A quarterly greeting and update from your U.S. Department of Education Promise Neighborhoods Team:
Welcome to the Summer 2020 Neighborhood Compass!
The summer is upon us. For many of us it has been different than in years past, but hopefully you have been able to find new ways to enjoy this time.
The past several months have been a challenging time for our country. Reflecting upon the underlying reasons for unrest has made us more aware of the importance of the work we all do on behalf of children and youth who are disadvantaged. Our programs in Promise Neighborhoods are important for the success of these children and youth. As stated by Secretary DeVos: “Racism and bigotry have no place in our nation or our world, and racial injustices must come to an end. As a nation, we can and must do better, especially for our children. We must model the behaviors we want them to emulate as we teach them to love and respect one another. It also connects directly to our work. Each day, we strive to ensure all students have equal access to a safe, nurturing, quality learning environment, free from discrimination. We fight to create opportunity for those children and families who are invisible to or forgotten by too many. The diverse perspectives each of you bring to that work is critical to our success.”
Although it’s summer, Promise Neighborhoods are very busy. We are grateful for how Promise Neighborhoods continue to adapt to meet the moment.
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Pictured: U.S. Department of Education program team, including (left to right) Elson Nash, Richard Kress, Adrienne Hawkins, and Norris Dickard.
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The Summer 2020 newsletter explores ways that Promise Neighborhoods are coming together to share their experiences and develop strategic responses to the dual crises of COVID-19 and systemic racism.
Sharing experience. Promise Heights (Baltimore) shared with other grantees their work in the community after the death of Freddie Gray while in police custody in 2015, which involved healing sessions in the community and schools through partnerships with faith leaders and other community organizations. Promise Heights is also currently moving towards recruiting Black vendors for events, being more explicitly anti-racist in their messaging, and appropriately compensating staff and other community members who are contributing to their programming. Baltimore shared extensive resources that can be accessed by grantees on Promise Neighborhoods TTA Community website, GRADS360.
Serving as a convener. Albina-Rockwood Promise Neighborhood (Portland, Oregon) is providing space for meetings with the community, governor, mayor, district attorney, and other leaders. Hayward Promise Neighborhood is supporting leadership development training for community residents who participate on an advisory panel for the Hayward police department.
Building school and community capacity. West Philly Promise Neighborhood is funding a course for school leaders and social workers led by Dr. Sandra Bloom, who developed the Sanctuary Model for trauma-informed care. This course will respond to the protests and unrest, in addition to previously planned content relating to the pandemic. Camden Promise Neighborhood initiated internal conversations to discuss how they can deepen their efforts to tackle systemic racial inequities.
Meeting basic needs. Food insecurity, inequitable access to virtual technologies, and unemployment continue to be challenges for Promise Neighborhoods. Grantees are moving ahead with virtual summer programming, connecting residents with medical and financial resources, and collaborating with local businesses and organizations to expand their reach. Chula Vista Promise Neighborhood is delivering 1,000 meals to families every week and recently received a donation to provide students with laptops and WiFi hotspots to support virtual learning.
The Training and Technical Assistance (TTA) community will continue to host regular Community of Practice meetings with grantees to elevate challenges and solutions. In the meantime, grantees and partners can find resources from their peers and TTA providers in the COVID-19 folder on the Promise Neighborhoods TTA Community website, GRADS360.
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Updates on the latest activities of your Promise Training and Technical Assistance team and selected resources for grantees...
Cradle-to-Career COVID-19 Response Webinars. This summer, the Center for the Study of Social Policy, Harlem Children’s Zone, PolicyLink, StriveTogether, and the Urban Institute are coming together to leverage their unique lenses, provide resources, and highlight expertise from within and outside our networks to support communities. The first few webinars have covered the following topics:
Recordings of the webinars can be accessed in the folders linked above.
Advancing Results Through Case Managers: A Promise Neighborhoods Case Study. This brief explores the role of case managers across Promise Neighborhoods, highlighting cross-cutting practices and trends among 12 current grantees and one former grantee. It finds that grantees primarily use case managers to advance academic results for students, as well as expand the scale and impact of the Promise Neighborhood and advance racial and social equity.
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Highlighting Promise Neighborhoods making the news
Hayward Promise Neighborhood (FY 2011 and FY 2017 Grantee). Coronavirus: One hundred households to get meals in Hayward. The East Bay Times reported on May 6, 2020, that Hayward Promise Neighborhood led an initiative to deliver free meals to 100 households over a five-week time span. This was a joint effort with Tacos Uruapan, a local business. City Councilman Mark Salinas is quoted in the article praising the partnership for achieving three policy goals: “follow the shelter-in-place order, connect families and seniors to food, and as much as possible keep neighborhood businesses open and jobs secure.”
East Lubbock Promise Neighborhood (FY 2012 Grantee). First early college cohort graduates from Estacado High School. This June 9, 2020, article in Everything Lubbock highlights the 47 graduates of Estacado Early College High School, a partnership between Estacado High School and Texas Tech University that was spearheaded by East Lubbock Promise Neighborhood. Students at the Early College are able to earn college credit while still in high school, allowing them to save money on their future degrees. One of the students graduated high school with 53 credit hours from Texas Tech. As early college director Tanny Rodriguez notes, “Those that have already earned college credit are more likely to succeed in college and graduate on time.” While East Lubbock’s federal grant is complete, Promise Neighborhood partners continue to serve students at Estacado High School.
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Opportunities for Funding That May Support or Expand the Impact Promise Neighborhoods Are Making in Their Communities
Guide for nonprofits applying for Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act funding. Independent Sector, with nonprofit law experts Ernst & Young and Shepphard Mullin, developed a guide for nonprofits applying for COVID-19 relief funding. This guide offers tailored information for large nonprofits (500 or more employees) and small nonprofits (<500 employees) and updates the website as new information becomes available.
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Note: Grantees should monitor and consider all relevant COVID-19 updates and changes to upcoming events. Additional webinars and other virtual events are listed in the COVID-19 Weekly Resource Roundups.
NACEDA Summit (October 27-29; St. Paul, Minnesota). The National Alliance of Community Economic Development Associations (NACEDA) is hosting a peer-learning event for community development networks across the country. This is an opportunity to find out how state and regional networks are increasing the capacity of place-based nonprofits and learn about policies, practices, and partnerships that advance prosperity in low-income communities.
Promise Neighborhoods National Network (Virtual) Conference. Due to the ongoing uncertainty regarding COVID-19, we have decided to shift the 2020 conference from in-person to a virtual event. The event will be held during the first week of December. More details regarding this change to come soon. If you have any questions, please contact the Promise Neighborhoods Technical Assistance team at PromiseTA@urban.org.
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