Fair Chance Website
 
May 2014
Photos from the 2014 Butterfly Bash Host Committee Kick-Off Party. Read more here.

Message from the Executive Director 

Gretchen Van der Veer


On May 21, I participated on a panel discussion co-hosted by the MARPAT Foundation, the Community Foundation for the National Capital Region, and the Washington Regional Association of Grantmakers. The MARPAT Foundation is one of several foundations in the Washington area "sunsetting" this year; i.e. making their final grants. The closing of these foundations has serious implications for the nonprofit sector.  MARPAT, in particular, has been focusing on Wards 7 and 8, an area of the city that receives significantly less investment than the rest of Washington, DC. Fair Chance has been fortunate to partner with MARPAT on several projects; with MARPAT's support, Fair Chance has strengthened our network of nonprofit partners, who together serve more than 35,000 children in Wards 7 and 8 alone. And, not surprisingly, my three fellow panelists, Lecester Johnson of Academy of Hope; Max Skolnik, former Executive Director of Kid Power; and Roxanne Williams of UrbanEd, were all Fair Chance alumni.   

 

The panel discussion was part of a larger program attended by foundation representatives invited to hear lessons learned by MARPAT and to consider opportunities for future investment in Wards 7 and 8. Several themes emerged from the lively discussion, including: 1) change for small nonprofit organizations takes time - invest for the long haul; 2) relationships need to be authentic and reciprocal - we can learn from each other; and 3) investments in capacity are critical to the growth and impact of community-based nonprofits. None of these are surprising for those of us committed to the Fair Chance model.

 

I want to take this opportunity to thank all of you who continue to support Fair Chance and our work to strengthen community-based nonprofits -- your work was validated yet again!


In Service, 

Gretchen's Signature   

Gretchen Van der Veer, PhD 

 

HCWhat's New with Fair Chance

 

2014 Butterfly Bash Host Committee Kick-Off

 

The 2014 Butterfly Bash may be five months away, but work is well underway. On May 14th, Fair Chance held our Host Committee Kick-Off Party at the home of longtime Fair Chance supporters and Host Committee members Nancy Taylor-Bubes and Alan Bubes. Two partners, Eric Goldstein of One World Education and Nicole Lynn Lewis of Generation Hope, shared the major impact their Fair Chance partnership has had on their own leadership, the growth of their organization, and the children and youth they serve. Bash Co-Chairs Julie Rienzo and Kaci Williams fired up the Host Committee, laid out the work ahead, and announced we have raised our first $100,000 towards our goal. Fellow Co-Chairs Myles King and Patrick Chauvin drummed up sponsorship support. 2014 Bash Honoree Carrie Marriott was able to join us as well and made a surprise announcement that Chris Cooley, former Redskins tight end, will be our celebrity emcee at the Bash. Stay tuned for more information and mark your calendars for Friday, November 7th!

 

(L-R) Kaci Williams, Patrick Chauvin, Nancy Taylor-Bubes, Carrie Marriott, Amanda Marshall, Gretchen Van der Veer, Myles King, and Julie Rienzo.

 

Partner Highlights 

Little Lights Video

Little Lights Urban MinistriesNewsChannel 8 recently featured Little Lights on Pay It Forward, a weekly segment highlighting good causes in the DC area. You can watch the segment, taken at Little Lights' Hopkins Center, here.
 
Technology PlaygroundEntrepreneurship student Isaiah King won first place in the Middle School Division of the "Network For Teaching Entrepreneurship" Regional Business Plan Finals for his business BullyWho?.  BullyWho? is focused on bringing awareness to the threats of bullying in schools, and Isaiah one day plans to build his business into a nonprofit.
 
Resources for Inner City Children (RICH): The City Fund has awarded RICH $56,000 to support its programs- RICH's largest award ever. Learn more about the City Fund here.
 
School Justice Project (SJP)SJP recently won the 2014 Alumni Social Innovation Award from Teach For America. With this generous award, SJP is able to build capacity and broaden impact - serving more students. Learn more about the award here 
 
What We're Reading

 

"An interesting perspective from Lori Bartczak, vice president of programs at Grantmakers for Effective Organizations (GEO), on impactful capacity building."- Brett Norton, Director of Development

 

"If you're just starting out on Twitter or looking to better engage your followers, this article can point you in the right direction."- Salome Odera, Communications and Outreach Associate  

 

"The Robin Hood Rules for Smart Giving is a book about how the Robin Hood Foundation, a NYC foundation that gave away $108 million in 2013 to fight poverty, goes about making its investments and determining which organizations are deserving of grants.  Their model is being studied by foundations all over the country so makes sense for nonprofits to pay attention!" - Gretchen Van der Veer, Executive Director

Donate Today 
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Your donation helps children in the most underserved communities in Washington, DC. 
 
Thank You
Nancy Taylor-Bubes
Alan Bubes
For hosting the 2014 Host Committee Kick-Off Party at your home.

Chris Cooley
For being our 2014 Butterfly Bash Celebrity Emcee.

Eric Goldstein
One World Education
For speaking at our Host Committee Kick-Off Party.

MARPAT Foundation Board
For convening funders and inviting Fair Chance to participate in a discussion about future investing east of the River. 

Nicole Lynn Lewis
Generation Hope
For speaking at our Host Committee Kick-Off Party.

Christie Walser
Project Create
For hosting and supporting this month's ED Learning Community session.
Mark Your Calendar
June 4
WINNERS Lacrosse

June 7
Reach Incorporated

June 9
Teaching for Change

June 13
Public Allies Washington DC

June 14
College Tribe

June 16
Compass

June 20
Generation Hope

June 26
Public Allies Washington DC

June 30
2014 Dubliner Classic benefiting Fair Chance

November 7
2014 Butterfly Bash
Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium