Vol. 6, Issue 17
   April 25, 2000

Joyce Foundation Announces First Major Millenium Grant to Girls Charter School

The three-year grant to the school is the first of the Joyce Millennium Initiatives, being launched by the foundation this month. Ranging between $250,000 and $1 million, the grants are "intergenerational" — intended to "carry forward significant achievements of the twentieth century and promote bold, change-oriented initiatives" for the next century. (Proposals for Joyce Millennium Initiatives are at the invitation of foundation staff.)

"We are living in a thrilling but exceedingly challenging moment in history," said Joyce president Paula DiPerna. "The Joyce Millennium Initiatives are intended to mark this intergenerational transition, by reinforcing and strengthening landmark principles, as well as catalyzing and encouraging exceptional new efforts."

The Young Women’s Leadership Charter School, to be located on the campus of the Illinois Institute of Technology, won a charter from the Chicago Board of Education last December. Opening enrollment will include 75 sixth graders and 75 ninth graders; all city girls are eligible to apply. Funding from the Joyce Foundation will support development and testing of a science curriculum for the school as well as the work of a researcher to document the program’s efforts and share lessons about what works with other educators nationwide.

"Clearly science and technology will drive the 21st century," said DiPerna. "Yet too many American girls continue to be underrepresented in science and technology careers. This new public school, whose founding premise is exceptionally innovative, embodies the sort of new institution worthy of the early major commitment of funds visualized by this new grantmaking effort."

FCnote: The Joyce Foundation (IL) had assets of $947,071,122 and made grants totaling $30,657,581 in the fiscal year ending 12/31/98.

"Joyce Foundation Launches Millennium Initiatives to Mark Intergenerational Transition; Girls Charter School Receives First Award of $525,000 to Develop Innovative Science Curriculum." Joyce Foundation Press Release 5/1/2000.

FC003341

Colleges Report Record-Breaking Year for Private Donations

"It's been an extraordinary time," said David Morgan, vice president for research and education services at the Council for Aid to Education, which published the new figures in its annual report on giving.

According to the report, entitled Voluntary Support of Education, the biggest increase in giving to colleges — 15 percent — came from foundations, corporations, and other organizations. Giving from individuals rose more modestly, by 7.4 percent. Overall, this year's increase was smaller than those in the three preceding years. Researchers attribute the slower growth in giving to a weaker stock market performance.

"What happens in the stock market affects people's propensity to give and how much they will give," noted Morgan.

The report also tracks giving to private elementary and secondary schools. According to the Chronicle of Philanthropy, giving to such schools decreased by roughly 3 percent. However, the report's authors cautioned that the figures for private schools are based on a less representative sampling than those for higher education and may therefore be less reliable.

Lively, Kit. "U.S. Colleges Pull In $20.4 Billion in Another Record Year for Private Giving." Chronicle of Higher Education 5/1/2000.

Hall, Holly "Donations to Colleges Rise 11 Percent, but Rate of Growth Slows, Survey Finds." Chronicle of Philanthropy 5/4/2000.

New Report Finds Racial Disparities Pervasive in Juvenile Justice System

Minority youth experience more severe treatment than their white peers at every stage of the juvenile justice process, finds a comprehensive new report commissioned by the Building Blocks for Youth initiative, a national project to address unfairness in the juvenile justice system. According to the study, And Justice for Some, the harsher treatment of youth of color puts them at a "cumulative disadvantage" that has led to an over-representation of minority youth in confinement across the United States.

The report was prepared by the National Council on Crime and Delinquency (NCCD), America's oldest criminal justice think-tank, and funded by the Justice Department and the Ford, MacArthur, Rockefeller, Walter Johnson, and Annie E. Casey foundations and the Center on Crime, Communities and Culture of George Soros's Open Society Institute.

According to the new report's findings, when white youth and minority youth were charged with the same offenses, African-American youth with no prior admissions were six times more likely to be incarcerated in public facilities than white youth with the same background. Latino youth were three times more likely than white youth to be incarcerated. Minority youth were also much more likely to be waived from juvenile court to adult criminal court than white youth, even when charged with the same offenses.

