Philanthropy Front and Center - New York

After-School Arts Partnerships: Program Guidelines Announced

The Department of Cultural Affairs (DCA) and Department of Youth & Community Development (DYCD) announced the creation of a new initiative for after-school programs in New York City. The After-School Arts Partnerships (ASAP) awards are for nonprofit cultural organizations to provide services for elementary and middle school students participating in designated after-school program sites in need of improving their arts education programs.

The awards will be of $5,000 per site. Applications are due to the Department of Cultural Affairs by Friday, October 16, at 5:00 pm. Find complete information about this program, along with application guidelines on http://www.nyc.gov/html/dcla/html/home/home.shtml. For questions regarding the program, e-mail ASAP@culture.nyc.gov.

The After-School Arts Partnerships is a program of the Mayor’s Fund to Advance New York City with funding provided by a grant from the JCPenney Afterschool Fund.

Thanks to the Arts & Business Council of New York for bringing this news to our attention.

Foundation Center Launches National Education Stimulus Initiative

The Foundation Center announced the launch of "Foundations for Education Excellence," a national initiative to engage philanthropic institutions and education leaders across the country in a unified, strategic drive to improve public education.

foundationcenter.org/educationexcellence, the web portal developed by the Foundation Center with a grant from the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation, was launched in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Education. It connects foundation funders in education to information and tools that will help them support ARRA's education reform goals.

"There is a unique window of opportunity in the coming weeks and months for private philanthropy to leverage its investment in education," said Bradford K. Smith, the Center's president. "Funders need fast-track tools to target areas of need and collaborate in new ways to improve educational opportunities across the country. The Foundation Center is ideally positioned to provide foundations with the knowledge platform needed to advance this process."

Read the full press release for details on the contents and uses of the portal.

ARRA Provides $650 Million to Innovative Education Programs

Innovative education programs around the country could soon benefit from a $650 million competitive grant fund included in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, the Associated Press reports. Part of the $5 billion provided by ARRA to overhaul schools, the Investing in Innovation Fund will support programs run by school districts and nonprofits, including colleges and universities, organizations that work to turn around failing schools, and charter schools. According to U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, programs that have proven successful will be awarded up to $50 million each, while programs that need money to expand or build a research base could receive up to $30 million, and promising ideas worth trying could receive up to $5 million.

Jean Johnson, Senior Librarian, Foundation Center-San Francisco

Listen! Jamie Merisotis Discusses Lumina Foundation's Investments in Higher Education

Jamie P. Merisotis, president and CEO of the Lumina Foundation for Education, discusses the foundation's strategic, outcomes-based approach to expanding college access and success, particularly among low-income, minority, and other under-represented populations. Listen!

June is Funding for Education Month at the Foundation Center. Check out our Focus on Funding for Education page for more podcasts, news, and resources.

Listen! Bruno Manno Discusses Annie E. Casey Foundation's Investments in Education

Bruno Manno, Ph.D., senior associate at the Annie E. Casey Foundation, discusses the key role that schools play in advancing the foundation's efforts to improve outcomes for families and children. As the lead in the foundation's education portfolio, Dr. Manno shares information about the foundation's experiences investing in programs that give low-income parents the opportunity to send their children to high quality schools and to get services that strengthen their community-school connections. Listen!

Focus on Funding for Education: Information You Can Use

June is Funding for Education Month at the Foundation Center, and many of you have been signing up for programs, classes, and webinars through our five regional libraries. But did you know that we have a Focus On page with even more information? Here’s what you’ll find:

• Education for a Global Society: Provides data and an examination of the issues related to education funding across the globe, including early childhood education and higher education in Africa. Here you will find statistical tables analyzing the distribution of education grants (awarded by U.S. grantmakers) in the U.S. and in all other countries; interactive maps showing funding for education by recipient countries; research reports and foundation-funded studies; and links to additional research tools and information sources.
  
  
• Commentary: Provides access to our Philanthropy Chat interviews with foundation and nonprofit leaders providing practical advice and information about initiatives and programs. Check out the interviews with Bruno Manno, senior associate at the Annie E. Casey Foundation, and Jonathan Bydlak, executive director of DiscoverScholars.org.
  
  
• Tools and Resources: Links you to useful tutorials, guides, and FAQs on the topic, and lists Foundation Center products that help grantseekers and researchers.
  
  
• Additional sections point you to reports and research, news items, and our specialized newsletter, Education Funding Watch.

So if you're looking for a wide-ranging discussion of philanthropy in education, both in the U.S. and across the globe, explore this online information hub, rich with data, discussion, and ideas.

Listen! Eva Blum Discusses Support for Education and PNC Grow Up Great

Eva Blum, senior vice president and director of community affairs at PNC Bank and chair of the PNC Foundation, discussesthe PNC Grow Up Great program, a ten-year, $100 million dollar investment in early childhood education. Ms. Blum also shares information about PNC's additional philanthropic interests in education and other fields. Listen!

June is Funding for Education Month at the Foundation Center. Check out our Focus on Funding for Education page and our library/learning center's calendar of events.