WASHINGTON, May 9, 2007 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) -- The Community Foundation for the National Capital Region (CFNCR) recently announced $1.5 million in grants awarded to some 60 nonprofit organizations serving the Greater Washington area. Programs supported range from emergency social services and violence prevention to community-based technology training and software. Taken as a whole, these grants reflect The Community Foundation's goal of ensuring equity, access and opportunity for all residents of the region.
The grant awards stem from several charitable funds administered by The Community Foundation, as well as from CFNCR's Community Leadership Fund. For example, the Starr Foundation and other donors are supporting emergency social services, such as food and clothing, crisis-intervention, and shelters for homeless residents. Grants for the violence-prevention programs come from the Starbucks Memorial Fund, established in 1997 as a living memorial to three young Starbucks Associates tragically killed at an area Starbucks location. Technology-training grants are provided by the Microsoft Unlimited Potential Grants program, which awards cash and gifts of software and hardware to community-based organizations serving primarily minority residents from low-income households. Grants from other charitable-giving funds housed at The Community Foundation support workforce development, arts and culture, institutional advancement, and more. In this group, grant awards range from $4,000 to $125,000.
"For more than three decades, The Community Foundation for the National Capital Region has worked with our donors to support nonprofit organizations demonstrating excellence and effectiveness," says Community Foundation President Terri Lee Freeman. "Together, we are fulfilling some of the most critical -- and difficult -- needs across our many diverse communities. Whether it's closing the academic achievement gap dividing our young people, providing youth and adults with the skills necessary to succeed in our region's economy, or supporting programs that improve the quality of life, The Community Foundation sparks philanthropic investment in every corner of our community."
A sampling of The Foundation's recent grant awards is below. For the complete list, visit www.thecommunityfoundation.org.
Founded in 1973, The Community Foundation for the National Capital Region is one of the largest community foundations in the United States in terms of assets, grants paid, and contributions from donors. In FY07, The Foundation and its donors awarded some $91 million in grants to nonprofit organizations in the Washington, DC region and beyond.
The Community Foundation for the National Capital Region logo is available at http://www.primezone.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=3032
PARTIAL LIST OF 2007 FIRST-QUARTER GRANTS
1. Starr Foundation and Others: Emergency Social Services
Arlington Food Assistance Center : $10,000
Bread for the City: $12,000
Calvary Women's Services: $9,000
Capitol Hill Group Ministry: $8,000
Food for Others: $10,000
Gaithersburg HELP: $10,000
Miriam's Kitchen: $10,000
2. The Starbucks Memorial Fund: Violence Prevention
Ayuda: $7,500
Class Acts Arts: $7,500
DC Action for Children: $10,000
Legal Aid Society of the District of Columbia: $7,500
Safe Shores - The D.C. Children's Advocacy Center: $7,500
3. Microsoft Unlimited Potential Grants: Community-based Technology
Training
Byte Back: $20,000 cash/$29,448.00 software
Capitol Hill Computer Corner: $30,000 cash/$22,758 hardware/software
Higher Achievement Program: $42,500
Learning Independence Through Computers: $42,500
4. Community Foundation Giving: Equity, Access and Opportunity
Constitution Project: $50,000
DC Action for Children: $50,000
DC Children's Advocacy Center: $40,000
DC Alliance of Youth Advocates: $25,000
DC Employment Justice Center: $30,000
Dance Place: $25,000
District of Columbia Primary Care Association: $50,000
Jubilee Jobs: $20,000
MOSAICA: $125,000
New Leaders for new Schools: $35,000
Northeast Performing Arts Group: $30,000
ONE DC: $35,000
Tahirih Justice Center: $15,000
Young Women's Project: $25,000
Youth Action Research Group: $20,000