 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
Sign up to receive PND e-newsletters. |
|
| |
|
 |
|
Every week Connections presents fresh links to the best the Web has to offer on issues related to the changing world of philanthropy. Subscribe to our biweekly Connections newsletter and receive two weeks' worth of links delivered to you by e-mail. If you have an item you'd like to share, drop us a line at connections@foundationcenter.org.
November 24, 2009
Public Affairs
Beyond California: States in Fiscal Peril
According to a new report from the Pew Center on the States, some of the same pressures that have pushed California toward economic disaster are wreaking havoc in a number of other states, with potentially damaging consequences for the entire country. The report, Beyond California: States in Fiscal Peril (70 pages, PDF), found that Arizona, Florida, Illinois, Michigan, Nevada, New Jersey, Oregon, Rhode Island, and Wisconsin join California as the ten most troubled states, due in part to the loss of state revenues, high foreclosure rates, and legal obstacles to balanced budgets (specifically, a supermajority requirement for some or all tax increases or budget bills). Although some of the states — which together account for more than a third of the nation's population and economic output — already have responded aggressively to their budget crises, the report concluded that it is too soon to tell whether their actions will put them on solid fiscal footing.
November 21, 2009
Women
Economica
The latest online exhibit from the International Museum of Women is Economica, an exploration of women's experiences of and contributions to the global economy. Visitors to the exhibit can browse topic pages, such as basic rights, microenterprise, and marriage and money, which contain podcasts, essays, audio slide shows, and interviews with experts in the field of women's rights. The exhibit Web site also offers film and book lists, a conversation forum, and a submission form for those who wish to contribute to the exhibit.
November 18, 2009
Human Services
Building a Foundation for Family Economic Success
According to a new report from the Working Poor Families Project, the twenty-five nonprofits participating in the initiative have helped generate or preserve more than $2.5 billion in state investments in low-income working families. Prepared by South by North Strategies, the report, Building a Foundation for Family Economic Success (20 pages, PDF), describes the program's focus on policy change at the state level as well as its efforts to help low-income working families in several states obtain financial aid, boost their educational level and skills, access good jobs, and make ends meet. Established in 2002, the project was funded by the Annie E. Casey, Ford, Mott, and Joyce foundations.
November 15, 2009
Education
National Family Literacy Month Online Activities
November is National Family Literacy Month, and the National Center for Family Literacy has partnered with the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History to develop interactive online resources that introduce children of different age groups to historical events and themes. Funded in part by the Verizon Foundation, the resources include an activity guide for families, a lesson in civil rights, a game that teaches children about the history of the American flag, and the Literacy House, a tool that offers ideas to parents on how to take advantage of child learning opportunities at home.
November 12, 2009
Health
Alliance for a Healthier Generation's Parent Attitudinal Survey
With support from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the Alliance for a Healthier Generation has issued the results (10 pages, PDF) of a recent survey which found that the vast majority of parents want their children's schools to limit students' access to high-calorie chips, sodas, and candy as well as offer kids opportunities for physical activity throughout the day. Conducted by KRC Research, the survey found that more than 92 percent of parents said they consider physical education and health education as important as English, math, and science instruction, while virtually all parents (99 percent) said they recognize that healthy eating has a positive effect on learning.
November 9, 2009
Aging
Rising Senior Unemployment and the Need to Work at Older Ages
According to a new report from the Urban Institute, unemployment rates for older workers have reached record levels, in part because fewer workers eligible for early retirement benefits are retiring. The report, Rising Senior Unemployment and the Need to Work at Older Ages (19 pages, PDF), found that unlike previous economic downturns, the Great Recession has not spared older workers from layoffs. At the same time, growing concerns about the adequacy of retirement savings — concerns that were magnified by recent sharp declines in the value of stock portfolios — seem to have discouraged many boomers from taking early retirement. In response to the findings, the report argues that new policies should be developed to help address the special challenges faced by older job seekers.
November 6, 2009
Women
2009 Stepping Stones Report: Laying the Foundation for Women's Economic Security
The Washington Area Women's Foundation has issued a new report on its $5 million Stepping Stones program, which supports nonprofits that provide job training, financial literacy, and childcare programs for low-income, single mothers. The 2009 Stepping Stones Report: Laying the Foundation for Women's Economic Security (12 pages, PDF) found that demand for the program's financial education and counseling services nearly doubled during the first six months of 2009 and that the program provided services to more than three thousand women, helping participants save a total of $2 million.