"We find that this report leaves no doubt that we are faced with a very serious national civil rights issue, virtually making our system juvenile injustice," commented Hugh B. Price, president and CEO of the National Urban League.

Responding to the report at an April 25 press conference, civil rights groups and the Building Blocks for Youth initiative called for immediate action to address racial disparities in the juvenile justice system. The groups want Congress to provide the Justice Department with at least $100 million to help reduce racial disparities and require states to spend a quarter of their federal juvenile justice grants on the issue.

"Eradicating discrimination in the juvenile justice system is the next big battle for civil rights leaders, and this battle starts now," said Hiewet Senghor, national director, NAACP Youth & College Division. "We're calling on Vice President Al Gore and Texas Governor George W. Bush to make us a pledge: that if elected President, they will take concrete steps to eliminate this double-standard of justice that's devastating our communities."

A full copy of the report, And Justice for Some can be viewed here: http://www.buildingblocksforyouth.org/justiceforsome/jfs.ht ml

"New Report Reveals Sharp Racial Disparities in Nation's Juvenile Justice System." Building Blocks for Youth Press Release 4/25/2000.

See also: Butterfield, Fox. "Racial Disparities Are Pervasive in Justice System, Report Says." New York Times 4/26/2000.

FC003338

Ontario Community Foundation Gets $40 Million Stock Gift

Young's nephew is Bob Young, the founder of Red Hat, Inc., a leader in open source operating system software based in Durham, North Carolina. The NASDAQ-listed company saw its shares reach $151 in December after going public last summer. (The price of the stock has since fallen below $30.)

"While I respect Bob as a businessman, I quite honestly never thought I'd see my money again. I really just wanted to support him," said Young, who added that buying into the company was "really just exactly like buying a lottery ticket."

After Young donated her entire stake in the company to the foundation, foundation officials quickly sold the shares for between $57 and $69, nearly doubling the foundation's assets to $73 million in the process.

"We are thrilled, just thrilled," said foundation president Carolyn Milne. "Mrs. Young has basically shared all her profits with her community. Isn't this incredible?"

Mrs. Young, who had intended to keep her gift a secret, told the Post that she found the experience of making so much money so quickly "frightening [when] there are people who are hungry and others in line for cancer treatment."

Hoffman, Bill. "Reluctant Software Tycoon Stocks Up on Good Will With $40 Million Donation." New York Post 4/21/2000.

FC003325

Nike Chairman Cancels $30 Million Gift to Alma Mater

The gift from Knight, an Oregon alumnus and longtime supporter of the school, had been pledged to help fund the expansion of Autzen Stadium, a project with an expected cost of $80 million. The university's involvement with the Workers Rights Consortium, a student-backed monitoring group, upset Knight, whose sports apparel company is a member of the Fair Labor Association. In announcing the cancellation of the gift, Nike spokesman Vada Manager said, "We object to the Workers Rights Consortium because it does not provide a seat on the table for companies. Another issue is it has a 'gotcha' monitoring system, which in our minds is not a serious way to achieve the common goal that we all want to achieve, which is to eradicate sweatshop conditions."

In a recently released report, Nike was criticized by a coalition of labor, student, and human rights groups for moving much of its production in China, a country that prohibits independent unions. Students at dozens of campuses across the U.S. have recently engaged in protests and sit-ins in order to encourage their schools to join the WRC and to condemn the Fair Labor Association, which, activists claim, is dominated by corporations.

Greenhouse, Steven. "Nike's Chief Cancels a Gift Over Monitor of Sweatshops." New York Times 4/25/2000, p. A16.

FC003326

Mutual Fund Manager Offers Scholarships to United World College Graduates

In an open-ended commitment beginning this fall, Davis and his family have pledged to pay 100 percent of the demonstrated financial need for all graduates of the United World College (UWC) movement who attend either Princeton, Colby, Middlebury, Wellesley, or the College of the Atlantic. The program is designed both to give foreign students the opportunity to attend college in the U.S. and to provide American students with a more international perspective on the world. The gift follows on the heels of a $45 million donation from the Davis family in 1999 that established 100 full merit scholarships for American teenagers to attend United World colleges.

