Letter from the President

Trust Awards $4.5 Million in FY09 Grants

Advancing Youth Development for More District Agencies

Institute for New Leaders, New Communities Progresses

Trust Notes

Millicent Williams welcomes Dr. Michael Carrera at the Parents' Dinner for Carrera Trust at ATA in September.

I am pleased to present the inaugural issue of the DC Children and Youth Investment Trust Corporation’s newsletter created to keep you informed of the our innovations and continued partnerships.

It has only been a few months since I arrived at the Trust, but already, I am greatly energized by the history of the work that has been done. At the same time, I am very excited by the promise and opportunities of the work that lies ahead. Along with our Board of Directors, and dedicated staff, I am committed to doing everything possible to improve outcomes for the District of Columbia’s children and youth through strategic, performance-based granting supported by technical assistance. We have structured our organization to provide a sharp focus on grants management and technical assistance. The Program staff work closely with each grantee to assure compliance and performance, while the Learning and Organizational Development staff bring best practices, standards and youth development philosophy to grantees and youth-serving agencies across the District through training and technical assistance and capacity- building exercises.

We understand that the current economic climate presents challenges for nonprofit service providers nationwide. We also recognize that many community-based organizations are concerned about the effect that the shift may have on their ability to serve communities in need. The Trust is developing a multi-pronged response for grantees that will include a series of conversations that explore problem solving scenarios, the development of a more diversified resource base and the encouragement of strategic partnerships and alliances. The Trust will collaborate with several  organizations that support not-for-profit organizations in the District to show CBOs that there are ways to improve operations and effectiveness even – or particularly – in challenging times.

All of us at the Trust are eager to build on our successes. For example, this past summer we had the opportunity to target our resources and experience in the Trinidad and Edgewood neighborhoods. The Trust asked selected grantees to bring their programs to underserved communities through DC Department of Parks and Recreation facilities. The results have been amazing, and the programs have been embraced by local residents. You may have seen this piece in the Washington Post’s “Close to Home” section: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/10/24/AR2008102402891.html.

We will keep you informed about other exciting developments and new trends through this newsletter and our new and improved web site. I am grateful for the wonderful opportunity that I have to lead this organization, and look forward to working with all of you as we continue to increase the quality, quantity and accessibility of services and programs for our young people.

Trust Awards $4.5 Million in FY09 Grants

In June 2008 we released our FY09 Request for Proposals for school-year, out-of-school time (OST) and parent programs. The OST programs operate in schools, community facilities and DC Department of Parks and Recreation facilities. We received 207 proposals, with requests totaling almost $19,000,000. Our District allocation provided $4,500,000 in grants, which we supplemented with funds from The Wallace Foundation to support Project My Time programs in DCPS middle schools. In August, 88 grants were awarded:

A full listing of recipients can be found on our website. www.cyitc.org.

The Request for Proposals for summer programs will be released in December and will be posted on our website and included in the Mayor’s Funding Alert.

Advancing Youth Development for More District Agencies

For six years, the Trust has offered the “Advancing Youth Development” (AYD) curriculum to youth workers and supervisors, awarding certificates to 1,800 people. Most of the early participants worked with youth at community-based organizations. Recently, however, an increasing number of District agency staff have attend the trainings. Last year the Trust provided AYD training for 379 government employees. Now, to facilitate more cross-agency collaboration, the Interagency Collaboration and Services Integration Commission (ICSIC) is making AYD available to even more District agencies through an agreement with the Trust. The AYD curriculum was developed by the Academy for Education Development to promote the philosophy of youth development, give youth workers the tools they need to effectively work with young people and to provide a common language so that we can more clearly describe our common work, challenges and successes.

For a full list of the Trust’s learning opportunities, please visit: http://www.cyitc.org/learning/advancing.asp

Institute for New Leaders, New Communities Begins Second Phase

The leadership phase of the Institute for New Leaders, New Communities program is complete, and now the nine fellows are working to strengthen their organization’s infrastructure. The second phase of the year-long program begins with an online self-assessment for each organization. Based on the results, each fellow will receive an individualized plan designed to address issues such as strategic planning and management, financial systems and board development. The plan will be supported by the expert faculty of Symphonic Strategies, and upon completion fellows will access the resources of the “Symphonic Circle” as part of their fellowship. This intense learning program uniquely combines leadership development with organizational development to build the capacity and sustainability of the nonprofit providers so integral to the fabric of our city.

Trust Notes

Cheerleaders from Beacon House opened the Lights On Afterschool program.

● Mark your calendars – The Trust will hold another Resource Exchange on Jan. 29, location TBD. This is an opportunity for OST providers to tap into the wealth of resources right here in DC that can help you design and deliver engaging programs. Contact Peter Guttmacher for more information pguttmacher@cyitc.org.

● On Oct. 16, the Trust held the third annual Lights On Afterschool in DC! as part of a national celebration of the richness of OST programs. Vibrant youth performances included cheerleaders, rappers, musicians, poets and dancers, joined on stage by representatives from DC Alliance of Youth Advocates, DC Public Schools, DC Department of Parks and Recreation, DC Public Libraries and the Afterschool Alliance, the national founder of the event. More than 30 organizations filled the halls of Columbia Heights Education Campus and showcased their programs – all eager to spread the word about the wonderful world of OST in the District.