Foundations
News releases, reports, statements and associated documents from U.S. foundations.
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Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky Issues Statement on Consumption of Tobacco Products by Youth
LOUISVILLE, Kentucky, Dec. 8 -- Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky issued the following statement:
Data released ... by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show that 6.2 million middle and high school students are using tobacco products, and that 5.3 million of them (85 percent) are using e-cigarettes, or "vapes." Following is a statement from the Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky.
"The youth vaping epidemic continues to threaten the immediate and long-term health of adolescents and teens in this country by exposing them to nicotine and a host of other toxins that are known to damage
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LOUISVILLE, Kentucky, Dec. 8 -- Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky issued the following statement:
Data released ... by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show that 6.2 million middle and high school students are using tobacco products, and that 5.3 million of them (85 percent) are using e-cigarettes, or "vapes." Following is a statement from the Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky.
"The youth vaping epidemic continues to threaten the immediate and long-term health of adolescents and teens in this country by exposing them to nicotine and a host of other toxins that are known to damagetheir developing brains and bodies," said Ben Chandler, president and CEO of the Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky. "More than one in four high school students and one in 10 middle schoolers are using e-cigarettes in 2019, and at least a quarter of them are likely addicted. Many of these kids would never have touched a cigarette. And too many of them think e-cigs are 'cool,' and that there's little or no harm in even intermittent vaping. Neither is true. E-cigs are just as insidious for youth as any other tobacco product and it's definitely not cool that the tobacco industry is using the same old tactics to manipulate a new generation of kids into becoming lifetime nicotine addicts.
"We have several policy answers and they're proven to work. We need to tax vapes, at least the same amount as cigarettes. We need to raise the age for buying tobacco from 18 to 21, and assess stiff penalties on retailers that sell to underage buyers.
"The tobacco industry outspends public health more than 73 to one on marketing campaigns, so we also need to invest more resources into youth prevention. Kentucky gets more than $500 million in revenues from tobacco, yet spends less than $4 million on prevention.
"And we should ban flavors - they're a key reason kids are drawn to e-cigarettes, and their appeal to kids is why the FDA banned flavored cigarettes a decade ago. The only thing that's changed is that the industry has found a new kind of tobacco product to dress up with kid-friendly flavors."
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About the Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky
Funded by an endowment, the mission of the nonpartisan Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky is to address the unmet health needs of Kentuckians by developing and influencing policy, improving access to care, reducing health risks and disparities, and promoting health equity. Since the Foundation opened its doors in 2001, it has invested nearly $28 million in health policy research, advocacy, and demonstration project grants across the Commonwealth. Follow the Foundation on Twitter, Facebook and YouTube, and visit our website at http://www.healthy-ky.org.
Lilly Endowment: Initiative Seeks to Strengthen the Future of Colleges and Universities in Indiana
INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana, Dec. 6 -- The Lilly Endowment issued the following news release:
Lilly Endowment Inc. has launched Charting the Future for Indiana's Colleges and Universities, a new initiative to help Indiana's 38 higher education institutions further develop strategies to strengthen their effectiveness and sustainability.
Through the initiative, the Endowment is making available grants totaling $108.2 million to help Indiana colleges and universities address their key challenges and take advantage of promising opportunities to enhance their relevance and sustainability. Their challenges
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INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana, Dec. 6 -- The Lilly Endowment issued the following news release:
Lilly Endowment Inc. has launched Charting the Future for Indiana's Colleges and Universities, a new initiative to help Indiana's 38 higher education institutions further develop strategies to strengthen their effectiveness and sustainability.
Through the initiative, the Endowment is making available grants totaling $108.2 million to help Indiana colleges and universities address their key challenges and take advantage of promising opportunities to enhance their relevance and sustainability. Their challengesare varied and include a decline in higher education enrollment in Indiana; competition from more widely available job training programs (such as apprenticeships and certificate programs) and the enhancement and expansion of online learning opportunities; and changes in federal funding policies for higher education.
