The Weinberg Foundation has a lot of news to share! We hope you will take a few minutes to read our latest e-news. Also, we invite you to like the Weinberg Foundation on Facebook and follow us on Twitter!

You are invited to the Weinberg Foundation’s Annual Community Gathering!

We hope you have received your invitation for this year’s Annual Community Gathering—a celebration of the Foundation’s work during the past year as well as its wonderful grantees and partners. Mr. Spencer Kympton, President, The Mission Continues, will be this year’s featured speaker.

This year’s event will be held on Wednesday, November 16:

• 4:30-6:30 p.m.
• Beth El Congregation
• 8101 Park Heights Avenue, Pikesville, Maryland

If you are not already aware of the work of Mission Continues (“empowering veterans to keep serving and succeeding”), or Spencer’s story—including eight years of military service, an MBA from Harvard Business School, and a stint with Teach For America—please click here. Mr. Kympton’s message will be especially meaningful as the Foundation also celebrates the first year of its new area of giving, serving military members and their families.

The Weinberg Foundation is always excited to share news of its Annual Community Gathering with as many friends and supporters as possible. But if you have received an invitation by mail, and if you do not live or work in the Baltimore area, please do not feel compelled to travel for this event. We will miss you, but we do not want people unnecessarily driving long distances.

RSVP to Yvonne Sporrer at ysporrer@hjweinberg.org or by calling 443-738-1185. We look forward to seeing you on Wednesday, November 16 for what promises to be another extraordinary celebration.

Summer Funding Collaborative grantees serve more than 3,700 Baltimore City Public Schools students

This summer, the Weinberg Foundation invested $770,000 in 29 nonprofits as part of the $3 million Summer Funding Collaborative. The initiative supports high-quality summer programs that serve low-income Baltimore City youth.

Programs funded served more than 3,700 students, pre-kindergarten through grade 12, and focused on literacy; science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM); youth employment; college and career readiness; environmental education; health and overcoming stress and trauma; and enrichment such as sports and the arts.

The Funding Collaborative includes ten of Baltimore’s largest charitable funders: the Abell Foundation, the Annie E. Casey Foundation, The Associated: Jewish Community Federation of Baltimore, Clayton Baker Trust, Family League of Baltimore, France-Merrick Foundation, The Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation, Joseph and Harvey Meyerhoff Family Charitable Funds, Lockhart Vaughan Foundation, and The Morton K. and Jane Blaustein Foundation.

We received so many wonderful stories, photos, and videos highlighting the positive impact of these summer programs. Unfortunately, it is not possible to showcase them all here. So instead, please enjoy this example, and click here to see many more.

Student Spotlight
Jacob, a nine-year-old Digital Harbor Foundation inventor, discovered 3D printing at the 2015 summer camp. He then enrolled in the school year camp and took his toy manufacturing projects all the way to the White House Science Fair where we blew bubbles with President Obama and germinated the idea for the White House Kids Science Advisory. This summer, Jacob signed on as a teaching assistant for the Mini Makers program. In his official staff role, Jacob helps youth design their projects and navigate the 3D printing software.

Nearly 600 students participate in annual SummerREADS program

Now in its third year, SummerREADS is a drop-in literacy program that combines reading activities, free meals, and hands-on workshops for students across Baltimore City. Beginning in June, nearly 600 students, a 10 percent attendance increase from last summer, enjoyed six weeks of workshops. Local partners included ACTS Alliance, Art with a Heart, Aquarium on Wheels, Blue Water Baltimore, Code in the Schools, Creativity First, FutureMakers, The Maryland Zoo, Port Discovery, and Young Audiences.

Ten of the libraries already renovated as part of the Baltimore Elementary and Middle School Library Project were alive and active with this summer’s Olympic games theme. In addition to exploring books, students were introduced to a variety of subjects, from jazz to deforestation, through presentations and hands-on activities.

