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.
St. Vincent De Paul Society of Baltimore
Baltimore, MD
$2,000,000 capital grant over two years ($1,250,000/$750,000) to support the renovation and expansion of the Sarah’s Hope facility, the largest shelter for homeless families in Baltimore City, which will include an on-site early childhood center.
http://www.vincentbaltimore.org/
River Bend Food Bank
Davenport, IA
$300,000 capital grant to support the development of a new warehouse that will include energy-efficient frozen and cold food storage and increase food distribution by 25 percent.
http://www.riverbendfoodbank.org/
Three program grants totaling $75,000 to support EarnBenefits®, a benefits access program that combines cutting-edge technology with case management services to help agencies across the country better connect people in need to the local services and supports available:
Bon Secours of Maryland Foundation, Inc.
Baltimore, MD
$35,000 program grant to support the EarnBenefits program.
http://bonsecoursbaltimore.com/
Job Opportunities Task Force, Inc. (Baltimore CASH)
Baltimore, MD
$30,000 program grant to support the EarnBenefits program.
http://www.jotf.org/
The Hampden Family Center, Inc.
Baltimore, MD
$10,000 program grant to support the EarnBenefits program.
http://www.hampdenfamilycenter.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.
Jewish Family Services, Inc.
Milwaukee, WI
$880,000 capital grant to support the construction of 54 affordable integrated apartments that will house individuals with disabilities and/or chronic mental illnesses.
P.E.F. Israel Endowment Funds
Kivunim: New Directions for Special Needs Youth in Israel
Haifa, Israel
$200,000 operating grant over two years ($100,000 per year) to support this organization that provides rehabilitation and integration services, including life-skills enhancement, housing, and vocational training programs, for individuals with disabilities.*
P.E.F. Israel Endowment Funds
Kfar Tikva
Kiryat Tiv’on, Israel
$195,000 capital grant to support the purchase and renovation of a group home and a passenger minivan that will accommodate five young adults with developmental and intellectual disabilities.*
http://www.kfar-tikva.org.il/home/doc.aspx?mCatID=321
P.E.F. Israel Endowment Funds
Israel Family Planning Association
Tel-Aviv, Israel
$100,000 program grant to support the “Sexuality Educator” training program that teaches people with disabilities how to engage in safe sexual activity as a normal and pleasurable part of life and to prevent sexual abuse.*
http://www.opendoor.org.il/
At Jacob’s Well, Inc.
Baltimore, MD
$25,000 Maryland Small Grant to support this organization that will provide transitional housing and case management services for low-income or homeless men and women suffering from mental illness.
http://atjacobswell.org/
Education
The Weinberg Foundation supports organizations and programs committed to ensuring that 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 STEM (Sciences, Technology, Engineering, and Math) literacy, out-of-school time, early childhood development, and child and family safety.
Teach for America, Inc.
Baltimore, MD
$1,200,000 operating grant over three years ($400,000 per year) to support this organization that provides recruitment, selection, training, and ongoing support to college graduates from around the country who teach pre-k through 12th grade in Title I schools in Baltimore City and County.
http://www.teachforamerica.org/where-we-work/baltimore
New Leaders
Baltimore, MD
$250,000 operating grant over two years ($125,000 per year) to support this organization that strives to develop school leaders and a principal pipeline for City schools.
http://www.newleaders.org/locations/maryland/baltimore/
Baltimore City Head Start
Baltimore, MD
$200,000 program grant to support the expansion of this organization’s summer program that strives to enhance the social and cognitive development of low-income children under the age of five.
http://humanservices.baltimorecity.gov/HeadStart.aspx
Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Greater Chesapeake, Inc.
Baltimore, MD
$200,000 program grant over two years ($100,000 per year) to support this organization’s Beyond the Match Mentoring Initiative that will provide mentors for underserved youth demonstrating early signs of behavioral challenges.
http://www.biglittle.org/site/c.6pIMI1MzFjJ0H/b.6556069/k.F087/Home_Page.htm
Baltimore Curriculum Project, Inc.
Baltimore, MD
$100,000 Maryland Small Grant over two years ($50,000 per year) to support this organization’s academic out-of-school time program at the Wolfe Street Academy with the goal of serving additional and currently wait-listed students from low-income households.
http://www.baltimorecp.org/
Digital Harbor Foundation, Inc.
Baltimore, MD
$100,000 Maryland Small Grant over two years ($50,000 per year) to support this organization’s core after-school program, Maker Foundations, that provides hands-on technology programs for low-income middle and high school youth.
http://www.digitalharbor.org/
Family Tree, Inc.
Baltimore, MD
$100,000 Maryland Small Grant over two years ($50,000 per year) to support the Positive Parenting program that helps low-income, vulnerable parents and caregivers foster social competence, cognitive development, and emotional well-being in their children, as well as build their own life-skills.
http://www.familytreemd.org/
Baltimore Squashwise, Inc.
Baltimore, MD
$80,000 Maryland Small Grant to support this organization’s out-of-school time program that offers academic and athletic assistance to middle and high school students.
http://baltimoresquashwise.org/
Casa of Baltimore County, Inc.
