  Nonprofit
Resources New stimulus funds benefit Early Head Start The US Administration for Children and Families is offering funding for new grants as high as $5 million to support the enrollment of additional children and families as well as create new teaching and other positions in Early Head Start programs. The deadline for applications is July 9th. For more information, click here. back to top Komen offers grants for breast health screening, education The Philadelphia affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure offers grants for innovative projects in the areas of breast health and breast cancer education, screening, treatment, and support. The organization's grant guidelines are available here. All potential applicants must attend an RFP Briefing Webinar on July 7, 2009 at 2pm. Applications for promoting breast health, breast cancer screening, treatment, education, and support projects in the eligible counties (Camden County in New Jersey; New Castle, Kent, and Sussex counties in Delaware; and Philadelphia, Bucks, Montgomery, Berks, Chester, Lehigh, Delaware, York, and Lancaster counties in Pennsylvania) will be considered. The application deadline is September 14, 2009. back to top Ruddie Youth Foundation seeks new applicants The Ruddie Memorial Youth Foundation aims to identify and disseminate innovative and effective programs for helping underprivileged youth reach their full potential. The foundation supports programs that provide youth (birth to 25 years of age) with new opportunities for health, personal growth, and success. Organizations in the Philadelphia area are eligible to apply for the first time this year. The purpose of the foundation's Evaluation Grants program, the only grant opportunity available to first-time applicants, is to identify innovative methods that are effective. Successful grantees will be encouraged to apply to the foundation's Replication or Dissemination Grants program in order to expand the use of their creative approaches by other organizations. Evaluation grants range from $5,000 to $25,000 each. The deadline for online applications to the Evaluation Grants program is July 31, 2009. Click here for complete program information. back to top Open Meadows fund supports women and girls Open Meadows Foundation is a grant-making organization for projects that are led by and benefit women and girls. It funds projects that reflect the diversity of the community served by the project in both its leadership and organization; promote building community power; promote racial, social, economic and environmental justice; have limited financial access or have encountered obstacles in their search for funding. The maximum award available is $2,000, and grants are only made to 501(c)3 organizations with an organizational budget no larger than $150,000. For more information, click here. back to top Community Events Ambler race benefits Dolan Memorial Fund The Ambler Area Running Club will host its 10th annual Phils 5K Run on Wednesday, July 15th, beginning at 5:30pm. This year the run benefits the Kelly Anne Dolan Memorial Fund. The Kelly Anne Dolan Memorial Fund is dedicated to the uninsured needs of families caring for terminally, critically and chronically ill, seriously disabled or severely injured children through advocacy, education, information and financial assistance. The competitive but friendly run also includes a kids fun run, great camaraderie, and an unforgettable feast provided by Phils Tavern afterwards. Click here for details. back to top Trolley Car Diner supports Maternal Wellness Center From Monday, June 22nd through Sunday, June 28th, Mt. Airy’s Trolley Car Diner will donate 15% of the cost of meals to the Maternal Wellness Center, which helps women and families in their transition to parenthood. The donations will be made from the checks of customers with a special coupon, which can be downloaded here, and is applicable for orders made Monday – Friday from 7am to 9pm and Sunday from 3-9pm. For more information, call 215-879-8159. back to top Issue
Alerts Advocates push Specter to support public option A central point in the debate on health care reform is whether the creation of a public health insurance plan will help reduce health care costs and assure that all Americans have affordable health insurance coverage. The Pennsylvania Health Access Network is calling on US Sen. Arlen Specter to support President Obama’s call for any new health reform legislation to include a public plan. The group argues that a public insurance option will provide a greater range of choices to consumers and make the health care market more competitive. It also notes that the Obama proposal assures that a public plan would cover pre-existing conditions, allow people to choose their own doctors, and allow people to keep their current insurance if they choose. The advocates also believes that without a public plan to compete with the insurance companies health costs will continue out of control and too many Americans will be priced out of coverage. For more information, call 215-557-0822. To ask Sen. Specter to support a public option in health care, call 202-224-4254. back to top City issues draft of new park goals The Commissioner of Philadelphia’s new Department of Parks and Recreation, Michael DiBerardinis, has released a draft statement of the vision, mission and goals of the new agency for public comment. The draft reflects the input of more than 700 community