November 3, 2009
Education
The Benefits to Taxpayers From Increases in Students' Educational Attainment
A new report from RAND Education examines the financial benefits that accrue to taxpayers as students attain higher levels of education. Funded by the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, the report, The Benefits to Taxpayers From Increases in Students' Educational Attainment (143 pages, PDF), found that regardless of a student's gender, race, or ethnicity, raising one's level of education leads to significantly increased payments into, and reduced demands on, the public budget. The report argues that all taxpayers — even those who do not have children in school — have a stake in developing programs and policies that effectively and efficiently increase education levels.
October 31, 2009
Civil and Human Rights
Open Society Institute Panels
The Open Society Institute has made available audio from two recent OSI-sponsored panel discussions. Part of a forum co-sponsored by the American Civil Liberties Union, the first panel focuses on The Least of Three, a recently released documentary about the T. Don Hutto family detention center in Texas. The second took place at a book signing for A Question of Freedom: A Memoir of Learning, Survival, and Coming of Age in Prison by R. Dwayne Betts, who was imprisoned for nine years starting at age 16. The discussion and book signing were sponsored by the Campaign for Youth Justice's Join the Movement initiative, the Institute for Juvenile Justice Reform and Alternatives at Medgar Evers College, and the OSI Criminal Justice Fund.
October 28, 2009
Philanthropy and Voluntarism
Evaluation Matters: Lessons From Youth-Serving Organizations
The Urban Institute has issued a new report about the evaluation experiences of several youth-serving nonprofits in the Washington, D.C., area. Funded by the World Bank's Community Outreach Program, the report, Evaluation Matters: Lessons From Youth-Serving Organizations (66 pages, PDF), offers observation, commentary, and case studies of four D.C. nonprofits that participated in the program's East of the River Initiative — an effort to help nonprofits better identify, measure, and communicate their community impact. The report concludes that nonprofits should integrate evaluation efforts with their program operations, enlist staff support at every level of the organization, and be careful not to underestimate the level of effort required to make measurable progress.
October 25, 2009
Health
Aiming Higher: Results From a State Scorecard on Health System Performance, 2009
While all states should aim higher with respect to their healthcare performance, without federal reforms to help stem rising costs and provide more affordable coverage, access will likely deteriorate, a new report from the Commonwealth Fund argues. The report, Aiming Higher: Results From a State Scorecard on Health System Performance, 2009 (110 pages, PDF), found that the number of uninsured Americans could climb to 61 million by 2020, with millions more underinsured — an outcome that would exacerbate financial stress for families, overwhelm safety-net providers, and undermine the financial foundation of community health systems. To avoid these issues, the report calls on states and the federal government to work together to ensure affordable access for all Americans and to improve healthcare quality, health outcomes, and efficiency within the system.
October 22, 2009
Arts and Culture
Research Into Action: Pathways to New Opportunities
In 2008, the Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance launched a campaign to double the cultural engagement in the region by 2020. According to Research Into Action: Pathways to New Opportunities (39 pages, PDF), a new report from the alliance, while attendance rates at cultural events in the greater Philadelphia region were above national averages in most disciplines, the majority of attendees considered the performances to be a "special occasion" event. Funded by the Wallace and Philadelphia foundations, the report includes five case studies that examine how patrons in the region get involved with cultural events and offers recommendations designed to boost engagement, break down barriers to access, and enhance groups' marketing efforts.
October 19, 2009
Education
Impact of Community and Youth Organizing on Public School Reform
The Annenberg Institute for School Reform at Brown University has issued a series of case studies to illustrate whether and how organizing efforts by community groups in seven urban communities have improved public schools. Based on a six-year study funded by the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation, the studies demonstrate how effective community organizing can stimulate important changes in educational policy, practices, and resource distribution at the system level; strengthen school-community relationships, parental engagement, and trust in schools; and contribute to higher attendance, test scores, and high school completion rates.
October 16, 2009
Civil and Human Rights
Most Still Oppose Same-Sex Marriage, Majority Continues to Support Civil Unions
The Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life and the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press have released the findings of their 2009 Religion and Public Life Survey. According to the report, Most Still Oppose Same-Sex Marriage, Majority Continues to Support Civil Unions (16 pages, PDF), 57 percent of Americans favor allowing gay and lesbian couples to enter into civil unions, up from 45 percent in 2003. In addition, 39 percent of respondents favor allowing gays and lesbians to marry legally. Over the past year, support for civil unions has grown significantly among individuals who oppose same-sex marriage — from 24 percent to 30 percent — while remaining stable among those who favor same-sex marriage.
October 13, 2009
Health
Side-by-Side Comparison of Major Health Care Reform Proposals
The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation has created a tool to help individuals compare the healthcare reform proposals put forth by the Obama administration and various congressional committees, including those that have been formally introduced as legislation and those that have been offered as draft proposals or policy options. The regularly updated tool offers users a summary of the major components of each proposal as well as the ability to view a side-by-side comparison of specific topics — including the expansion of public programs, individual mandates, and cost containment — within each proposal. Users also can view and print a side-by-side comparison (49 pages, PDF) of all the proposals and topics.
October 10, 2009
Arts and Culture
Youth Speaks
The twelfth annual Brave New Voices international youth poetry festival, an event organized by Ford Foundation grantee Youth Speaks, took place July 14-19 in Chicago. At this year's festival, Ford sponsored a series of spoken-word performances about the power of the arts to create social change. The foundation has posted videos of some of the performances on its Web site, while more videos can be viewed on the Brave New Voices site and at the related site on HBO, which last year aired a documentary about the festival.
October 7, 2009
Education
Investments in Building Citywide Out-of-School-Time Systems: A Six-City Study
Public/Private Ventures and the Finance Project have issued the final report in a series funded by the Wallace Foundation that examines the costs of out-of-school-time (OST) programs and the city-level systems needed to support them. The report, Investments in Building Citywide Out-of-School-Time Systems: A Six-City Study (108 pages, PDF), looks at how six cities — Boston, Chicago, Denver, New York City, Seattle, and Charlotte, North Carolina — are working to secure and support the leadership, information, and other resources necessary to deliver quality OST programs citywide. While difficult to do in the current political and fiscal environment, the study found that a growing body of research and practice supports the claim that carefully planned and designed investments in OST infrastructure can benefit school-age children and youth, their families, and their communities.
October 4, 2009
Children and Youth
Children of Immigrants Data Tool
The Urban Institute's Low-Income Working Families Project has launched a Children of Immigrants Data Tool that enables users to generate detailed charts on the characteristics of children of immigrants nationwide and in individual states and the District of Columbia. Data from 2005 and 2006 allows users to compare populations of children defined by the citizenship of the child or parent. Data include the immigrant status of children and their parents; children's race, ethnicity, and school enrollment; parents' education and English proficiency; and family composition, income, and work status. In additon, the institute has issued a companion report, Children of Immigrants: National and State Characteristics (20 pages, PDF), that highlights key national data and variations across states.
October 1, 2009
Arts and Culture
Vital Signs: Arts Funding in the Current Economy
Earlier this year, Grantmakers in the Arts issued a special edition of its GIA Reader that examined the effects of the recession on the arts funding community. Among other items, the newsletter, Vital Signs: Arts Funding in the Current Economy (7 pages, PDF), includes articles on the outlook for foundation giving from Foundation Center senior director of research Steven Lawrence and on public funding for the arts from National Assembly of State Arts Agencies director of research Angela Han.
September 29, 2009
Health
Shaping a Healthier Generation: Successful State Strategies to Prevent Childhood Obesity
A new report from the National Governors Association Center for Best Practices looks at the actions that states are taking to prevent childhood obesity, encourage children to eat healthier, and be more active in childcare, school, community, and healthcare settings. Funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the report, Shaping a Healthier Generation: Successful State Strategies to Prevent Childhood Obesity (64 pages, PDF), offers three strategies that governors can use to help prevent childhood obesity: setting a vision and building public awareness for obesity prevention programs; coordinating state agencies' obesity prevention efforts through governance structures; and collecting data on children's health to better address their needs.
|
|
|
|
print
e-mail
