area Women’s Foundation blog, Shae Harris wonders if “leaning in” — that is, Sheryl Sandberg’s idea that women are holding themselves back by not asserting themselves in the workplace — is really an option for all women (WAWF, 4/2):

While I applaud Sheryl Sandberg for tackling this complex issue and bringing it (once again) to the forefront of national discourse, I think for most women this issue is bigger than simply asking more questions at the weekly staff meeting. Currently in Washington D.C., one in five women live in poverty…  For these economically disadvantaged women, leaning in can be tough to do when there are so many other mitigating factors surrounding their survival. Issues like the cost of childcare, unemployment/underemployment, lack of educational attainment, transportation, and securing affordable housing continue to stifle women within this region.

HOUSING | Thanks to the sequester, 42 families in Fairfax County who were on track to get federally funded housing vouchers won’t be getting them after all. (NBC4, 4/4)

HEALTH CARE | The Affordable Care Act, Three Years Later: Where Do Nonprofits Stand? (NPQ, 4/4)

NONPROFITS | Number of Charities and Foundations Rose Slightly in 2012 (Chronicle, 4/4)

This is like a more sophisticated version of the goats yelling like humans video.

-Rebekah

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Gentrification spreads in the suburbs, but its effect on housing is bad for the region

April 4, 2013 By Leave a Comment

HOUSING | One of the primary concerns about gentrification is that it drives up housing costs and pushes lower- and moderate-income individuals further away. As Robert McCartney points out, the trend isn’t just happening inside the District, but in the suburbs, too. That’s bad for the region because companies don’t want to invest in places that are difficult for workers to access.

A new coalition called the Communications Action Network is aiming to raise awareness of the importance for mixed-income housing across the region. The coalition consists of 150 local organizations, including the Washington Regional Association of Grantmakers, and was created by former WRAG Board member Craig Pascal of BB&T Bank (WaPo, 4/4):

He and others were heartened when D.C. Mayor Vince Gray recently urged new spending of $100 million to subsidize affordable housing. But they say more is required, especially in the suburbs.

“We need to do more to get the message out to the region, including in the business and political arenas,” Pascal said. “The challenges have never been greater for creating and preserving housing for people at all income levels.”

Related: Learn more about the Communications Action Network.

- The District’s public housing waiting list contains more than 70,000 names – and a wait time of about 28 years for a one-bedroom apartment. In an effort to overhaul the broken system, the city will stop accepting new applicants after April 12th.

Curiously, a spokesperson for the housing agency emphasized that a new system would “give people more choices” and allow them to identify where they would prefer to live. That suggests that the city has enough housing to offer choices, which it clearly doesn’t. It also suggests that there is already a new system planned out, which there isn’t. (WaPo, 4/4)

- Here’s a look at expenditures by the country’s seniors. Housing is far and away the biggest one. (SHN, 3/27) We have to assume that pogs, comic books, Beanie Babies, and Pixy Stix are covered under “other.”

HEALTH
- Thanks to sequestration, oncologists at cancer clinics across the country are having to turn Medicare patients away. These patients are then faced with getting care at hospitals, which costs more for the government, but it isn’t clear that the hospitals even have the capacity to accept these patients. (WaPo, 4/4)

Maybe we could cut off medical care for Congress and the White House until they get their act together.

- Opinion: The Rising Threat of Childhood Obesity (HuffPo, 4/3)

ARTS/EDUCATION | DCPS is planning to cut more than $300,000 from the Fillmore Center Arts program, which operates in eleven schools this year. It teaches dance, digital arts, theater, music, visual arts, creative writing, and physical education. The cuts are so severe that the program might not survive – and parents are fighting back. (Examiner, 3/30)

EDUCATION
- A bill that would restructure control of Prince George’s County schools is advancing through the senate, but it is a diluted version of what County Executive Rushern Baker sought. (WaPo, 4/4)

- D.C. schools brace for population boom (Examiner, 4/4) “City needs space for 33,000 youngsters over next five years”

- For many struggling students, a diploma means little (GGE, 4/4)

WORKFORCE/RACE | BusinessWeek has an article about an interesting link between the job market and race. According to new research on hiring practices, “the favoritism of whites towards other whites may be more important than the discrimination of whites towards racial minorities.” (BW, 3/27)

PHILANTHROPY | Philanthropic Leadership: It’s (Not) Accidental (ASF, 4/2)

I had a strange revelation yesterday. Listen to the backup vocalist in Van Morrison’s Glad Tidings during the chorus – the “la la la la” part, at about 0:36. He sounds exactly like Mahna Mahna Muppet!

Rebekah has the Daily tomorrow, so I’ll see you on Monday. Hope you all enjoy the cherry blossoms! Looks like they are going to lineup perfectly with the weekend.

- Christian

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