partners and staff who have worked on the document since early May and have shared feedback reflective of their concerns and aspirations. Over the summer, Commissioner DiBerardinis and senior staff will be visiting neighborhoods to continue an open dialogue as the merger process of the Department of Parks and Recreation moves ahead. To download a copy of the draft document, click here. back to top Report predicts dire results without health reform A new Robert Wood Johnson Foundation report projects that—if federal reform efforts are not enacted—within 10 years the cost of health care for businesses could double, and the number of uninsured Americans could reach 65.7 million—with middle-income families hardest hit. Researchers from the Urban Institute prepared the analysis using the Institute's Health Insurance Policy Simulation Model, estimating how coverage and cost trends would change between now and 2019. The study examined three alternative scenarios: -- Worst case—slow growth in incomes and continuing high growth rates for health care costs; -- Intermediate case—somewhat faster growth in incomes, but a lower growth rate for health care costs; -- Best case—full employment, faster income growth and even slower growth in health care costs. Under any economic scenario, the analysis shows a tremendous strain on business owners and their employees over the next decade if reform is not enacted. There would be a dramatic decline in the percentage of people insured through their employers, and millions more would become uninsured. There would be large growth in public programs, and major increases in health care spending and levels of uncompensated care. While all income levels would be affected, middle-class working families would be hardest hit. Using national survey and other economic data, the Urban model examines three scenarios that each assume varying levels of income growth and increases in health care costs. The report shows that if health care reform is not enacted: -- Individuals and families would see health care costs dramatically increase. -- Businesses could see their health care costs double within 10 years. -- Spending on government insurance programs could double. -- Millions more people would be uninsured. -- The amount of uncompensated care in the health system would increase. The report makes clear that the biggest effects of not having health reform would be felt by families with moderate incomes, who have less access to public coverage. Under the model, the number of middle-income earners without insurance would increase sharply from 12.5 million in 2009 to as many as 18.2 million in 2019. (Copyright 2009 The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation). back to top Bill supports positive behavior programs in schools Illinois congressman Phil Hare has re-introduced the Positive Behavior for Safe and Effective Schools Act (H.R. 2597) in Washington. The legislation is designed to encourage the use of school-wide positive behavior support (PBS) to help improve school climate and foster students’ academic and social success. School-wide PBS reinforces desired behavior and eliminates inadvertent reinforcement of problem behavior. It has been shown to improve instructional time, reduce disciplinary problems and increase test scores. United Way of Southeastern Pennsylvania, the School District of Philadelphia, the Devereux Foundation, Arcadia University and other organizations are initiating a PBS project in Philadelphia public schools next fall. Hare’s legislation will provide flexibility for use of Title I funds so state agencies may provide technical assistance and support the implementation of PBS. It will also amend the Safe & Drug Free Schools and Communities Program to emphasize initiatives that improve the whole school climate in order to foster learning, authorizes local education agencies to use funds for school-wide programs as a way to promote a school environment that is safe and conducive to learning, and offers instructional leadership skills to help teachers administer PBS and enhance their understanding of the social and emotional learning of children to improve the learning climate. The legislation also establishes a new office in the Department of Education to help coordinate and administer assistance to mental health and related services professionals who work with students on PBS and other evidence-based approaches to help improve their academic and behavioral outcomes. The bill has been assigned for consideration to the House Education and Labor Committee. A related bill, introduced by Reps. Grace Napolitano of California and Tim Murphy of Pennsylvania, would expand school-based mental health services for children in grades K-12. The bill revises, increases funding for, and expands the scope of the Safe Schools - Healthy Students program to provide access to more comprehensive school-based mental health services and supports. For more information, click here. back to top Employment
