Greetings from everyone at the Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation!
Community-specific Grants Overviews
We are excited to announce a new way of sharing information regarding the Foundation’s annual grantmaking. Community and program area-specific grants overviews will now be broken out and presented both in a hard copy mailing and on line. The Foundation just finished the first of these new presentations, an overview of major grants ($50,000+) to the Jewish community. Click here to read more (PDF). Next up...grants overviews for the State of Maryland and within the Older Adults program area.
Disabilities/State of Maryland Partnership
The Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation has partnered with the State of Maryland to increase rental housing options for persons with disabilities. The Foundation has committed a $1 million capital grant to this landmark program for the creation of new rental housing for persons with disabilities who receive either Supplemental Security Income (SSI) or Supplemental Security Disability Income (SSDI) from Social Security.  The joint venture with the Weinberg Foundation, what the State of Maryland calls the first of its kind in the nation, was facilitated by the Maryland Department of Disabilities and includes the Maryland Departments of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) and Health and Mental Hygiene. Under a Memorandum of Understanding, the Weinberg Foundation and these state departments will work together to finance affordable, quality, independent, integrated housing opportunities throughout Maryland for very low-income persons with disabilities.
Maryland’s DHCD will refer interested nonprofit owners of projects receiving DHCD funding awards to the Weinberg Foundation for consideration. The Foundation, in coordination with DHCD, will determine the number of “Weinberg Apartments” within the development, which is expected to be five to ten percent of the total units. Once the Foundation approves a property, it will transfer its funding to DHCD and the department will be responsible for closing the financing, disbursing the funds for construction, and monitoring the project for compliance with the long-term Weinberg unit requirements. The first Weinberg units are expected to be available for occupancy in late 2012.
Rents for these disabled individuals will be set at 15-30% of area median income (AMI) in contrast to the 60% of AMI rentals generally paid by non-disabled, low-income persons under other programs such as the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit program.
Recent Grants
Basic Human Needs & Health
The Foundation supports programs 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.
Spanish Catholic Center, Catholic Charities Archdiocese of Washington
Wheaton, MD
$100,000 capital grant to relocate the medical clinic from Langley Park to a 3,000 square feet space in the Cardinal McCarrick Center. The clinic opened in April 2011 and the dedication occurred on May 26, 2011. The clinic is located next to a dental suite operated by Spanish Catholic and includes eight exam rooms, a large waiting area, a lab, a pharmacy, and two exam rooms for specialty care, administrative offices, two counseling offices, and a conference room. The majority of patients are low-income, uninsured members of the Hispanic and immigrant community. Spanish Catholic Center specializes in providing linguistically and culturally appropriate care to this population. The organization estimates that it will serve 4,000 patients with 10,500 encounters in the first year and 4,200 patients with 11,000 encounters the second year after relocating. http://www.catholiccharitiesdc.org/page.aspx?pid=357
Seedco/EarnBenefits Baltimore
Baltimore, MD
$75,000 to continue supporting the EarnBenefits program in Baltimore City and County. A total of 11 community-based organizations participate in the EarnBenefits network, offering benefits screening and application assistance in addition to case management for their clients. Since its inception in late 2006 through the end of 2010, 11,939 households were screened and 9,686 were provided with application assistance. The total value of the benefits received is valued at just over $12 million. Seedco has found that there are three main barriers to benefit participation: (1) lack of knowledge of benefits and eligibility; (2) difficulty accessing benefits through existing delivery systems; and (3) negative experiences with government entities including those responsible for benefits provision. EarnBenefits is designed to break down these barriers and make the process more accessible. http://www.seedco.org/
Disabilities
The Foundation supports organizations and programs that respect and promote the independence, integration, individual choice, and civil rights of children and adults with intellectual, physical, and sensory disabilities as necessary preconditions for a good life.
