Weinberg Foundation Announces Grants as Part of $3 Million Summer Funding Collaborative

BALTIMORE, March 29, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation, one of the largest private foundations in the United States, today announced $770,000 in grants to 29 Baltimore nonprofits as part of the $3 million Baltimore Summer Funding Collaborative. The initiative was created to fund high-quality summer programs that serve low-income Baltimore City youth.

The Funding Collaborative involves ten of Baltimore's largest charitable funders: the Abell Foundation, the Annie E. Casey Foundation, The Associated: Jewish Community Federation of Baltimore, Clayton Baker Trust, Family League of Baltimore, France-Merrick Foundation, The Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation, Joseph and Harvey Meyerhoff Family Charitable Funds, Lockhart Vaughan Foundation, and The Morton K. and Jane Blaustein Foundation.

The organizations support programs that focus on literacy; science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM); youth employment; college and career readiness; environmental education; health and overcoming stress and trauma; and enrichment such as sports and the arts.

"The Summer Funding Collaborative has nearly tripled in size in just one year," said Barry Schloss, Weinberg Foundation Board Chair. "Not only has summer funding increased from a total of $1.5 million to $3 million, but the number of Baltimore funders has grown from three to ten. The Weinberg Foundation celebrates this extraordinary spirit of partnership and the promise of providing even more children with opportunities for summer learning and enrichment."     

The following 29 organizations will be funded specifically by the Weinberg Foundation:

While each funder made its own internal funding decisions, all ten funders shared the same application process and review strategy. The shared application has made it easier for organizations to apply for funding from multiple organizations while also facilitating more efficient and impactful funding decisions. Similarly, by using an objective scoring tool and common evaluation, the funders have a uniform framework to assess program quality and alignment with funding priorities.

Last summer, the Weinberg Foundation approved $960,000 in funding to 33 organizations. Approximately 4,500 students were served and program providers reported 85% average daily attendance. Several of the programs which the Foundation supported in previous years as part of the Summer Funding Collaborative are now supported through the Foundation's regular grantmaking process.

Research reveals that youth in low-income families, unlike their peers from higher-income families, often lack access to activities—whether through camps, libraries, or even museums—that keep their minds engaged over the summer. As a result, they experience "summer slide," losing one to three months of knowledge and skills gained during the previous school year.

About The Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation
The Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation, one of the largest private charitable foundations in the United States, provides approximately $100 million in annual grants to nonprofits that provide direct services to low-income and vulnerable individuals and families, primarily in the US and Israel. Grants are focused on meeting basic needs and enhancing an individual's ability to meet those needs with emphasis on older adults, the Jewish community, and our hometown communities of Maryland, Northeastern Pennsylvania, and Hawaii. The trustees, some of whom also serve as executive officers of the Foundation, are Donn Weinberg, Ellen M. Heller, Robert T. Kelly, Jr., Alvin Awaya, and Chair Barry I. Schloss. Rachel Garbow Monroe serves as the Weinberg Foundation's President and Chief Executive Officer. For more information please visit www.hjweinbergfoundation.org.         

Media Contact: Craig Demchak, 443-738-1159
[email protected] 

SOURCE Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation

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www.hjweinbergfoundation.org