Opportunities Drexel University School of Public Health - Grant Writer/Program Manager, LGBT Health Program. The Program for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Health at the Drexel University School of Public Health is a newly developed program for LGBT health research, education and policy. The Program seeks to hire a full-time grant writer/program manager to assist with the Program’s grant writing activities and manage day-to-day Program activities. The primary responsibilities of the grant writer/program manager include writing new grant proposals, writing renewal proposals to current funders, preparing annual reports, and researching new sources of foundation and government support for research and other program activities. In addition, the grant writer/program manager will coordinate the program’s day-to-day activities including, but limited to: arranging meetings with program faculty, organizing the program seminar series, preparing monthly reports of activities and challenges, correspondence, and working with the SPH’s webmaster to ensure that the program’s website is updated. For more information, email Dr. Randall Sell. back to top Sustainable Communities West - Manager, Education Programs. SCI-West is an alliance of the Local Initiatives Support Corporation and four West Philadelphia community organizations - The Partnership CDC, The People’s Emergency Center CDC, the University City District, and The Enterprise Center CDC. SCI-West seeks to improve communities in West Philadelphia by making them healthier, more competitive, and better connected with the economic mainstream through investments in physical development and social services. The Enterprise Center CDC is seeking an Education Programs Manager to lead SCI-West’s efforts to build partnerships between community development corporations and public schools in SCI-West’s target area in West Philadelphia. This is a dynamic new pilot initiative that will grant the Education Programs Manager substantial opportunity to think creatively about how community development corporations can leverage their existing strengths in housing, community organizing, and economic development and use them to improve public education. Interested candidates should read the full job description and application instructions, available here. Applications are due by July 6th. back to top
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United Way
launches new website to boost area volunteerism
In an effort to advance the
common good and strengthen nonprofits throughout the region, United Way
of Southeastern Pennsylvania has launched a new website that connects
volunteers to hundreds of volunteer opportunities throughout the
region. Created through a partnership with VolunteerMatch, a nonprofit dedicated to making it easier for anyone to find a rewarding way to volunteer, United Way’s new site gives users the ability to search through local and national volunteer listings to find an opportunity based on their individual interests and community. Found at www.LIVEUNITEDsepa.org/volunteer, United Way’s website pulls from VolunteerMatch’s network of over 53,000 nonprofit volunteer organizations. According to the Corporation for National and Community Service, Pennsylvania’s volunteer rate is ranked 39th with an average volunteer rate of 25.1 percent. This ranking indicates a marked decrease in volunteering  over
previous years. The CNCS also shows that the ability of communities to
keep volunteers engaged year after year is strongly related to the
overall volunteer rate. As with paid employment, a poor fit between a
volunteer and a nonprofit increases the probability that a volunteer
will not be retained. For nonprofits that depend on volunteers, turnover results in the need to incur substantial additional costs associated with recruiting, orienting, and managing new volunteers. On average nationally, one out of three volunteers (64.3%) dropped out of volunteering after one year of service. Philadelphia has a volunteer retention rate of 65.5%.With a tool such as United Way’s linking volunteers to an opportunity that’s right for them, the organization hopes to see that rate go up. “The donation of time and talent through volunteerism is a valuable resource for nonprofits in our region,” said Jill Michal, President and CEO of United Way of Southeastern Pennsylvania. “By making it easier for the people who want to volunteer to connect with the agencies that need them most, the entire community benefits.” In addition to the thousands of volunteer opportunities available through VolunteerMatch, the new site will also feature local initiatives and organizations supported by United Way. back to top Back On My Feet celebrates birthday, expansion Back on My Feet, the nonprofit that uses running to promote the self-sufficiency of homeless people in Philadelphia and Baltimore, kicked off its annual two-week birthday campaign on Friday, June 19th. This year, more than 60 companies totaling more than 12,000 employees joined the celebration by participating in Back on My Feet’s “Wear Your Sneakers to Work” Day. The group, which has developed chapters in Philadelphia and Baltimore, also announced that it will soon expand to Washington DC. “We wanted to come up with a way to involve our corporate partners in our birthday celebration in a way that was sensitive to the unstable economy,” said Anne Mahlum, BOMF Founder and President. “Sn  eaker Day allows
for a lot of people to give a little as the cost for employees to wear