Baltimore Mental Health Systems
Baltimore, MD
$82,000 grant to support training within the Baltimore City Police Department for its Behavioral Emergency Services Team (BEST). This program incorporates training into the Police Academy so that cadets can understand mental illness, substance abuse, emergency petitions, suicide prevention, family perspectives, and various de-escalation techniques for patrol officers to use when encountering a person with mental health issues. This mental health training helps officers to identify behaviors and to use strategies to help people with mental illnesses get medical care rather than arresting them. The training familiarizes the new officers with the mental health providers in the City and how to contact the correct treatment and referral sources such as Baltimore Crisis Response Inc., Catholic Charities, or People Encouraging People. The BEST training is now institutionalized into the Police Department’s curriculum for new officers. http://www.bmhsi.org/
SHEMESH (The Associated)
Baltimore, MD
$100,000 challenge grant to continue to operate learning centers at three Baltimore Jewish Day Schools and to provide consultative services and professional development courses at other Jewish Day Schools. SHEMESH serves 170 students out of the estimated 800 students with learning disabilities who are among the 6,000 students in Jewish Day Schools in Baltimore. Students with learning disabilities are given the pull-out and plug-in services needed to decrease their delays and improve their learning deficiencies whether in reading, writing, or math. Most of the teaching is done in the classroom—in an inclusive setting with children without learning disabilities. SHEMESH is involved with 11 pre-schools and 12 kindergarten classes that receive early intervention services from an Early Childhood Educator and a Reading Specialist—a dynamic team approach. With this challenge grant, the Weinberg Foundation wants to attract other donors to help children with learning differences so that they can stay in Jewish Day schools. http://www.associated.org/
Jewish Community Center (JCC) of Greater Baltimore (The Associated)
Baltimore, MD
$90,000 ($45,000 annually) challenge grant for disabilities programs: Camp Milldale, Camp KLAL (on Sundays), respite programs, therapy programs (canine therapy), and after-school programs. The grant will help fund a Special Needs Coordinator to extend the “camp experience” into the winter months. For example, when severely disabled kids age out of Camp Milldale, they can go to KLAL, an all-year “camp” program in the JCC facilities where children learn socialization, communication, cooking, and other skills. The Sunday KLAL programs for 16- to 18-year-olds provide two Sundays per month as respite time for parents. For younger children, the JCC offers Sunday Funday, Art Made with Heart, Lights Camera Action, and swimming, cooking, dancing, arts and crafts, and Jewish holidays. Therapy programs include Toddlers in Motion and Karma Dogs (therapy for autistic children via service dogs). The JCC aspires to become a one-stop shop for families with children with disabilities. The programs serve approximately 80 unduplicated young people ages 18-months to 18-years old. http://www.associated.org/
Education, Children, Youth & Families
The Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation aims to build economic self-sufficiency through child/family development and education, from early childhood through high school graduation, preparing individuals for success in college or the workplace. Funding hopes to address critical issues including youth homelessness, child abuse, and domestic violence.
Baltimore Community Foundation for the Baltimore Independent Schools Alliance
Baltimore, MD
$10,000 planning grant to promote authentic, mutually beneficial partnerships between the Baltimore City Public Schools and Baltimore area independent schools. The overall aim is to improve students' educational experience and teachers' effectiveness, with a goal of starting new public schools in Baltimore City operated by local independent schools. http://www.bcf.org/
CASA of Baltimore
Baltimore, MD
$20,000 challenge grant to provide services to abused and neglected children in Baltimore City. The organization supports children making certain they are safe and well cared for while in foster care and works toward quickly returning them to a safe home or securing an alternative safe and permanent home. http://www.casabalt.org/
Children’s Scholarship Fund
Baltimore, MD
$200,000 grant ($100,000 first year; challenge grant for $100,000 in second year) to provide scholarships to Baltimore City children to attend the private school of their choice. This will be the eleventh year the Foundation has supported Children’s Scholarship Fund in Baltimore, demonstrating its commitment to providing educational choice and quality education to all children. http://www.csfbaltimore.org/
National Conference on Aging/Caregiver Initiative
The Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation was well represented at the Aging in America Conference which took place April 26-30 in San Francisco.
Michael Marcus, Program Director for Older Adults, spoke at a number of presentations. Several programs funded through the Weinberg Caregiver Initiative were highlighted in other seminars. The Caregiver Initiative is a three-year program. The $8.1 million combined grant effort is shared by 14 nonprofits nationwide to demonstrate innovative and evidence-based community projects which help family and friends care for chronically ill or disabled, low- and moderate-income older adults.
Click here to learn more about the Weinberg Foundation Caregiver Initiative.
The Foundation also hosted its annual gathering for all of the Caregiver Initiative participants providing them with an overall program update and affording them an opportunity to meet and update each other on specifics of their respective programs. The event was held at the Weinberg Foundation-funded Institute on Aging which just opened in early April.
New Website
Get ready for the Weinberg Foundation’s new online look!
We are finalizing our website improvements including improved navigation, new video, photo, and social media elements, and easier access to the information you need. Look for the new Weinberg Foundation website this summer.
Two Israel Missions!
This year, the Weinberg Foundation hosted two missions to Israel.
From May 14-22, 2011, the annual mission to Israel took place. This year’s trip included 21 participants:
- Earl Adams, Chief of Staff, Lt. Governor of Maryland, Anthony Brown
- Jacqueline Marie Carrera, President & CEO of the Parks & People Foundation
- Sophie Dagenais, Former Chief of Staff, Mayor of Baltimore, Stephanie Rawlings-Blake
- Catherine Cornwell, Sr. Global Enterprise Account Manager (as Sophie’s guest)
- Karen Doyle, VP, Nursing/Operations, Shock Trauma, Univ. of MD Medical Ctr.