"I believe that recognizing and building on international diversity through education at an influential age is central to the possibilities for global harmony in this new millennium," said Davis in a statement to the press.

The ten United World colleges are pre-university-level schools located on five continents dedicated to promoting international understanding through education. Some 2,000 students from around the world live and study together at the schools in academic programs designed to help foster peace and cooperation. This year there are 31 UWC graduates enrolled at the five schools where the Davis scholarships will be offered. The new scholarship program is expected to increase that number significantly.

"Multi-year, Multi-million-dollar Commitment Will Fund Davis UWC Scholarships, Promote Global Understanding." United World Colleges Press Release 4/7/2000.

FC003327

Colleges Expand Public Service Offerings

Hundreds of colleges across the U.S. are re-emphasizing public service as a central part of their curriculum in an attempt to spark a sense of civic responsibility in their undergraduates. Since his arrival in 1992, Tufts' president John DiBiaggio has made several changes at the school designed to inspire students to become more involved in public service projects. DiBiaggio, who is also the chairman of Campus Compact, a national organization devoted to community service, rewrote the school's vision statement to include goals such as "an attitude of giving back" and "a desire to make the world a better place."

Course catalogs at the 670 institutions affiliated with Campus Compact include "service learning" opportunities, in which students apply academic principles to real-world problems. Many colleges are also forging partnerships with leaders in surrounding communities to work on issues such as affordable housing and pollution. And last year, 300 university presidents signed a declaration urging higher education institutions to re-examine their "public purposes and commitment to "the democratic ideal."

"It is not enough to provide a great education," noted University of Pennsylvania president Judith Rodin at a recent Yale University lecture. "It is not enough for us to produce brilliant, imaginative doctors, lawyers, scholars, and scientists who will press the envelopes of their disciplines or professions, if we do not also engage them in the larger issues of our day, in the ferment of our times and our society."

Wilgoren, Jodi. "Public Service's Profile Is Rising in Many College Curriculums." New York Times 4/24/2000.

FC003328

UC-Berkeley Establishes Internet Law and Public Policy Clinic

Law students in the new program will file friend-of-the-court briefs, write and comment on proposed legislation, and provide legal assistance to individuals and community groups filing lawsuits against corporations or government agencies. The program's areas of focus will include anti-trust, copyright, privacy, and encryption policy. The center is scheduled to open during the 2000-01 school year, following a national search for a director.

"The time to address the public's interest in this new society is now, before crucial policy decisions are made by industry and governments and the public's voice is lost," said Berkeley professor and cyberlaw expert Pamela Samuelson. With her husband Robert Glushko, a director at ecommerce services provider Commerce One, Samuelson donated $2 million to endow the clinic. The couple also has pledged $1 million to fund graduate student fellowships at UC Berkeley's School of Information Management & Systems (SIMS). Samuelson has a joint appointment at the law school and at SIMS.

The New York City-based Markle Foundation, headed by Berkeley alumna Zoe Baird, is also donating $300,000 to support the clinic. The grant is the first to be made as part of the foundation's recently announced $1.6 million commitment to support the development of legal and other graduate training programs that specialize in public interest advocacy related to the Internet and other emerging information technologies.

Other gifts to the clinic include a $300,000 donation from Mitchell Kapor, the founder of Lotus Development Corp.

Gilmore, Janet. "UC Berkeley to Announce Nation's First High-Tech Law Clinic to Provide Public Conscience for Silicon Valley, Voice for Consumers." Berkeley University Press Release 4/24/2000.

"Markle Foundation Commits $1.6 Million to Develop Public Interest Advocacy Clinics Specializing in Internet Issues." Markle Foundation Press Release 4/24/2000.

FC003329

Markle Foundation Launches Web White & Blue 2000

Charter participants in the nonprofit, non-partisan project include ABCNEWS.com, America Online, CNN's allpolitics.com, FOXNews.com, iVillage.com, Microsoft/MSN, MSNBC.com, MTV.com, NetNoir.com, npr.org (National Public Radio Online), NYTimes.com, Oxygen Media, PBS Online, USATODAY.com, washingtonpost.com, and Yahoo.com.