Sneakers for $5.”Companies such as Accenture, The Beneficial Bank, PricewaterhouseCoopers, Pepper Hamilton and Blank Rome are among those that participated in the event. Back on My Feet has more than 170 members in its program in the past 24 months, including 94 members that have completed a competitive race, 15 members that have completed a half-marathon, and 5 members have completed a full-marathon. The organization has also helped 31 members to obtain housing, and 44 members have secured jobs while 29 others have enrolled in job training programs or schooling. For more information, click here. back to top Intensive mentor recruitment training offered MEE Productions will present a two-session marketing and recruitment workshop for volunteer mentors, Effectively Promoting Mentoring: A Communications Framework, on July 10th and September 11th. The workshops will be held at United Way of Southeastern Pennsylvania, 7 Benjamin Franklin Parkway in Philadelphia from 9:30am to 3pm each day. The seminars are designed for staff responsible for marketing and recruitment of mentors. Participants are expected to attend both sessions. In the workshops, participants will Identify and develop appropriate communication messages and innovative strategies for urban audiences, with a focus on men of color; increase their awareness of the latest cultural, behavioral, and communication trends related to mentoring among urban audiences; and review techniques for developing effective communications strategies within the context of an oral-based culture. To register online, click here. For more information, call Bernice Bradley at 215-665-2623. back to top  Obama unveils summer
service campaign
President Obama has asked
Americans to volunteer during the summer to help the country make
progress in areas like clean energy, education, and health care
— and referred them to a government Web site that has allied
with All for Good,
a new online volunteer-recruiting tool designed by technology and
nonprofit representatives.“Economic recovery is as much about what you’re doing in your communities as what we’re doing in Washington — and it’s going to take all of us, working together,” the president says in an online video, announcing a campaign called United We Serve that will run from June 22nd to September 11th. Obama urged people to register or find volunteer activities on Serve.gov, a website operated by the Corporation for National and Community Service. back to top N. Philly church sponsors job fair The Young Adult Ministry of Deliverance Evangelistic Church is hosting a job fair on Tuesday, June 23rd from 10am - 2 pm in the church's Fellowship Hall, 21st St. and Lehigh Avenue in North Philadelphia. The fair is open to the public, and attendees are encouraged to bring copies of their resumes and dress professionally. Companies in attendance include Metropolitan Career Center, Save-A-Lot, Prudential Life Insurance, The Philadelphia School District, Contemporary Staffing Solutions, PA CareerLink, and others. For more information, email Dionne Williams. back to top Audio seminar discusses stimulus support for homeless youth While cities have struggled for years to eradicate homelessness, finding stable home environments for homeless youth is quickly becoming a higher priority. By developing youth-centered strategies, cities hope to be successful at helping youth get back on track to a healthy lifestyle, and at the same time curb chronic adult homelessness. Recent investments made through the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act (ARRA) hold the opportunity for cities to do more in this regard. In partnership with the National Alliance to End Homelessness, the National League of Cities is sponsoring an audioconference that will provide an overview of current federal resources and also provide a snapshot of some promising practices of city lea  dership.
The call will take place on Wednesday, June 24th at 3pm.
Topics to be discussed include new funding designed for homeless youth
within ARRA and the Homeless Prevention and Rapid Re-housing Program,
local youth-centered strategies for emergency services and both short
and long-term housing, and examples of cross-system collaboration in
meeting the needs of homeless youth.The National Alliance to End Homelessness has also published a brief with information on new funding benefiting homeless youth in ARRA, HPRP action steps for local organizations serving homeless youth, ideas and model programs on re-housing and prevention for homeless youth, establishing a framework for youth homelessness prevention and re-housing, and other federal appropriations benefiting homeless youth. The 20-page document is available here. To register for this free call, email complete contact information here. Advance registration is required by close of business on Monday, June 22nd. back to top Senior center fan program needs volunteers Last June, 15 Philadelphians had died from the heat by the end of June. While this year’s weather has been cooler, there will inevitably be many hot days before the summer is over. The Philadelphia Senior Center offers a simple solution that helps older people stay cool and stay healthy on days of extreme heat. PSC is looking for help distributing fans during the summer season to keep older adults safe and comfortable during hot weather. Fan Fairs are scheduled during heat emergencies, and there is sometimes only 24 hours notice to get one scheduled. Consider volunteering to help others beat the heat. To be added to the volunteer list, call Helen Sunga at (215) 546-3983. back to top Breakthrough Philadelphia holds visitor’s days Breakthrough of Greater Philadelphia is a six-year academic program that builds a path from middle school to college for low-income students from Philadelphia’s public schools. Breakthrough also inspires talented high school and college students to become educators and engaged citizens by giving them responsibility for teaching in the program. Breakthrough’s students, teachers, staff and board members welcome visitors during the month of July  to see its
