Partners in Action: Case Studies
CHILD WELFARE:
A Lifeline for Foster Youth
California Permanency for Youth Project (CPYP)
Oakland, CA
For a child in foster care, each passing year means less hope for a permanent home and family. Research shows that by age eight, the probability of adoption dwindles to almost zero. As these foster youth grow older and more isolated, their prospects become increasingly bleak, leading to lifelong struggles with homelessness, unemployment, victimhood or crime.
Founded in 2003, The California Permanency for Youth Project has a mission to insure that no youth leave foster care without a lifelong permanent connection to a caring and committed adult. CPYP launched its work in four California counties - San Mateo, Alameda, Stanislaus and Monterey - by providing technical assistance to the agencies to shift their practice and policies to support permanence for youth and older children in the Child Welfare system.
In just a few short years, CPYP has changed the hearts of social workers throughout the state, convincing them that permanency is a realistic goal for all foster youth. It has sparked a nationwide movement for permanency and is working closely with Casey Family Services to launch a National Center on Youth Permanency. At the public policy level, CPYP has influenced legislation to provide lifelong connections for youth in foster care.
The Stuart Foundation helped launch CPYP with a three-year grant and has been active in its national convenings on permanency for youth. We recently extended our grant for two years in order to support CPYP's expansion ten more counties, as well as its capacity-building efforts at both the state and national levels.
www.cpyp.org
www.cpyp.org
YOUTH & COMMUNITIES:
A Bridge to Success
Business United in Investing, Lending and Development (BUILD)
Menlo Park, CA
Silicon Valley is home to one of the largest concentrations of wealth, intellectual capital and entrepreneurial talent in the world. Yet some of its own communities are beset with crime, poverty and lack of educational opportunities for youth.
BUILD bridges the gap between these two worlds. Founded in 1999, BUILD provides robust, real-world entrepreneurial training and mentoring to high school students living in the underserved communities of Silicon Valley.
BUILD students commit to rigorous, year-long courses in business and entrepreneurship designed to develop their academic, public speaking and team building skills. Students then learn how to package their BUILD experience for maximum impact on college applications, essays and interviews. The program culminates each summer with a business plan competition; winning teams are rewarded with seed money for their fledgling businesses.
The achievement of BUILD students has been remarkable and consistent. SAT performance among participants has increased by an average of 157 points. More importantly, every BUILD graduate from 2002 and 2003 is attending college.
Over the past two years, Stuart Foundation has provided BUILD with $160,000 in grants to expand its program to other communities. In addition to financial assistance, Stuart Foundation has helped BUILD forge partnerships with other Stuart Foundation grantees, including Young Entrepreneurs at Haas (YEAH) and College Track.
www.build.org
EDUCATION:
In Support of the Whole Child
Developmental Studies Center
Oakland, CA
Child development studies indicate that intellectual, social, emotional and ethical development are interdependent. If one or more of these dimensions is deficient, a child's potential is diminished. Yet few schools are prepared to take on the nurturing and development of the whole child.
For more than 20 years, Developmental Studies Center's (DSC) elementary school programs have taken an integrated approach to building academic skills while cultivating such character-related qualities as fairness, respect, helpfulness and personal responsibility.
DSC has made great strides in strengthening students' math, literacy and critical thinking skills. Its programs have also had a positive impact on students' social and ethical development - an impact that has been shown to endure through at least the middle school years.
On the heels of this success, DSC has adopted a market-driven dissemination strategy that has successfully shifted its funding base from foundation grants to a mix of grants and earned income. In just five years, the organization's earned income has grown from $400,000 to over $9 million annually.
Stuart Foundation has maintained a successful partnership with DSC for nearly two decades, providing more than $4.9 million in grants for program development and dissemination.
www.devstu.org
