How Many Students Really Graduate From High School? (WAMU): “Now, for the first time, the federal government is requiring states to follow a standardized method. As a result, DC’s public school graduation rate could drop by about 20 percent under the new calculation, according to the office of the state superintendent [...] The new method, called the adjusted graduation cohort rate, requires states to follow every individual child from the ninth grade on until he or she walks across the stage to receive that diploma. It takes into account students who change schools and get held back.” A new State Longitudinal Education Database will track each DCPS student from kindergarten through 12th grade through a special identification number. Could a more accurate picture of graduation rates be a critical step towards improving them?

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Applications are now open for the 2012/2013 Catalogue for Philanthropy and due on February 13 at midnight. So let’s talk details:

Who is eligible? We try to keep the process as open as possible to a wide range of nonprofits. You just need to be a 501(c)3 organization, operating in the Washington region, with a budget below $3 million. That’s about it. And if you were featured in the 2008/2009 print Catalogue and earlier, you can apply for it again this year.
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Montgomery tries to spur affordable housing (Washington Post): “Over the next few months, county planning and housing officials will propose broad policy changes intended to improve the local housing market [...] Yet the county, which has seen year after year of budget shortfalls, also must deal with less funding. The housing department budget for the current fiscal year is 50 percent of what it was two years ago [...] The shift in county demographics, as well as the nationwide foreclosure crisis a few years ago, has led to increased demand for affordable housing, county officials said.” You can learn more about CFP nonprofits focused on housing and homelessness in Maryland right here.

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I tend to be a bit skeptical of New Year’s resolutions, since (for no other reason) the first day of the second month of winter feels like an odd time to restart engines or rethink strategies. Moreover, for many arts nonprofits, the new “year” actually starts in August or September. That said, rather than a time for a restart, maybe this is a good time just to pause, ponder, and reconsider. Which was the theme of many of these resolutions, compiled by the Chronicle of Philanthropy. Here are three that jumped out to me:

Stop referring to our industry by what we don?t do. Not-for-profit is a tax status, not an operating model. We are social-benefit organizations that produce significant value.

– Howard Kucher, executive director, the Evergreen Project

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An ambitious New Year’s resolution! “Renewing America’s Promise: Fired Up for Philanthropy and Democracy in 2012″ by Maxim Thorne in NYE’s Huffington Post:

I am not the first to draw the comparison of [Ben] Franklin and Prometheus. Philosopher Immanuel Kant called Franklin the “new Prometheus.” This is important. I believe Franklin offers us a role model for American philanthropy and for being a philanthropist. He uniquely, self-consciously and purposefully built his life around a distinctive American version of private assumption of public responsibilities which is the essence of the Classical Greek “philanthropic and democratic” ideal of society. Even John Adams, his political rival, had to admit that “there was scarcely a peasant or citizen” who “did not consider him as a friend of humankind.” Who can wear that moniker today? [...]

In the New Year, let’s get “fired up” and get some fire for and about the public good — and be “unperplexed and unbiased” by self interest. [...]

Our American Founding is about philanthropy in action.

Still deciding about year-end giving? First, check out our “How To Give” section:

- You can donate easily to any CFP nonprofit or the Catalogue itself online. You can browse through the five nonprofit categories here and donate directly from any nonprofit’s page as you go.

- Just as easily, you can download a Giving Form here, make a list of charities and contribution amounts, and send one check to us. We’ll handle the rest!

Second, a good way to learn what your donation will mean to a particular nonprofit is to check out the Wish List:

- At Montgomery Countryside Alliance, $100 covers two Agricultural Reserve tours for elected officials and $500 covers 1 year of action alert emails.

- For Educacion Para Nuestro Futuro, $500 buys 10 textbooks for children learning English and $1000 provides a university field trip for 10 college-bound students and their parents.

- Or for Partner for Surgery, $100 buys transportation and care for two patients post-surgery and $500 covers pre-surgical nutrition support for children with cleft palates.

In other words, gifts of all sizes can make a major difference for these high-impact nonprofits. So consider spending a part of New Year’s Eve day getting to know all of them and helping them better our communities. They are amazingly good at it!

Regional jobless rates fall in November (Washington Post): “Steady private sector growth drove down the unemployment rates in the District, Maryland, and Virginia for the second consecutive month in November, according to a US Labor Department report released Tuesday. The data showed that the District’s unemployment rate dropped to 10.6 from 11 percent the month before, fueled mainly by gains in the professional and business services sector and in education and health.” Virginia’s jobless level fell 0.2 percent (from 6.4 to 6.2), while Maryland’s dropped 0.3 percent (from 7.2 to 6.9).