The goal of SummerREADS is to provide students with safe and welcoming spaces, in which they are able to continue developing their reading skills during the summer months. The renovated libraries are air-conditioned, wireless, and filled with learning technologies. Research confirms that reading on grade level is an important indicator for future academic and life success. Students from kindergarten through grade three are especially susceptible to “Summer Slide”—learning loss over the summer months—and spend much of the following school year trying to recover lost reading skills.

Thanks to our incredible partners—the Abell Foundation, Baltimore City Public Schools, and Maryland Out of School Time Network (MOST).

Get to Know the Weinberg Foundation

This at-a-glance overview provides everything you need to know about the Foundation in just over 20 pages! For example, in addition to responding to hundreds of nonprofit grant requests each year, did you know that the Foundation has provided more than $65 million in proactive grantmaking? These grants address some of the most critical challenges facing our communities by supporting best practices and promoting change through collaboration and collective impact.                                                      

Please click here to Get to Know the Foundation.

More than $2 million in additional new grants announced

Basic Human Needs & Health

The Foundation supports organizations that meet the basic needs of individuals, families, and communities. These include programs in the areas of homeless services, economic assistance, food security, and health.

Health Care for the Homeless
Baltimore, MD
$400,000 program grant over two years ($200,000 per year) to support the expansion of dental services for individuals and families who are homeless and face barriers accessing oral health care.
www.hchmd.org

Community Action Committee of the Lehigh Valley
Throughout Northeastern Pennsylvania
$225,000 capital grant to support the purchase and renovation of a warehouse that will allow the Second Harvest Food Bank to operate in one central location.
www.caclv.org

Wright Center Medical Group
Scranton, PA
$135,000 capital grant to support the construction of an oral health clinic that will provide low-cost dental care, with an expectation of more than doubling the number of patients served from 1,200 to 2,500 in the first year of operation.
www.thewrightcenter.org 

AHC Greater Baltimore
Baltimore, MD
$60,000 Maryland Small Grant over two years ($30,000 per year) to support an asset-building program that works to move residents of affordable housing complexes from financial crisis into financial stability.
www.ahcinc.org

Disabilities

The Foundation supports organizations that respect and promote the independence, integration, and individual choice of children and adults with intellectual, physical, and sensory disabilities as necessary preconditions for a good life.

Way Station
Frederick, MD
$400,000 capital grant to support the renovation of nine one-bedroom apartments that will provide permanent, supportive, and affordable housing for individuals with mental illness.
www.waystationinc.org

Nitzan – The Israeli Association for the Advancement of Children with Learning Disabilities
Tel Aviv, Israel
$200,000 program grant over two years ($100,000 per year) to support a job training and placement program for unemployed or underemployed adults, ages 21 to 45, with learning disabilities, including ADHD and dyslexia.
www.nitzan-israel.org.il

Education

US - The Foundation supports organizations that ensure children are ready for kindergarten; achieve grade-level academic performance in reading, math, and science; and graduate from high school prepared for college and the workplace. This portfolio includes an emphasis on early childhood development, STEM (Sciences, Technology, Engineering, and Math) literacy, out-of-school time, and child and family safety.

Israel - The Foundation supports primarily capital projects in early education and for youth at-risk including early childhood centers, shelters for women and their children who are escaping intimate partner violence, and youth villages for youth at-risk without family support.

Fund for Educational Excellence
Baltimore, MD
$125,000 program grant to support two Maryland Out of School Time Network (MOST) programs: BmoreSTEM, which provides nonprofits and educators with the tools and training to implement STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) out-of-school time opportunities and SummerREADS, which provides daily literacy activities, book check-out, and meals for students at libraries renovated as part of the Baltimore Elementary and Middle School Library Project.
http://www.ffee.org/

Hodayot Youth Village
Lower Galilee, Israel
$125,000 capital grant to support the renovation of two dormitories that house 40 at-risk youth, grades 7 to 12, at this youth village and school that offers a police studies curriculum, as well as life science and agriculture, as part of a national program in partnership with the Ministry of Education and the Naor Foundation.