Through its request for proposals, the Endowment is encouraging higher education leaders to explore collaborative strategies. These efforts could include collaborations among colleges and universities in Indiana or around the country and with business, governmental or charitable organizations.
Charting the Future has three phases of grantmaking:
In the first phase, the Endowment recently has made planning grants totaling nearly $6.2 million to all of Indiana's eligible two- and four-year colleges and universities. The grants of $100,000 to $500,000 were awarded based on student enrollment at each school. These planning grants are designed to encourage reflection, research and consultation so leaders can better prioritize the challenges and opportunities they wish to pursue and prepare their implementation grant proposals for funding under Phase 2 of this initiative.
Through the second phase, the Endowment will offer colleges and universities the opportunity to apply for implementation grants of $1 million, $2.5 million, or $5 million. The amounts per institution are based on student enrollment. The Endowment expects to award these grants in late 2020.
These implementation grant proposals should present sound and promising strategies and programs that are likely to:
* prepare students for rewarding employment and to live engaged and meaningful lives, especially in Indiana;
* result in economies of scale and other cost efficiencies or otherwise enhance the viability and financial condition of their institutions; or
* enable institutions to further their educational missions more effectively in new or innovative ways.
For the third phase, the Endowment has allocated up to $40 million to be awarded on an invitational basis for large-scale proposals that seek to address extraordinarily compelling challenges or opportunities that would require funding in excess of the amounts institutions can receive through Phase 2 implementation grants. The colleges and universities are invited to submit, along with their Phase 2 implementation grant proposals, brief concept papers describing the challenge or opportunity they seek to address and their plan for addressing it. After reviewing these concept papers, the Endowment will invite institutions with the most compelling concept papers to submit full, large-scale proposals of up to $10 million. From these proposals, the Endowment will select in late 2020 those that will be awarded funding.
"We are encouraging Indiana's higher education leaders to be bold and imaginative in developing creative and collaborative strategies to strengthen their institutions and further their educational missions more effectively," said Dr. Ted Maple, the Endowment's vice president for education. "We are impressed with the dedication of Indiana's higher education leaders to face head on their challenges and embrace their opportunities to build brighter futures for their students and colleges and universities."
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About Lilly Endowment Inc.
Lilly Endowment Inc. is a private philanthropic foundation created in 1937 by J.K. Lilly Sr. and his sons Eli and J.K. Jr. through gifts of stock in their pharmaceutical business, Eli Lilly and Company. While those gifts remain the financial bedrock of the Endowment, the Endowment is a separate entity from the company, with a distinct governing board, staff and location. In keeping with the founders' wishes, the Endowment supports the causes of community development, education and religion and maintains a special commitment to its hometown, Indianapolis, and home state, Indiana.
Hearst Journalism Awards Program: 2019-20 Hearst Feature Writing Winners Named
SAN FRANCISCO, California, Dec. 6 -- The Hearst Journalism Awards Program issued the following news:
The top 10 winners in college feature writing were announced today in the 60th annual William Randolph Hearst Foundation's Journalism Awards Program, in which 104 undergraduate journalism programs at universities across the nation are eligible to participate. 156 feature writing entries were received in this competition from 86 schools.
First Place has been awarded to Hannah Denham, a senior from Washington & Lee University. Hannah receives a $3,000 scholarship for her winning article titled "A
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SAN FRANCISCO, California, Dec. 6 -- The Hearst Journalism Awards Program issued the following news:
The top 10 winners in college feature writing were announced today in the 60th annual William Randolph Hearst Foundation's Journalism Awards Program, in which 104 undergraduate journalism programs at universities across the nation are eligible to participate. 156 feature writing entries were received in this competition from 86 schools.
First Place has been awarded to Hannah Denham, a senior from Washington & Lee University. Hannah receives a $3,000 scholarship for her winning article titled "ATexas-size mart's road to fame" published in the Washingtonpost.com.
Hannah also qualifies to participate in the Hearst National Writing Championship which will be held this June in Houston, TX.
Washington & Lee University's School of Journalism will receive a matching grant, as do the journalism
departments of all scholarship winners.
