WCGMF Grants: Statewide and Regional Grants

• 2003
• 2002

2003

$35,000	"The Social State of Connecticut" / Fordham (University) Institute for Innovation in Social Policy
To publish, in partnership with the state of Connecticut, the tenth annual social health index and "The Social State of Connecticut" as a means of tracking the social well-being of the state and informing the policy-making process.
$75,000	Bridgeport Child Advocacy Coalition
To complete an assessment of parent engagement in Bridgeport schools and share best practices, and to support parent participation in school-based management teams and other advocacy activities.
$50,000	Connecticut Association for Human Services
To work with early childhood centers, home care providers and others involved in improving early education by sharing information, providing timely analyses, and increasing participation in a statewide network.
$132,500	Connecticut Voices for Children
To launch Ready Set Grow…CT Kids, a communications and public engagement campaign in support of the reform of early childhood development systems; to support the Early Childhood Alliance as a network of those working on early childhood issues; to explore the economic and financing issues involved in creating a viable early childhood education plan for Connecticut; and to broaden the base of support for early childhood issues.
$10,000	Early Childhood Alliance Leadership/Education Connection & United Way of Northern Fairfield County
To support the volunteers who are convening the Early Childhood Alliance, a network of organizations, agencies and individuals working to improve the health, education, safety and family security of all of Connecticut’s young children, from birth through eight.
$50,000	Hispanics in Philanthropy / The Funders’ Collaborative for Strong Latino Communities
To participate in the Funders’ Collaborative three-year program of building the capacity of community-based organizations that provide health, education and social services for Latino children and their families.
$100,000	League of Women Voters of Connecticut Educational Fund / Community Conversations About Education
To support the Discovery communities’ use of community conversations to engage citizens in discussions of important early childhood and education issues and to build on the findings and recommendations generated by the conversations.
$100,000	Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) / Connecticut Children’s Investment Partnership (CIP)
To provide technical assistance and financial support to early care providers, school readiness councils and others serving low income communities in Connecticut in order to increase awareness of the impact of facilities on quality care; to develop financing strategies for improving or expanding facilities; and to secure capital in the form of no-cost or low-cost loans.
$50,000	Meriden Children First Initiative / Community Engagement, Leadership and Advocacy Project
To continue to build parent leadership through a variety of training opportunities, to enhance public awareness about children’s issues, and to share best practices with other Discovery communities and networks across Connecticut.
$25,000	PACK (Parents and Communities for Kids) / Community Foundation for Greater New Haven
To promote opportunities for families to engage young children in learning outside of school and to support community organizations working directly with families.
$10,000	Public Agenda
To conduct a case study describing and analyzing the community conversations in Connecticut and their impact, and to document the staying power of authentic public engagement.
$25,000	State of Connecticut Department of Education / Removing Barriers to Preschool
To inform, in collaboration with other funders and advocacy organizations, a planning process for Connecticut to provide full access to preschool for all children.
$35,000	United Way of Northern Fairfield County / Danbury Children First
To support the development of effective community leadership working on behalf of Danbury’s young children; to strengthen connections among local and statewide entities and systems; and to develop new resources and support for families with young children.

2002

$65,000	Bridgeport Child Advocacy Coalition
To design and conduct in Bridgeport schools an assessment of parent engagement that will identify best practices, roles for principals and teachers, and recommendations for school and district changes to enhance parents’ roles in children’s education.
$162,000	Community Conversations About Education / League of Women Voters of Connecticut Educational Fund
With the League’s support and small grants, 18 Connecticut communities engaged citizens in conversations about ways to improve early childhood learning and K-12 education.
$25,000	Connecticut Association of Human Services
For the Education Fellows Program for emerging leaders among child care providers, teachers and parents who wish to become more effective on behalf of young children.
$25,000	Connecticut Association of Human Services
To support Champions for Early Childhood Education, a project that gives a voice to providers of early childhood care and education and offers important information on ways to improve the system.
$75,000	Connecticut Children’s Investment Partnership/Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC)
To expand and improve the buildings and spaces used by early learning centers through the generation of specialized capital and the provision of technical resources to local communities.
$10,000	Connecticut Council for Philanthropy
To support the Connecticut Giving Project, an initiative aimed at increasing knowledge and awareness about philanthropy, thereby expanding philanthropic capital in the state.
$128,500	Connecticut Voices for Children
For support of this statewide advocacy organization’s efforts to raise the profile of early childhood issues, to assist in the development of the Early Childhood Alliance’s strategic agenda, to link Voices’ advocacy work with the Discovery communities, and to participate in the national Early Childhood Communications Collaborative that is working to build awareness of the importance of early childhood learning.
$40,000	Danbury Children First Initiative / United Way of Northern Fairfield County
The goal of Parents As Partners in Danbury is to increase parental involvement in elementary schools, to document how children are faring, and to investigate ways to help more children succeed and to close the achievement gap.
$40,000	Early Childhood Data Primer/Connecticut Voices for Children
To support the work of Discovery communities with baseline demographic data, technical assistance on data gathering and its use, and the production of a data primer to guide others in gathering, computing and presenting data on children and families.
$60,000	Meriden Children First Initiative
For the Community Engagement, Leadership and Advocacy Project that includes leadership training for a diverse group of parents and research on critical issues related to child and family well-being.
$10,000	Public Agenda
To build Public Agenda’s capacity to respond to the most critical issues of the day with balanced presentations, unique insights and a perspective that encourages open discussion and deeper engagement in public life.
$35,000	The Social State of Connecticut / Fordham (University) Institute for Innovation in Social Policy
For support of the Social State of Connecticut, in partnership with the State of Connecticut, as a policy tool that reports on indicators of the social health of the state.
$10,000	United Community & Family Services / Greater Norwich Community Leadership Team
To increase the capacity of the Community Leadership Team to engage parents in parent leadership training, alumni activities and other opportunities for leadership graduates.
$32,000	Yale University Child Study Center
To extend to more sites an ongoing study of the impact of attending a highquality preschool program on young children’s educational success and on closing the achievement gap between low-income minority students and more affluent students.
$55,000	Youth As Resources / Regional Youth and Adult Substance Abuse Project
To support the continuation and evaluation of the impact of the Youth As Resources “Promote the Peace” program in seven Bridgeport schools; this program aims to improve students’ social, emotional and academic success by engaging them in projects that improve their schools and communities.