Ayanot Youth Village
Ness Ziona, Israel
$113,000 capital grant to support the renovation of a dormitory that houses 37 at-risk youth, grades 10 to 12, as part of a national program in partnership with the Ministry of Education and the Naor Foundation.
www.ayanot.org.il

Boys’ School of St. Paul
Baltimore, MD
$100,000 operating grant to support the general operations of Bridges, a year-round out-of-school time program that provides academic support, enrichment, and mentoring for students, grade four through college.
www.stpaulsschool.org

Higher Achievement Program
Baltimore, MD
$100,000 operating grant to support the general operations of this organization that works with middle school students to improve their grades, test scores, and attendance and prepares them for placement in top high schools and colleges.
www.higherachievement.org

First Generation College Bound
Prince George’s County, MD
$60,000 Maryland Small Grant over two years ($30,000 per year) to support the College Access Program, which provides guidance and preparation for high school students who are navigating the college admissions process.
www.fgcb.org

Baltimore Curriculum Project
Baltimore, MD
$50,000 Maryland Small Grant to support Wolfe Street Academy’s after-school program that provides academic tutoring, STEM programming, and enrichment activities for elementary school students.
www.baltimorecp.org

Code in the Schools
Baltimore, MD
$35,000 Maryland Small Grant to support the general operations of this organization that provides out-of-school time, computer science education for youth and professional development for teachers and librarians.
www.codeintheschools.org

Family Crisis Resource Center
Cumberland, MD
$30,000 Maryland Small Grant over two years ($15,000 per year) to support the general operations of this organization that provides shelter, counseling, and legal services for adults and children who are escaping intimate partner violence or recovering from trauma, including rape, sexual assault, sexual abuse, child abuse, and stalking.
www.familycrisisresourcecenter.org

Village Learning Place
Baltimore, MD
$30,000 Maryland Small Grant over two years ($15,000 per year) to support Let’s Invest in Neighborhood Kids (LINK), an after-school program that provides academic instruction and enrichment activities for students, pre-kindergarten and up, performing below grade level.
www.villagelearningplace.org

Older Adults

The Foundation supports organizations that help low-income and vulnerable older adults to age in their communities with independence and dignity. This is the largest single area of grantmaking by The Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation.

Robison Jewish Home
Portland, OR
$500,000 capital grant to support the construction of the Harold Schnitzer Health and Rehab Care Center, a 48-bed skilled nursing facility operated under the Green House© model that emphasizes a more home-like living environment.
www.cedarsinaipark.org 

Washington County Nursing Home
Akron, CO
$350,000 capital grant to support the replacement of this nursing home with four Green House residences, containing a total of 40 beds, that emphasize a more individualized, home-like living environment.

National Center for Healthy Housing
Columbia, MD
$330,000 program grant over two years ($165,000 per year) to support Aging Gracefully, a program that works to improve the quality of life for older adults by replicating the Johns Hopkins School of Nursing’s CAPABLE (Community Aging in Place) model.
www.nchh.org

Cathedral Square Corporation
South Burlington, VT
$300,000 capital grant to support the construction of 30 independent-living apartments that will incorporate the Support and Services at Home (SASH) model, enabling older adults to age independently and remain within their community.
www.cathedralsquare.org

Aging Care Connections
La Grange, IL
$150,000 program grant to support the Ambulatory Integration of the Medical and Social (AIMS) model that works to improve health outcomes for older adults by integrating social workers into primary care settings.
www.agingcareconnections.org

Workforce Development

The Foundation supports organizations that are committed to helping people help themselves by obtaining and retaining employment, preferably on a career track. Grants are directed to organizations that provide job training, placement, and retention for unemployed or underemployed individuals.

Civic Works
Baltimore, MD
$250,000 program grant to support the Baltimore Center for Green Careers, a program that provides participants with certifications in Brownfields remediation (the restoration of a former industrial or commercial site where future use is affected by environmental contamination), residential energy efficiency, and solar energy installation.
www.civicworks.com

William and Lanaea C. Featherstone Foundation
Windsor Mill, MD
$10,000 program grant to support the Reaching New Heights program that prepares bilingual, underemployed Latino candidates for careers in the financial services industry.
www.thefeatherstonefoundation.org