Towson, MD
$50,000 Maryland Small Grant over two years ($25,000 per year) to support this organization that strives to place abused and neglected children in safe, permanent homes.
http://www.casabaltco.org/
Critchlow Adkins Children’s Centers
Easton, MD
$40,000 Maryland Small Grant over two years ($20,000 per year) to support this organization’s tuition subsidy program to ensure that low-income families can access affordable childcare.
http://www.eastondaycare.org/
Lasos, Inc.
Bel Air, MD
$25,000 Maryland Small Grant to support this organization’s out-of-school time youth mentoring and family literacy programs serving low-income youth and their families.
http://www.lasos.org/
Education - Israel
P.E.F. Israel Endowment Funds
Rashi Foundation
Yerucham, Israel
$824,000 capital grant over two years ($412,000 per year) to support the construction of an early childhood center.*
http://www.rashi-foundation.org.il/English/
Older Adults
This is the single largest area of grantmaking by The Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation. The Foundation remains committed to providing support to older adults to live dignified, meaningful, and engaged lives in the community and to maintain their independence for as long as possible.
Jewish Family Services, Inc.
Milwaukee, WI
$350,000 capital grant to support the expansion of Deerwood Crossing Senior Residence, an apartment complex that provides both independent and assisted living to low-income older adults.
http://www.jfsmilw.org/
Workforce Development
The Weinberg Foundation is committed to helping people to help themselves by obtaining and keeping employment, preferably on a career track. The Foundation funds programs which provide the “life-tools” for clients to lift themselves from poverty into solid self-support.
American Friends of Nishmat
Jerusalem, Israel
$1,500,000 capital grant to support the completion of the Nishmat Campus that will include a dining hall, a library, several classrooms, and additional dormitory space for low-income women who have completed national or army service.
Liberty’s Kitchen
New Orleans, LA
$250,000 capital grant to support the construction of a new facility that will expand food service training and operations for the benefit of underserved communities along Broad Street.
http://libertyskitchen.org/
Towards Employment Incorporated
Cleveland, OH
$150,000 program grant over three years ($50,000 per year) to support WorkAdvance, a career pathway program designed to increase the earnings of unemployed and low-wage workers.
http://www.towardsemployment.org/
New Moms, Inc.
Chicago, IL
$100,000 program grant over two years ($50,000 per year) to support the Academy of Professional Development program that helps adolescent mothers who are homeless or at risk of being homeless locate permanent employment.
* All grants with an asterisk are grants paid to P.E.F. Israel Endowment Funds with the recommendation, but not requirement, that they be distributed as described. |
Early childhood education has been called the “escalator” out of poverty. The years from birth to age five constitute the critical period of brain development and learning. Unfortunately, many low-income children enter kindergarten one year to 18 months behind their more affluent peers, and this gap remains or continues to grow. But research shows that early childhood education programs that provide parent involvement, family support services, and interactive, participatory learning improve children’s cognitive and social-emotional development and produce other results including family stability that will last into adulthood.
We are excited to announce the official start of the new SummerREADS program. In partnership with the Abell Foundation, the Weinberg Foundation - along with the Baltimore Elementary and Middle School Library Project, Baltimore City Public Schools, the Maryland Out-of-School-Time Network (MOST), and Reading Partners - has created this opportunity for students and their families to increase time spent reading and participating in literacy-based activities over the summer.
The Weinberg Foundation is thrilled to announce the overwhelmingly successful results of the 3rd Annual Community Book Drive to benefit the Baltimore Elementary and Middle School Library Project.
We are excited to reveal and celebrate the newly renovated Year 3 school libraries as part of The Baltimore Elementary and Middle School Library Project. The official grand opening will be held at Elmer A. Henderson: A Johns Hopkins Partnership School in September.
The Weinberg Foundation hosted its annual Israel Mission Alumni Scholars Program on Monday, June 2, 2014 at the Suburban Country Club in Baltimore, Maryland. This event featured speaker Ari Shavit, leading Israeli Columnist and Writer, and author of My Promised Land. More than 250 people attended. Since launching the Israel Mission Alumni Program in 2007, this is the single largest gathering we have hosted.
This year’s itinerary included more than a dozen lectures as well as site visits in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, the northern corner of Israel, and the southern border with Gaza. We also traveled to the City of Ramallah and other areas in the West Bank where the group met with a spokesperson of the Palestinian Authority. Mission participants had the opportunity to hear from major Israeli political, business, and community representatives as well as visit religious and historical sites. It was another unforgettable trip, and we are already planning for 2015!
Founder and board co–chair of Room to Read, John Wood will be the featured speaker for this year’s Weinberg Foundation Annual Community Gathering, Wednesday, November 12. An organization that believes World Change Starts with Educated Children®, Room to Read seeks to transform the lives of millions of children in developing countries by focusing on literacy and gender equality in education. At age 35, Wood left an executive career track at Microsoft to form Room to Read.
