August and September Grant Making Activity with a Spotlight on Juma Ventures
November 1, 2011
by Catherine Covington
Poverty can create and sustain a vicious cycle. Children who grow up in poverty are more likely to have low earnings as adults, increasing the likelihood that they will remain poor and raise their children in poverty. Our entire economy and society, as a whole, is affected by this cycle. At RSF, we believe that human beings are at the center of all economic processes in an interdependent global economy, and as such, we are particularly interested in programs or initiatives that address root causes which cause deep economic inequities.
A recent grantee, Juma Ventures, is committed to helping break the cycle of poverty by ensuring that young people complete a four-year college degree. Located in San Francisco, Juma was founded in 1993 with an initial focus on giving homeless youth the job experience they needed to transition from living on the streets to enjoying a living wage and stable adulthood. The first job offered through the program was scooping ice cream at a Ben & Jerry’s Scoop Shop in San Francisco, making Juma the first non-profit organization in the U.S. to be awarded a corporate business franchise!
Juma teenagers getting ready to work at the ballgame
Now Juma has grown from primarily offering job-training and placement into a comprehensive, award-winning youth development program considered one of the premier social enterprise programs in the country. It currently operates seven social enterprise programs in three cities, employing more than 160 youth annually. In addition to employment support, Juma offers two other program components: Asset Building and Financial Literacy and College Services. Through its Asset Building Program, Juma operates an innovative strategy to address social inequities through asset-building with Individual Development Accounts (IDA) for youth along with financial literacy training. Its College Program includes hands-on support at every step of the college selection and application process and not only helps teens gain admission to college but also helps ensure they thrive once they get there.
Working in the stands
Since 1993, Juma has served more than 2,500 teens who have earned in excess of $1.4 million in wages to fund their college educations and successfully transition into a productive adulthood. Juma empowers youth to build the life skills, financial assets, and academic skills they need to succeed in college and beyond. To learn more about Juma Ventures and its programs, please check out their website.
A group of Juma workers pose for the camera
During the months of August and September, RSF’s donor advisors recommended over 50 grants from their Donor Advised Funds for a total disbursement amount of $472,046.48! Donor Advised Funds are a unique charitable giving vehicle offered by RSF that allow donors to make tax-deductible contributions to RSF and then recommend grants from their fund to qualified nonprofit organizations of their choice. A donor can be an individual, group, family, corporation, trust, or a foundation, and they benefit from access to RSF’s innovative Impact Investment Portfolios. Unlike other Donor Advised Fund investment programs, a donor’s contribution is invested directly in enterprises and funds with core social and environmental missions to ensure greater mission-alignment and the deepest impact possible.
August and September 2011 Grantees
Ecological Stewardship
Amazon Watch
Catskill Mountainkeeper
Collective Heritage Institute
Friends of the David Sheldrick
Green For All
International Humanities Center
Education & the Arts
Anthroposophical Society in America
Association of Waldorf Schools
Berkshire Taconic Branch
Camphill Special Schools – Beaver Run
Center for Mind Body Medicine
Charter Foundation
Christian Community – Taconic
Christian Community Central
Christian Community in North America Central Fund
Collective Heritage Institute
Community Foundation of Tompkins County
David Brower Center
Freunde der Erziehungskunst
Friends of CRAFT, Inc.
George Mark Children’s Home
Global Purpose
GreatNonProfits
International Humanities Center
Juma Ventures
Lakeside Preschool
Marin Community Foundation
Pathfinder International
Roshni Association
Southwest Research and Information Center
Spirit Rock Meditation Center
The Christian Community -Sac.
University of Maine
Waldorf School of the Peninsula
Yuba River Charter School
Food & Agriculture
Biodynamic Farming & Gardening
Cobscook Bay Resource Center
Community Food Security Coalition
Cultivating Community
Food Project, Inc.
Food Project, Inc.
Grow Food
Just Food
Michael Fields Agricultural Institute
Organic Farming Research Foundation
San Francisco Food Bank
Third Sector New England
Social Finance
Bread for the Journey International
Bread for the Journey of Marin County
Slow Money
Other
New York City Fair Trade Coalition
Rescue Inc.
Threshold Foundation
United States Fund for UNICEF
- Published by Marta Abel
- Categories: Blog, Giving, Grantee, RSF Culture
No Comments »
No comments yet.
Leave a comment