In addition to each site's own political coverage, Web White & Blue 2000 will offer a number of additional features, including "Rolling Cyber Debate," a section enabling campaigns to expand on their answers in televised debates.

The foundation, which is inviting participation in the project by other dot-com and dot-org entities, hopes to involve a range of academic institutions, nonrofit organizations, and public interest groups interested in how Internet technologies are being used in politics.

"Leading Internet Portals and Markle Foundation Unfurl Web White & Blue 2000; Non-Partisan Project Aims to Heighten Utilization of Online Technology During Campaign 2000." Markle Foundation Press Release 4/25/2000.

FC003330

Innovations in American Government Awards Programs Announces Semifinalists

Started in 1986, Innovations in American Government is sponsored by the Ford Foundation and administered by Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government in partnership with the Council for Excellence in Government. Selected from a pool of more than 1,300 applicants, the semifinalists include programs to improve the quality of education, reduce crime, and protect the environment.

"Government is in a period of major reform, reinvention, and innovation," said Elaine Kamarck, director of the Innovations program at the Kennedy School. "The Innovations awards program and the research it fosters provide unparalleled opportunities to understand what is actually happening at the local, state, and federal level, and to help others learn from those efforts as they try to improve government."

Ten winning programs will be chosen from a pool of finalists in October to receive $100,000 awards from the Ford Foundation. Four criteria are used to evaluate each application: originality of approach; effectiveness in addressing important problems; value of services to clients; and the potential for replication in other jurisdictions.

Since the Innovations program began in 1986, the Ford Foundation has made grants totaling $15.9 million to 135 winners and 120 finalists. More than 85 percent of the programs receiving Innovations Awards have been replicated. Operation Cease Fire, a winning program in 1997 that utilizes a preemptive approach to youth gang violence, has been partially or fully replicated by over 300 communities across the country.

Information on the semifinalists, including links to their Web sites, is available here. A searchable database of past winners is also available at the project's Web site.

"Innovative Government Programs Recognized for Exceptional Achievement; Will Contend for $1.3 Million in Ford Foundation Grants." Innovations in American Government Press Release 4/24/2000.

FC003331

Harvard Establishes Center on Role of Corporations in Education Reform

Kearns, a former CEO of the Xerox Corporation who served as deputy secretary of education in the Bush Administration, taught at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, where he remains an adviser to Dean Jerome T. Murphy.

"With the new shifts in the economy, education has become a central concern for the nation," said Murphy. "American education is undergoing enormous changes and the business community has played a key role in shaping new directions, from the introduction of school choice to the raising of educational standards. Perhaps the most significant development has been the new consensus that business leaders like David Kearns helped to forge among groups that had historically pursued the goal of improving schools separately."

Students participating in the program will be given a sense of the opportunities and risks posed by emerging partnerships among business, government, and education, as well as an opportunity to explore the new policy questions they raise. Through continuing research, the program hopes to bring a disinterested perspective to discussions that are often muddied by self-interest and ideology.

"Harvard Launches New Program on Business, Government and Education." Harvard University Gazette 4/7/2000.

FC003332

Florida School Choice Fund Benefits School Voucher Program

John Kirtley, a Tampa investor, made the initial $1.5 million gift two years ago. Since then, Kirtley has raised an additional $2 million, contributing $500,000 of his own money and attracting $1.5 million in anonymous donations to form the seed funding for the Florida School Choice Fund. The fund, which has been operating since January, awards grants to inner-city private schools seeking to expand in order to qualify for the state's school voucher program. Grants from the fund are used to bankroll classroom renovations and construction, teacher recruitment, and the purchase of books, computers, and supplies. Thus far, 35 area schools have received funding.

"Recently, opponents [of] school choice have been perpetuating the myth that there is no room for opportunity scholarship students in private schools; this proves they are wrong," Kirtley said. "Whenever you create funded demand for something, providers need time and capital to furnish supply. The response of these schools shows that if school choice is given a chance, private schools will respond with spaces."