Other scholarship winners are:
Jack Harris, Arizona State University, second place, $2,000 scholarship
Mary Glen Hatcher, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, third place, $1,500 scholarship
Claire Miller, Syracuse University, fourth place, $1,000 scholarship
Margaret High, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, fifth place, $1,000 scholarship
The sixth-through-tenth-place winners receiving certificates of merit are:
Jillian Atelsek, University of Maryland, sixth place
Alexis Alabado, Arizona State University, seventh place
Samantha Berlin, Syracuse University, eighth place
Kate Robbins, University of Missouri, ninth place
Naomi McGee, Savannah State University, tenth place
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill placed first in the Intercollegiate Writing Competition with the highest accumulated student points in the first writing competition of the year. They are followed by: Arizona State University; Syracuse University; Washington & Lee University; University of Missouri; University of Maryland; Savannah State University; University of Georgia; University of Texas at Austin; Ohio University.
The final intercollegiate writing winners will be announced after the completion of the five writing competitions.
Judging the writing competitions this year are: Audrey Cooper, Editor in Chief, The San Francisco Chronicle; Dwayne Bray, Senior Coordinating Producer/Enterprise Reporting Unit, ESPN; and Larry Kramer, retired President and Publisher, USA Today.
The Hearst Journalism Awards Program is conducted under the auspices of accredited schools of the Association of Schools of Journalism and Mass Communication and fully funded and administered by the William Randolph Hearst Foundation. The 14 monthly competitions consist of five writing, two photojournalism, one radio, two television and four multimedia, with Championship finals in all divisions. The program awards up to $700,000 in scholarships and grants annually.
Freedom Foundation: School Employees Sue Local Union for Refusing to Take No for an Answer
OLYMPIA, Washington, Dec. 6 -- The Freedom Foundation issued the following news release:
Four more Oregon school employees announced on Thursday they were filing a lawsuit against their union for refusing to honor their request to opt out of membership and stop paying dues for services they don't want.
The plaintiffs, from Hillsboro, are represented by the Freedom Foundation, a west coast-based policy organization currently litigating approximately 10 similar lawsuits in Washington, Oregon and California involving public employee unions trying to thwart the will of the U.S. Supreme Court, which
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OLYMPIA, Washington, Dec. 6 -- The Freedom Foundation issued the following news release:
Four more Oregon school employees announced on Thursday they were filing a lawsuit against their union for refusing to honor their request to opt out of membership and stop paying dues for services they don't want.
The plaintiffs, from Hillsboro, are represented by the Freedom Foundation, a west coast-based policy organization currently litigating approximately 10 similar lawsuits in Washington, Oregon and California involving public employee unions trying to thwart the will of the U.S. Supreme Court, whichruled in Janus v. AFSCME (2018) that government workers have a constitutional right to decline to pay money to a union without fear of reprisal.
In response, unions -- which stand to lose millions in dues revenue if workers continue defecting en masse -- are doing everything they can to make the opt-out process as complicated as possible.
In the Hillsboro case, for example, each of the four plaintiffs, with the help of the Freedom Foundation, decided to opt out of Hillsboro Classified United, AFT Local 4671. They subsequently received a letter from the union, claiming the union membership forms they signed prior to the Janus ruling required them to remain a member of the union -- and continue paying dues -- for a year from the time they became members.
The card also asserts they can only opt out during an arbitrary window in June every year. By applying these contrary terms to its own advantage, the union locks its members into dues deductions -- for some employees more than a year from the time they opted out of membership.
"The issue is the union isn't even following the terms of their own cards, which are contradictory," said Rebekah Millard, Freedom Foundation litigation counsel.
"Instead of letting members out either a year after they signed a membership card or every June," she said, "they're saying both rules apply and keeping people in for the maximum amount of time, which can be months longer than would be the case if they applied just one "window."
Hillsboro Classified United Local 4671 represents non-certified employees of Hillsboro United School District in Hillsboro, Oregon. Local 4671 is an affiliate of the American Federation of Teachers and AFT-Oregon.
