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A Few Words with Regina McGraw - March 2009


Each month, SmartLink introduces a leader from a SmartLink issue or foundation.  In this series of brief, candid interviews, the leader offers his or her advice for donors looking to make a difference in a particular field or in response to a particular circumstance.

This A Few Words With offers reflections and advice from Regina McGraw, executive director of the Wieboldt Foundation in Chicago.  Among other things, SmartLink asked Regina:  How do donors and foundation leaders, especially those committed to working in low-income communities, regroup after their own philanthropic dollars are dramatically reduced? Read More…

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Welcome to SmartLink!
A program of the Neighborhood Funders Group

SmartLink is your one-stop-shop for free and useful ideas and insights, created just for donors, foundation trustees and others who give locally, to neighborhoods and communities.

SmartLink solves your toughest giving problem: it helps you learn who is building strong communities, what is working to make a difference, and how to connect your giving (whether modest or substantial) to the most effective ideas and projects. Connect, with just a few clicks! Among the treasures you will find here are candid profiles of donors and small foundations from all over the country, making a difference on a range of issues in their communities. With a few clicks on the left navigation menu, you can search briefs and tools focused on six key issues.

Don't stop there, drill deeper to explore action- and results-oriented topics and strategies. We won't tell you where to give; instead, SmartLink makes your giving smarter and more focused on making a difference. Please note: SmartLink is not a grantmaker.

In the News

  • Public schools in the United States are becoming more racially segregated and the trend is likely to accelerate because of a Supreme Court decision in June, according to a report recently released by the Civil Rights Project of the University of California, Los Angeles. Read More...
  • Annie E. Casey Foundation releases 2009 Kids Count Read More...
  • America's Children: Key National Indicators of Well-Being, 2007, is a collection of sophisticated data at state and national levels to share information on child well-being in the U.S.   Provided by the Forum on Child and Family Statistics, a public-private entity, this information is used to inform policy makers and the public alike.  Read More...

Facts & Figures

  • One year after the storms, the City of New Orleans black population decreased by 57%, while its white population declined by 36%.
  • Federal assistance to very low-income households reaches only about one-quarter of eligible renters and virtually no homeowners.
  • The costs of hurricane destruction in K-12 and higher education were estimated at $6.2 billion, but only $1.2 billion in federal funding had been committed to restoring physical structures and property.
  • More than 11 million parents lack health insurance, most of whom are not eligible for coverage under Medicaid