Kleindienst, Linda. "Statewide Foundation Seeks to Help Private Schools Accommodate Voucher Students." Ft. Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel 4/20/2000.

FC003333

Study Finds No Net Change in Health Insurance Coverage for Low-Income Children

The study, Recent Trends in Children’s Health Coverage, highlights trends in the coverage of low-income children during a period of rapid change that has seen the debut of the government-funded Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP), the first significant welfare reform in a generation, and substantial increases in private insurance premiums.

"We were expecting to see some gains in public coverage for low-income children given recent expansions, but were surprised to see the decline in private insurance, which is, unfortunately, working in the opposite direction," said study author and HSC senior researcher Peter J. Cunningham, Ph.D. "Perhaps the most troubling trend is the increase in uninsurance for low-income parents who, unlike their children, do not have access to public programs."

"Latest Trends in Children's Health Insurance Coverage: No Gains for Low-Income Children, Shifts in Source of Coverage." Center for Studying Health System Change Press Release 4/24/2000.

"Study Shows Low-Income Families Losing Private Health Insurance." Associated Press 4/24/2000.

FC003334

Prudential Foundation to Support Local Nonprofit Endowments

The anniversary grants are aimed at stabilizing local agencies and will be given to fund endowments and capital projects. Prudential's charitable arm, the Prudential Foundation, made $25 million in grants last year, one third of which went to local Newark charities.

Newark nonprofits were notified of the Prudential Foundation grant program a few weeks ago and applications are being accepted until Friday, April 28. According to Nancy Burd, director of the Nonprofit Finance Fund of Greater Philadelphia and New Jersey, grants for capital projects and endowments are rarely given to local groups because giving large amounts of funding to smaller, less stable groups is often considered risky.

"Prudential Giving $20 Million to City Charities." New York Times 4/25/2000, p. B10.

FC003335

Socially Responsible Mutual Fund Presents Awards for Outstanding Corporate Programs

Cox Communications, Nextel Communications, and the Starbucks Corporation won for their community programs; Bell South, American Express, and Avon received awards for diversity; the McGraw-Hill Companies and BJ's Wholesale Clubs won in the field of Education; Liz Claiborne, Inc. received the Human Rights award; and Tellabs and Apple Computer won in the Environment category.

"All 300 companies [in the fund] pass the screens in all of these ares," said Joe Keefe, executive vice president of the fund. "But these companies are those whose efforts and innovations stood out."

The Citizens Index Fund is a passively managed mutual fund invested in the Citizens Index, which is designed to serve as the benchmark for socially responsible investing in much the same way that the S&P 500 Index is meant to reflect the large-cap market as a whole.

"Citizens Funds to Recognize Companies for Corporate Responsibility." Citizens Funds Press Release 3/29/2000.

Harris, Steven. "Good Corporate Citizens." Christian Science Monitor 4/24/2000.

FC003336

Ericsson Creates Disaster Response Program

The telecommunications company Ericsson has announced the launch of Ericsson Response, a global initiative aimed at developing an improved response to human suffering caused by disasters. The initiative formalizes Ericsson’s commitment to the issue based on its previous involvement and experience in various disaster response efforts throughout the world.

"Ericsson Response was created following consultation with international disaster relief agencies, and our own experience in disaster response efforts," said Kurt Hellström, president of Ericsson. "We recognize that in recent years, disasters have increased in severity and scope and we want to do our part, through communications aid, expertise, and our position as a global company, to support faster and coordinated approaches to disaster response efforts."

Ericsson Response includes initiatives to establish disaster preparedness programs in partnership with the United Nations Development Program (UNDP)/the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC). The company will also initiate a global issue advocacy campaign designed to increase support for disaster response as a means of driving additional corporate involvement in the issue. In addition, the project's Web site will help share model practices and provide other resources on disaster management.

"Ericsson Pledges Support for Improved Disaster Response." Ericsson Press Release 4/11/2000.

FC003337

The Foundation Center