Posted on October 4, 2010

Duke Endowment Partners With Edna McConnell Clark Foundation

The Duke Endowment in Charlotte, North Carolina, has announced that it will work with the Edna McConnell Clark Foundation and the federal government to scale effective youth programs in North and South Carolina.

EMCF was awarded $10 million by the Corporation for National and Community Service's Social Innovation Fund in July — one of eleven organizations to receive an SIF grant — to help scale ten youth organizations working in communities of need. Over the next several months, the foundation, which was required to match the SIF funding, will evaluate organizations based on their ability to connect disadvantaged youth with education and employment opportunities, avoid unwanted behaviors such as teen pregnancy and criminal activity, and help them become successful, productive, independent adults.

High-need communities in the Carolinas have been chosen by the foundation as two of its four geographic priorities. The youth organizations EMCF ultimately chooses to invest in will be required to secure matching funds, and the Duke Endowment has committed up to $5 million to help them meet that requirement.

"We believe this effort has the potential to help broaden the reach of proven programs in the Carolinas," said Duke Endowment president Gene Cochrane. "With our support, we saw an opportunity to extend grant dollars and help more young people lead successful lives."