September 2009 |
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A monthly e-newsletter for people interested in Florida
philanthropy |
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Headlines |
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Blue Foundation to Help Address Nursing Shortages
The Blue Foundation for a Healthy Florida is one of 10 foundations nationwide to receive funding from Partners Investing in Nursing's Future, a unique national initiative to help address the long-term shortage of available nurses across the country. The Blue Foundation will use the two-year, $250,000 grant, which will be matched by funds from
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida, to promote the use of simulation technology in Florida nurse education. |
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Focus On: Education Funding |
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Initiative Helps Jacksonville Students Stay on Track to Graduate
About 1,700 incoming sixth- and ninth-grade students at six Duval County public schools
will get extra help this year to
keep them on a four-year graduation track, thanks to a new initiative by the Learning to Finish Collaborative.
Led by
The Community Foundation in Jacksonville,
the collaborative is made up of representatives from the school system, community, government and nonprofits. The group identified risk factors shared by students who don't graduate with a standard diploma,
which served as the basis for identifying participants in the pilot program. |
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Collaboration to Help Pinellas Seventh-Graders Master Algebra I
Helios Education Foundation, SRI International, and the University of South Florida St. Petersburg will partner with the Pinellas County school district in a half-million-dollar project to get more kids ready for Algebra I by the end of seventh grade. The
initiative will merge high-tech software with cutting-edge curriculum and top-notch teacher training.
The
Helios Education Foundation
will provide $400,000 for the first year of the five-year project. |
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Clinton Calls for Education Reform at Inaugural Lawton Chiles Leadership Corps
Former U.S. President Bill Clinton gave the keynote address at the
inaugural Lawton Chiles Leadership Corps on August 8-9
in Orlando. Organized by the
Lawton Chiles
Foundation, the Corps is a new a student leadership program for high school and college students in Florida. Clinton urged the students to be
"citizen activists" to improve education and other issues in Florida, and suggested introducing community service as part of the
public school curriculum. The gathering attracted 260 students representing 130 high schools and 35 colleges. |
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Economy Matters Across Florida |
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Jacksonville:
New Web Site Rallies Support for Nonprofits.
The Jacksonville nonprofit community has launched a new Web site,
www.IGetItJax.com, to capture responses of support for arts and social services as part of the city budget, as the City Council considers cutting $50 million. Social service and cultural
groups worry that the cuts could mean fewer dollars for many programs that provide vital safety-net services for the poor and underprivileged. Nonprofits also held a joint news conference outside of Council chambers during a recent Council meeting,
telling the Council to
"Stop Taking Us for Granted." And a group of 18 Jacksonville foundations
sent a
letter to Council members to explain that private funders cannot make up for city cuts to nonprofits. |
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Miami:
Nonprofits Launch "Penny Wise Miami" Campaign.
Echoing activities in Jacksonville, Miami's nonprofit Human Services Coalition has launched a campaign, Penny Wise Miami, aimed at stopping Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Alvarez's plans to cut funding for community-based organizations concerned with social services, the environment and the arts. In other news,
the
Children's Trust has reduced funding for many of its programs and eliminated contracts with many others. |
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Orlando:
Downtown Orlando Performing Arts Center Faces Uphill Fight.
Supporters of a new $425 million performing-arts center in Orlando are facing mounting political and financial challenges, a reality reflected in tax records that show a steep drop last year in the private donations needed to build the
complex. |
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Palm Beach:
Palm Beach County Arts Groups Chase Dwindling Public Funds.
The arts are taking a financial hit in Palm Beach
County as well. The region's arts and cultural organizations are turning to government to help to make up for a drop in donations. But with municipal budgets tight, arts groups likely will be disappointed. |
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Find More Resources at FPN's
Economy Matters page.
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Florida Stimulus Funding News |
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Education: In a
new report by The New Teacher Project, Florida is one of only two states rated as
"highly competitive" (Louisiana is the other) for receiving
stimulus funds from the U.S. Department of Education's $4.3 billion “Race to the Top” grant program. |
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Housing: City officials in Bradenton are gearing up to spend more than $2.5 million in federal stimulus funds to try to
reverse the
deterioration of neighborhoods hit hard by foreclosures. |
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Workforce Development: The $27 million in stimulus money allocated to the Florida Division of Vocational Rehabilitation will provide
on-the-job training with
qualified employers across the state for people with disabilities. |
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Calendar |
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October 19-23, 2009
The Grantsmanship Center Workshop
Competing for Federal Grants
Community Foundation for Palm Beach and Martin Counties West Palm Beach |
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November 20-21, 2009
2009 BoardSource Leadership Forum
Orlando BoardSource will convene leaders from the volunteer, public and private sectors to examine the dynamics and implications of
the changed economic environment - stimulating rich analysis as well as practical insights
and approaches that will influence all sectors. |
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Jobs |
New job postings on
FPN's Jobs Board: |
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Seeking Board Applications |
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Winter Park Health Foundation Seeks Applications for Student Seat on Board
The Winter Park Health Foundation is searching for a graduate-level student to fill the newly created student seat on its board of trustees.
Applicants must be from Central Florida and be students in a graduate degree program
- preferably health-related - in a local college or university. Application deadline: Sept. 21. For more information and an application, visit the foundation's
Web site. |
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People |
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Health Foundation of South Florida
has appointed three new members to its board of directors: Loreen Chant, president of Johnson & Wales University, North Miami Campus;
Ana Mederos, chief executive officer of Palmetto General Hospital;
and Claudia Puig, senior vice president and southeastern regional manager for Univision Radio. |
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Giving Trends |
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Volunteering in U.S. Remains Strong, Report Finds
Fueled by the commitment of young adults and neighbors working to address community problems, volunteering in the United States continues to grow despite the recession, a new report from the Corporation for National and Community Service finds. The report shows that Florida continues to
lag behind in its volunteerism rates, with 19.6% of Floridians volunteering (49th among the 50 states and DC) and an average of 29.7
volunteer hours per resident (44th).
Download the report's data on Florida volunteerism. |
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New Resources |
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KIDS COUNT Data Book
The Annie E. Casey Foundation’s 20th annual KIDS Count Data Book indicators show that national trends in child well-being have improved slightly since 2000, although not on par with improvements seen in the late 1990s. Florida is 36th in the report's state ranks for overall
child well-being, down from No. 35 last year and No. 32 in 2007.
Download the report's profile of child well-being in Florida. |
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2009 CEO Compensation Study
Leaders of more than 5,400 mid to large U.S. charities earn an average salary of $158,075, a 6.1% increase from the previous year, according to Charity Navigator’s fifth annual analysis of CEO compensation. The study breaks down the average CEO salary for two Florida cities: Miami ($179,020) and Orlando ($131,064). |
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Call for Proposals |
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IMPACT Health Care Grants Program
The Blue Foundation for a Healthy Florida welcomes applications for community-based solutions to improve access to health care, with a current focus on
community-based health clinics and outreach programs. Winter 2009 grant cycle application deadline: Sept. 11. |
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Welcome New Friends of FPN |
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Florida Philanthropic Network is a statewide association of grantmakers
working to strengthen philanthropy through research, education and public policy.
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Join Florida Philanthropic Network. |
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Not a Grantmaker? Become a
Friend of the Network. |
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