New Orleans, LA | October 24, 2012 — In New Orleans almost one in two children under the age of 5 lives at or below the federal poverty level.* To help address this issue, the Greater New Orleans Foundation, in partnership with the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, formed an initiative called Stand Up for Our Children. It identifies and invests in nonprofit organizations that train parents to develop leadership skills that enable them to become more effective advocates for their children.
“All parents want what’s best for their children and these grants are helping their voices be heard,” said Albert Ruesga, president and CEO of the Greater New Orleans Foundation. “Parents are the best change agents when it comes to improving conditions for their children.”
“The Greater New Orleans Foundation was a natural choice to partner with because they know the nonprofits on the frontlines working tirelessly to improve the lives of young vulnerable children,” said William Buster, program director at the W.K. Kellogg Foundation.
A total of $575,366 was awarded to the following 10 organizations for their success working with parents and advocating for families.
Birthing Project of New Orleans was awarded $46,996 to support its Healthy Parents, Healthy Communities program which pairs mentors with parents to-be to promote healthy birth outcomes.
City of New Orleans Health Department was awarded $50,000 for its Healthy Start New Orleans which offers health education programs to parents.
Louisiana Children’s Museum was awarded $50,000 to support Word Play which teaches parents school-readiness skills so that children are prepared for school.
Neighborhoods Partnership Network was awarded $50,000 for its Parents First Campaign in three targeted neighborhoods: Village De L’Est, Central City, and Broadmoor.
Orleans Public Education Network was awarded $130,500 to implement the national Parent Leadership Training Institute model and to support its neighborhood engagement strategy.
Planned Parenthood Gulf Coast was awarded $50,000 to support a network of agencies that partner with parents to improve long-term health outcomes.
Puentes was awarded $50,000 to support its partnership with Families in Schools to increase the school-readiness of Latino children.
Total Community Action was awarded $47,870 to support the Total Family Parent Empowerment and Leadership Initiative.
United Way of Southeast Louisiana was awarded $50,000 to support its work in licensing family child care homes so that all environments promote healthy development.
Urban League of Greater New Orleans was awarded $50,000 to establish PRIDE Leadership Academy to increase awareness of early childhood issues.
In addition to receiving grants, all the organizations in the Stand Up for Our Children Initiative will participate in a learning community designed to share knowledge, foster coalitions and alliances in this work, and document lessons learned.
The second round of grants from the Stand Up for Our Children Initiative will be in 2013.
*Source: LSU/Tulane Early Childhood Policy and Data Center
For more information regarding the Stand Up for Our Children Initiative, please call Flint Mitchell, program officer at the Greater New Orleans Foundation at (504) 598-4663.
About the Greater New Orleans Foundation
The Greater New Orleans Foundation is the community foundation serving the 13-parish Greater New Orleans region. We design and lead initiatives that improve the region, connect donors to community needs, identify and support great nonprofits, and strengthen civil society. dev.gnof.org
About the W.K. Kellogg Foundation
The Kellogg Foundation is based in Battle Creek, Mich., and works throughout the United States and internationally. Special emphasis is paid to priority places where there are high concentrations of poverty and where children face significant barriers to success. WKKF priority places in the U.S. are in Michigan, Mississippi, New Mexico and New Orleans; and internationally, are in Mexico and Haiti. For more information, visit www.wkkf.org.
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