Vol. 4, No. 2 Summer 2002
At a June breakfast for grantees, the Incarnate Word Foundation awarded its spring 2002 Annunciation Grants to 29 agencies. The grants, totaling $251,108, aim to strengthen communities by supporting a wide variety of programs that serve people of all ages in the areas of education and physical and spiritual health. Annunciation Grants, each for $10,000 or less, are listed below. All agencies are located in St. Louis unless otherwise noted.
In addition, St. Stephen Protomartyr Parish, St. Louis, received an Extraordinary Grant to support the Grand Seniors Project, whose goal is to meet needs of older adults in five parishes. Extraordinary Grants exceed $10,000 and support new programs and demonstration projects.
Marian Middle School, St. Louis, which serves girls in grades 5 through 8 who have the potential to succeed but need the opportunity, received an Incarnate Word Partnership Grant to fund school operations. Partnership grants support operations and encourage partnerships between the foundation and the grant recipient.
Children/Families
Citizens for Missouri's Children
El Puente, Jefferson City, MO
Family Care Health Center
Griffin Center, East St. Louis, IL
New Northside Child Development Center
Northside Community Center
Community Health and Wellness
Catholic Charities of St. Louis
Loving Hearts Outreach, Washington, MO
Developmentally Disabled
Belle Center
Education
Camp Penuel, Ironton, MO
Holy Trinity Catholic School
Jamison Memorial Human Resource and Development Agency
Notre Dame Tutorial Center
St. Ignatius Church and School, Marthasville, MO
Vincent Grey Alternative High School, East St. Louis, IL
Housing
Our Lady's Inn
Resurrection of Our Lord Parish
Immigrants
Immigrant and Refugee Women's Program
Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish
Incarceration
Center for Women in Transition
Living Faith Foundation
Legal Assistance
Legal Advocates for Abused Women
Maternal/Child Health
Friends of Moms
Nurses for Newborns/Our Lady's Inn
Mental Health
Open Door Art Studio
Older Adults
Whole Health Outreach, Ellington, MO
Spirituality
Center for Theology and Social Analysis
Pallotine Retreat Center
Violence
Women's Safe House
The Incarnate Word Foundation published two case studies in June. These studies are the beginning of a series that showcases creative approaches to serving communities.
The study of Woman's Place, Maplewood, MO, demonstrates how a small, direct-service ministry can be started and organized. Woman's Place supports women, many of whom have experienced domestic violence, who need long-term solutions to improve their lives. In addition, an important element of Woman's Place's mission is mentoring laywomen to participate in ministry.
The case study of the St. Louis Partnership for Children and Youth highlights a uniquely successful collaboration of three agencies. The organization was formed to improve and expand the services that each of its members was providing separately to youth in the Near South Side of St. Louis. The study details the steps the three organizations took to coordinate their operations, as well as the evolution of the five-year-old partnership.
To obtain free copies of the case studies, contact the Incarnate Word Foundation.
Grantee SpotlightCitizens for Missouri's ChildrenAs a voice for children in need, Citizens for Missouri's Children (CMC) carries out a vital mission for vulnerable young people. "Other special interests have high-paid lobbyists; it's important that kids have an organized effort to speak for them," says Ruth Ehresman, CMC's policy director. The organization's 10-person staff works to improve public policies, systems, programs, and funding that serve children. Its policy analysts assist legislators in crafting polices that benefit children in such areas as foster care, adoption, child abuse, early care and education, health care, youth development, and economic well-being. Through a comprehensive communications effort, CMC staff raises awareness among policymakers and the public of issues affecting children's welfare. They craft clear messages; put together interesting news conferences; write letters to the editor, commentaries, and journal articles; maintain contacts with reporters; and provide television and radio interviews. These efforts pay off. In July 2000, for example, a front-page article in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch cited a CMC report calling for actions to provide adequate dental care services to low-income children. The newspaper followed up its first story with an editorial and even an editorial cartoon. "Bringing that issue to the fore of people's consciousness helped pass legislation and led to the establishment of a dental clinic," Ehresman says. CMC also provides accurate information on the status of children in each of the state's 115 counties by publishing the annual Kids Count in Missouri Data Book for policymakers and child welfare workers, who use its information to establish community needs. In addition, CMC's policy briefs on such topics as high-quality early care and children's health care educate and build public will to support needed programs. Last spring a CMC study raised awareness of the highly publicized scandal of families having to relinquish custody of their children to obtain mental health services. CMC was founded in St. Louis by Phyllis Rosansky in 1983. Today it has an additional office in Jefferson City, and Ehresman believes its efforts will be increasingly important in the future. "We see these times as especially challenging with the state's current financial difficulties. We have had severe budget cuts that will adversely affect children," notes Ehresman, who came to CMC eight years ago from a career in direct service. Joining CMC was a logical progression from working with individuals to working for systemic change that addresses their needs. "The kind of policies we advocate have such a direct impact on people's lives," she says. "We are trying to create a system which ensures that all children have opportunities to succeed." For more information on CMC's activities, visit the organization's website at www.mokids.org. |
As the Incarnate Word Foundation continues its long-term strategic planning effort, it is refining its focus areas in order to be a more effective participant in the community. Currently the foundation is analyzing what its emphasis should be in the focus areas of women, children, and the elderly. If you have insights on how the foundation should target its efforts in any of these areas, please e-mail your suggestions to us at iwfdn@swbell.net. We will appreciate your assistance.
A workshop on September 17, 2002, will shed light on Missouri's NAP and YOP tax credit programs. Cosponsored by the Incarnate Word Foundation, the Whitaker Foundation, and the St. Louis Community Foundation, the program will be held from 8:30 AM to 4:00 PM at a location to be determined. Topics include:
Registration is limited. The registration fee of $25 includes a continental breakfast and lunch. To register, contact Jackie Metzler or Mary Ann Brutton at the Incarnate Word Foundation.
Plan now to attend a presentation by researcher and author Paul C. Light on December 6, 2002. Details of time and place will be distributed this fall by the foundation, which is sponsoring the event in collaboration with the Nonprofit Services Consortium.
Light's latest book, Pathways to Nonprofit Excellence, argues that nonprofits are challenged today more than ever to achieve and sustain higher performance. In the wake of a surge in charitable giving after September 11 and subsequent questioning of nonprofits' ability to spend money wisely, Light insists that the nonprofit sector must prove its stewardship, effectiveness, and efficiency. His interviews with 500 executive directors of effective nonprofits and other leading thinkers demonstrate that high-achieving organizations share common practices and characteristics.
Light, who is vice president, director of the Governmental Studies program, and Douglas Dillon Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution, Washington, DC, has authored many other publications, including Making Nonprofits Work and The New Public Service.
Please note: Applications that are incomplete at the deadline will not be considered for funding.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Sr. Cathy Vetter, CCVI, Chairperson
Linda M. Allin
Sr. Margaret Bonnot, CCVI
Patrick J. Cacchione
Fred Falker
Peter J. Genovese
Sharon M. Homan, PhD
Al Litteken
Sr. Mary Kay McKenzie, CCVI
Sr. Mary Pezold, CCVI
Sr. Yolanda Tarango, CCVI
Thomas A. Villa
STAFF
Bridget McDermott Flood
Executive Director
Jacqueline Metzler
Mary Ann Brutton
Executive Assistants
5257 Shaw Avenue, Suite 309
St. Louis, MO 63110
314-773-5100
Fax: 314-773-5102
e-mail:
iwfdn@swbell.net
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