- Christina Cafeo, Director, Nursing Surgery/Medicine, UMMC (as Karen’s guest)
- Dalal Haldeman, VP, Marketing and Communications, Johns Hopkins Medicine
- Patrick McCarthy, President and CEO, Annie E. Casey Foundation
- Cate McCarthy, Licensed Clinical Social Worker (as Patrick’s guest)
- William McCarthy, CEO and Executive Director, Catholic Charities of Baltimore
- Rachel Monroe, President, Harry & Jeanette Weinberg Foundation
- Betsy Nelson, President and Exec. Dir., Association Baltimore Area Grantmakers
- David Nelson, Sr. VP, Portfolio Manager, Legg Mason (as Betsy’s guest)
- Benita Robinson, Executive Assistant, Harry & Jeanette Weinberg Foundation
- Barry Schloss, Chair, Treasurer, Trustee, Harry & Jeanette Weinberg Foundation
- Rheta Schloss (as Barry’s guest)
- Zed Smith, VP, Partner and Chief Financial Officer, The Cordish Company
- Rhonda Owen (as Zed’s guest)
- Mac Tisdale, Senior Vice President, SunTrust Bank
- Kenneth Ulman, Howard County Executive
- Michele Whelley, President and CEO, Central Maryland Transportation Alliance
Some of the trip highlights included:
- Lectures by US Embassy Economic Minister David Burnett and Dr. David Silberklang, Senior Historian at the International Institute for Holocaust Research at Yad Vashem
- Visiting A Better Place (Israel’s electric car revolution)
- A tour of the Syrian and Lebanese borders including Israeli security discussion with Avi Melamed
- Visiting Yemin Orde – a remarkable youth village (one of Israel’s most interesting educational institutions, specializing in integrating disenfranchised foreign and local children into Israeli society)
- Visiting Ashkelon, Baltimore’s “Sister City” in Israel, including meetings with the PACT (Parents And Children Together) Program that is being utilized as part of the model for programming in East Baltimore Development, Inc., and visiting the Michael Lapides Baltimore Ashkelon Park and the Lyn Stacie Getz Playground. The playground was created by volunteers from both Baltimore and Ashkelon.
Of course, more than anything, a trip’s success is largely due to the extraordinary participants, and this year was no exception!
Then, from May 22-29, 2011, the first ever Alumni Trip went to Israel. 29 people participated on this second trip to Israel. Some itinerary highlights from the trip included:
- Lectures by Ethan Bronner, New York Times Israel Desk Chief, and Professor Reuven Hazan, Hebrew University political science professor
- Visiting Yad Vashem, the Jewish National Memorial to the six million Jewish victims of the Holocaust, including the new Historical Museum and the Children’s Memorial
- Going to the Bedouin town of Lakiya for an insight into contemporary Bedouin lifestyles, including a dialogue with Amal Aljooj Al Sana, from the Negev Institute for Strategic and Peace Development (NISPED)
- Visiting Bethlehem including a meeting with a professor from Bethlehem University and visiting the Church of the Nativity, site of the birth of Jesus
- Having a privately guided tour of the newly renovated Israel Museum, including a cocktail reception generously hosted by Suzanne F. Cohen, including remarks by James Snyder, the Director of the Israel Museum
The Weinberg Foundation is proud to sponsor the annual mission to Israel, and even prouder to have had such a strong showing for the first ever Alumni Mission. Thank you to everyone who participated in both missions. As we say at the Passover seder each year, Next Year In Jerusalem!
A Fond Farewell
Our beloved colleague Phyllis Bloom has decided to retire and conclude her role at the Weinberg Foundation. Phyllis has been instrumental in the evolution and management of the Maryland Small Grants Program. We are all grateful to Phyllis for her professionalism, her dedication, and for being such a kind, thoughtful and supportive colleague to each of us. Her last day with the Foundation will be June 30. Maryland Small Grants will now be administered through the program directors in charge of the program area relevant to each particular grant.
Weinberg Foundation Honored
The Easter Seals, Greater Washington-Baltimore Region recently held its 2011 Advocacy Awards Dinner and the Weinberg Foundation is proud to have been selected as one of this year’s honorees. The awards recognize leaders in philanthropy and public policy who have demonstrated exemplary commitment to advancing opportunities for children and adults with disabilities. Specifically, the Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation received the Philanthropic Advocate Award.
Hold the Date
And finally, it’s never too early to mark your calendar for a truly special evening with several hundred of the Foundation’s closest friends. This year’s Annual Community Gathering will be held Tuesday night, November 15. Please save the date!
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© 2011 The Harry & Jeanette Weinberg Foundation.
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