FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Erin Brownfield
Senior Communications Officer
The Wallace Foundation
(212) 251-9861
ebrownfield@wallacefoundation.org
THE WALLACE FOUNDATION ANNOUNCES OVER $6 MILLION IN ADDITIONAL GRANTS TO SUPPORT OUT-OF-SCHOOL TIME LEARNING FOR YOUNG PEOPLE
New York, N.Y., April 29, 2009—The Wallace Foundation announces three awards totaling $6.35 million to support efforts to increase access to high-quality learning in out-of-school time (OST).
These grants are part of the Foundation’s out-of-school time initiative, which helps selected cities develop and test ways to plan and implement sustainable systems that increase overall participation in high-quality after-school and summer programs so that more children and youth attend often enough to gain developmental benefits. The grants are:
- A three-year, $3 million grant to After School Matters in partnership with the City of Chicago through the Department of Family and Support Services to help bring to scale that city’s quality improvement efforts; and to take to the next level the city’s management information system – which is already unprecedented among major cities in having created a single data “umbrella” for all city agencies that fund OST – to give decision-makers a much fuller picture of how children’s needs are being met outside of school;
- A three-year, $2.61 million grant to the Providence Afterschool Alliance (PASA) in Providence, RI to help launch a pioneering expanded learning initiative between a citywide OST system and public schools, and targeted training and other support to major OST providers to help enable them to deliver higher-quality programming; and,
- A two-year, $740,000 grant to the Washington DC-based Afterschool Alliance to support nationwide efforts to increase access to affordable, high-quality after-school programming; and to provide support, including funding, to statewide OST networks so they may spread knowledge about OST and promote effective use of federal stimulus dollars.
“A focus on high-quality out-of-school time programs in cities and states across the country is gaining momentum, and these grants are part of our efforts to build on progress that has been made,” said Nancy Devine, Director of Communities, The Wallace Foundation. “High-quality after-school programs and summer learning opportunities are a key part of a young person’s development and we look forward to sharing additional lessons as the work of our partners like After School Matters, PASA, and the Afterschool Alliance continues.”
The Wallace Foundation is an independent, national foundation dedicated to supporting and sharing effective ideas and practices that expand learning and enrichment opportunities for all people. Its three current objectives are: strengthening
educational leadership to improve student achievement; enhancing
out-of-school time learning opportunities; and
building appreciation and demand for the arts. More information and research on these and other related topics can be found at
www.wallacefoundation.org.
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