Leadership needed to extend DC school day (Greater Greater Washington): “Both the Washington Teachers’ Union and DC Council agree that DCPS should likewise increase teachers’ time on task, but no one is showing needed leadership to make it happen [...] The innovation that is perhaps most common in successful charter schools, according to a new research study, is an extended school day. On a comprehensive ranking of public charter schools by educational outcomes released by the DC Charter School Board, all of the top performing charter middle schools have school days longer than the 6.5 hour DCPS school day.” Do you agree? If so, what is needed to drive such a change?

Americans Are Most Generous, Global Poll Finds (Chronicle of Philanthropy): “Americans give more to help others than the residents of 152 other countries, according to a new global survey. That’s a big change from last year, when the United States ranked No. 5. [The poll asked] people whether they had donated money to a charity, volunteered their time, or helped a stranger in the previous month.” Ireland and Australia closely followed the United States in the rankings, with the United Kingdom and New Zealand tied for fourth position.

Little known about DC’s young homeless, except that numbers are growing (Washington Post): “Though relatively little else is known about them, the number of homeless youths in the District has jumped, according to numbers released Tuesday by the National Center of Family Homelessness [...] In 2010, 4,309 children were found to be without stable housing in a city where 27% of households pay more than 50% of their income for rent.” According to the State Report Card on Child Homelessness, “Virginia and Maryland ranked 18th and 22nd for risk for homelessness;” and the DC Alliance of Youth Advocates finds that a growing number of homeless individuals are also parents under the age of 24.

Foundation Funding for Hispanics/Latinos (Philanthropy News Digest: PhilanTopic): “Our colleagues here in the Research Department have just released a new report that examines foundation giving to Hispanics in the U.S. and for Latin America over the last decade [...] Foundation Funding for Hispanics/Latinos in the United States and for Latin America found that over the past decade, U.S. foundation giving intended to benefit Latinos remained steady at about 1% of total foundation giving, even as the Latino population in the US grew significantly.” The report, which gave particular focus to the 2007-2009 period, also found that the greater Los Angeles area received the largest share of both grant dollars (17%) and grants (13%) of any US metropolitan area in that time.

Theaters’ Fiscal Outlook Improves Slightly (Chronicle of Philanthropy): “The latest round of an annual survey of nonprofit theaters’ finances offers some optimism [...] Theater Facts 2010, compiled by grant-making and advocacy outfit the Theater Communications Group, found total assets, including box office, gifts, and endowment earnings, exceeded expenses last year for the 113 organizations that have participated in the study for each of the last five years.” TCG head Teresa Eyring points out that rising attendance, at readings and workshops as well as full productions, also “bodes well for the health of theater overall.”

Ever wondered about your 501(c)3 IQ? Test your knowledge of all things nonprofit with this quiz from the Wall Street Journal. A few good sample questions:

1. The Urban Institute says volunteering can be just as important as cash or goods for many nonprofits. What percentage of American adults volunteered for or through an organization in 2010?

A. 5%
B. 14%
C. 26%
D. 32%

17. Which community foundation gave away more than $183 million in 2009, making it the largest community foundation that year in terms of giving?

A. New York Community Trust
B. Silicon Valley Community Foundation
C. Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta
D. Greater Kansas City Community Foundation

21. Charities, of course, vary in size by both revenues and assets. But one sector was by far the largest in 2009, garnering 60% of revenues and holding 41% of assets. Which sector was that?

A. Education
B. Health
C. Arts, culture and humanities
D. Public and social benefit

(Answers: 1 – C, 17 – D, 21 – B. Take the whole quiz here. How did you do?)

Making weekend plans? Check out what’s happening at our nonprofits …

Gifts that Give Hope (Trinity Presbyterian Church, 5533 North 16th St., Arlington)

From 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM on Saturday, a dozen nonprofits will provide a unique, stress-free holiday shopping experience. Looking for a good holiday gift? Consider making a contribution in honor of a family member of friend. Half of the participating nonprofits hail from CFP network: Arlingtonians Meeting Emergency Needs, A-SPAN (Arlington Street People’s Assistance Network), Borromeo Housing, Inc., Doorways For Women and Families, Homeless Children’s Playtime Project, and Just Neighbors.

Anacostia Watershed Society (Bladen Woods Condos, 5208 Newton Street, Bladensburg, MD)

Join a neighborhood clean-up near the Quincy Run tributary on Saturday at 8:00 AM; all supplies and instructions will be provided on site!
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