six-week academic summer program in action. Discover Breakthrough 2009
Visitors Days provide an opportunity to meet the
remarkable 7th and 8th grade students who are aiming for
college with the help of Breakthrough’s intensive academic
support program, and to meet the teachers -- college students headed
for careers in teaching who gain experience, mentoring, and confidence
as Breakthrough summer teachers.This year’s Visitors Days will take place from 9:30-10:30am on Wednesday, July 8th at Germantown Friends School, July 15th at St. Joseph’s University, and July 22nd at Grover Washington Middle School. For details and to register, email Jeanean Mohr or call 215-951-2398. back to top Scribe sets workshop on planning a low-budget documentary Scribe Video Project is sponsoring an intensive workshop designed for people who want to work in small-format video (DV, miniDV and HDV). The workshop will focus on how to creatively develop and break down an idea for a video project into a one-page treatment and introduce materials to create project production schedules  and a sample budget. This
is the ideal workshop for first-time videomakers at the start of their
projects.Instructor Deborah Rudman is Media Coordinator for DUTV-Cable 54, an educational cable channel dedicated to providing a diverse cultural programming. She is also Co-director of the Termite TV Collective, a collaborative for experimental and activist media. The workshop costs $85 and will be held each Monday from 7-9pm from July 13th to August 10th. To register, call 215-222-4201. back to top Student group helps Philadelphians with jobs, housing, education National Student Partnerships is an organization dedicated to combating poverty in our nation's communities by engaging college students in this effort. Talented student advocates work side-by-side with low-income community members to address immediate needs and chart a sustainable path out of poverty. In Philadelphia, the group has two offices where it helps residents who are looking for jobs, housing, and education and job training opportunities in and around the city. In West Philadelphia, the office is located at 203 S. 60th Street, 215-474-1807, and in North Philadelphia, it is located at 1231 N. Broad Street, 4th Floor, 215-765-3430. Both offices are open Monday - Friday, from 9am to 5pm. For more information, email Shawn Benham, back to top Workshop focuses on housing barriers for domestic violence victims The Public Private Task Force workshop series on homelessness, facilitated by People’s Emergency Center, will feature a discussion on Barriers to Housing for Victims of Domestic Violence on Tuesday, June 30th from 10am to 12 noon at the People’s Emergency Center, 325 N. 39th St. in Philadelphia. Domestic violence has a far reaching negative impact beyond physical and mental abuse. Many victims of domestic violence have trouble finding and maintaining stable housing as well as applying for and staying on welfare assistance. Rachel Garland, Esq., attorney at Community Legal Services, will provide valuable information about the legality surrounding the victims’ rights to housing, and Kristen Dama, Esq., will explain welfare benefits and the protections in place to help victims apply for and keep their welfare benefits. To register, email here and provide your name, job title, organization, and email address. back to top Rape survivor screens new documentary Produced and Directed over a period of eleven years by Aishah Shahidah Simmons, an incest and rape survivor, NO! The Rape Documentary features riveting testimonials from black women who have survived rape. In the documentary, violence prevention advocates, theologians, sociologists, historians, anthropologists, and other leading scholars and human rights activists provide an interdisciplinary context within which to examine sexual violence in African-American communities. They also explore how rape is used as a weapon of homophobia. The documentary will be screened on Thursday, June 25th at 6:30pm at The Colours Organization, 121 North Broad Street on the 11th Floor. For more information, call 267-255-5057 or email here. back to top Workshop for women starting business offered The Women’s Business Development Center will hold a free Orientation and Business Assessment Workshop on Wednesday, July 8th from 6-730pm at 1315 Walnut Street, Suite 1124. This workshop is designed for women interested in starting or growing a business. Participants will complete a business development survey tool, discuss their business needs, learn about WBDC resources, and meet other women business owners. For further information, call 215-790-9232. Pre-registration is required. back to top Villanova volunteers looking for September service sites Volunteers from Villanova University are looking for service sites for student and faculty volunteers for a day of service on Saturday, September 19th. The volunteers with work with agencies to spruce up building by doing painting, maintenance, gardening and other similar chores. They will bring supplies, as well as lunch for themselves and for community volunteers. If you are interested in finding out how to become a service site, email Father Joseph Mostardi, Director of Service & Justice Education, or call 610-519-4082. back to top |