The AFT-Oregon chapter has lost over a third of its membership since June of last year thanks to the Freedom Foundation's campaign.
The lawsuit is typical of the growing number of cases that challenge unions' abuse of confusing fine print in their membership cards to force public employees to pay money to the union even after the employees have explicitly resigned membership.
"The wording of the Janus ruling was unambiguous, and so was its meaning," Millard said. "It's important for workers to have the right to organize, but the First Amendment rights of those who choose not to are no less important. The union can't run roughshod over someone's rights just because it wants to keep confiscating their money."
Ford Foundation Appoints Michele Moore as Vice President of Global Communications
NEW YORK, Dec. 6 -- The Ford Foundation issued the following news:
The Ford Foundation today announced the appointment of Michele Moore as vice president of Global Communications. Moore will join the foundation's executive leadership team in New York, overseeing all aspects of strategic communications across the foundation's 11 offices in the United States and abroad. She begins her new role in January 2020, succeeding Alfred D. Ironside who helped lead the foundation's communications efforts over a 14-year tenure.
Moore comes to the foundation from the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU),
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NEW YORK, Dec. 6 -- The Ford Foundation issued the following news:
The Ford Foundation today announced the appointment of Michele Moore as vice president of Global Communications. Moore will join the foundation's executive leadership team in New York, overseeing all aspects of strategic communications across the foundation's 11 offices in the United States and abroad. She begins her new role in January 2020, succeeding Alfred D. Ironside who helped lead the foundation's communications efforts over a 14-year tenure.
Moore comes to the foundation from the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU),where she served as chief communications officer through a time of rapid expansion at the organization. The ACLU's press coverage, social media following, and membership grew dramatically under Moore's communications stewardship, which led to her recognition on PR Week magazine's 2017 and 2018 Power Lists as one of the top communications professionals in the US. With more than 25 years' experience, spanning the nonprofit, government, Fortune 500, and academic sectors, Moore brings vast expertise in delivering effective communications strategies in high-stakes media environments.
"We are thrilled to welcome Michele to the foundation to help us tell the powerful stories of social change and the pursuit of justice that our programs are contributing to around the world," said Ford Foundation president Darren Walker. "Michele's comprehensive experience directing communications strategies across media and digital platforms in both the public and private sectors will be invaluable as we engage more deeply in conversations around the evolving role of philanthropy and the strengthening of civic infrastructure. Michele is a thoughtful and innovative leader who will be an exceptional addition to our team."
Earlier in her career, Moore served as director of communications and press secretary for New Orleans mayor Marc Morial and later spearheaded wide-scale communications strategies at Black Entertainment Television (BET) and Nickelodeon/MTV Networks. Her commitment to civil rights then led her to a leadership role at the National Urban League. Moore also led marketing and branding efforts for Temple University, overseeing marketing strategies, advertising, and promotions for the academic institution comprised of 40,000 students and nine campuses worldwide.
"I am deeply honored to be joining the Ford Foundation at a moment when philanthropy has a greater opportunity than ever before to have a lasting impact on the lives of individuals and communities around the world," said Moore. "For the past eight decades, Ford has been a significant leader in the fight for civil rights and social change--tenets I am deeply committed to and have worked to move forward throughout my career. I have long admired the foundation's work and am eager to join such a talented team that is united in its collective vision for positive, structural change."
Moore earned a JD from Howard University School of Law and a BA from UCLA, where she majored in communications. In addition to her studies, Moore was a Walter Kaitz Foundation fellow.
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The Ford Foundation
The Ford Foundation is an independent, nonprofit grant-making organization. For more than 80 years it has worked with courageous people on the frontlines of social change worldwide, guided by its mission to strengthen democratic values, reduce poverty and injustice, promote international cooperation, and advance human achievement. With headquarters in New York, the foundation has offices in Latin America, Africa, the Middle East, and Asia.
Crotched Mountain Foundation Issues Statement on Couch Family Foundation Fund
GREENFIELD, New Hampshire, Dec. 6 -- The Crotched Mountain Foundation issued the following statement:
The Couch Family Foundation recently awarded $25,000 to Crotched Mountain Foundation. The funds will be used to support Crotched Mountain's ongoing Capital Campaign to expand and improve the school facilities. Crotched Mountain School provides special education to day and residential students from New Hampshire, New England, and across the country.
"We are extraordinarily grateful to the Couch Family Foundation for this generous gift," said Kevin Harte, Vice President of Advancement for Crotched
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GREENFIELD, New Hampshire, Dec. 6 -- The Crotched Mountain Foundation issued the following statement:
The Couch Family Foundation recently awarded $25,000 to Crotched Mountain Foundation. The funds will be used to support Crotched Mountain's ongoing Capital Campaign to expand and improve the school facilities. Crotched Mountain School provides special education to day and residential students from New Hampshire, New England, and across the country.
"We are extraordinarily grateful to the Couch Family Foundation for this generous gift," said Kevin Harte, Vice President of Advancement for CrotchedMountain Foundation.
"These funds will go a long way in supporting the students of Crotched Mountain School and helping them learn the skills to achieve a life of maximum independence."
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About The Couch Family Foundation
The Couch Family Foundation seeks to work with strong, stable organizations that respond to the needs of the community. Some of the characteristics we look for include: strong leadership, deep community relationships, comprehensive approaches to addressing need, and partnerships with other agencies and institutions.
Andrew Goodman Foundation Applauds the Passage of H.R. 4 by U.S. House of Representatives
MAHWAH, New Jersey, Dec. 6 -- The Andrew Goodman Foundation issued the following news release:
Today, the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 4 by a vote of 228-187. First introduced on February 26, 2019, by Congresswoman Terri Sewell (AL-7), H.R. 4 is also known as the Voting Rights Advancement Act. The Andrew Goodman Foundation was proud to be present for this historic occasion, as we stand committed to living the legacy of Andrew Goodman, James Chaney, and Michael Schwerner by making young voices and votes a powerful force in democracy.
While the 2018 Midterm Election saw an increase
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MAHWAH, New Jersey, Dec. 6 -- The Andrew Goodman Foundation issued the following news release:
Today, the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 4 by a vote of 228-187. First introduced on February 26, 2019, by Congresswoman Terri Sewell (AL-7), H.R. 4 is also known as the Voting Rights Advancement Act. The Andrew Goodman Foundation was proud to be present for this historic occasion, as we stand committed to living the legacy of Andrew Goodman, James Chaney, and Michael Schwerner by making young voices and votes a powerful force in democracy.
While the 2018 Midterm Election saw an increasein youth voting, students--especially students of color--continue to face unique challenges to participating in our democracy. If H.R. 4 is signed into law, students, particularly in areas where voter suppression is most prevalent, will enjoy the same voting opportunities as other voters without fear of discrimination.
The bill seeks to stop voter suppression by fully restoring and modernizing the Voting Rights Act of 1965 (VRA). Often referred to as one of the most important landmark pieces of federal legislation, the VRA was passed with nonpartisan support to safeguard our country's most precious right--the right to vote. The 2013 Shelby County vs. Holder U.S. Supreme Court decision stripped away many of the protections of the Voting Rights Act, paving the way for many states to pass restrictive laws deliberately meant to suppress the vote.
If enacted, the Voting Rights Advancement Act will create a new area of coverage based on repeat voting rights violations, put in place a process for reviewing voting changes with a special focus on measures used to discriminate against voters of color, as well as increase transparency about voting changes, expand federal judiciary oversight, and speed up injunctive relief for voting rights cases.
Legislation like H.R. 4 brings us a step closer to delivering on a promise of an inclusive and equitable democracy. Only by prioritizing every citizen's right to vote--regardless of age, race, sex, or creed--and a government that is for the people will we ever realize America's true potential. That's why The Andrew Goodman Foundation joins The Leadership Conference on Civil & Human Rights, the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, and other Civil Rights organizations to applaud the U.S. House of Representatives for passing H.R. 4.
