Ready by 21 Challenge Grants - JC Penney Afterschool Fund Communities
Overview
The Ready by 21 Partners, led by the Forum for Youth Investment and the United Way of America (UWA), with the JC Penney Afterschool Fund, awarded Ready by 21 Challenge grants to two local United Ways to utilize the Ready by 21 Approach to create data-driven plans that build on and coordinate existing efforts to improve out of school (OST) supports to boost youth outcomes in their communities.
The two local United Ways selected for the initial $20,000 challenge grants are the United Way of Greater Richmond and Petersburg (Richmond, VA) and the United Way of Greater Kansas City (Kansas City, MO). During the fall of 2008, both grantees received Ready by 21 training and convened the community change makers required to develop the data-driven plans.
Richmond, VA
With support from the United Way of America, the Forum for Youth Investment and a grant from the JC Penney Afterschool Foundation, the United Way of Greater Richmond & Petersburg and the greater Richmond, Virginia area Partnership for Out of School Time (POST) strategic planning team has developed a community-wide Action Agenda that that will serve as a community-wide blueprint for out-of-school time improvement over the next two years.
POST used the Ready by 21® Approach to build on and coordinate existing efforts to improve the odds for young people. Ready by 21 provides leaders with frameworks, strategies and tools to work together, set big-picture goals, map and align resources and improve accountability and coordination.
Kansas City, MO
The greater Kansas City, Missouri area Children, Youth and Families task force was formed to develop and implement community change strategies that would strengthen measurable results in preparing children for academic success and a productive future. The task force is comprised of leaders from across the community - including local experts, city officials, and representatives from local and national foundations, community organizations, the surrounding school districts and the local community college.
With support from the United Way of America, the Forum for Youth Investment and a grant from the JC Penney Afterschool Foundation, and leadership from the United Way of Greater Kansas City (UWGKC), the Children, Youth and Families task force has built an action plan: "The Community Change Toolbox for Advancing Quality Out-of-School Time". In particular, it sets a community change target of ensuring that more low-income children gain learning and developmental benefits through participation in quality programs.
Grantee Selection & Support
Each site was selected based on a series of requirements including: providing a dedicated staff person for 25% of the time who has experience with youth, data and group facilitation; a successful history with partnerships, alliances and other UW strengths; a history of funding youth programs/youth issues and commitment to raising more; the willingness to develop and maintain technical capacity around data collection via staff or consultants; the commitment to making improved youth outcomes/supports a top communications priority; and demonstrating that the timing is right for UW and community. In addition to the $20,000, each grantee received a 2-day training with Forum/UWA staff for four local United Way staff; 12 hours of coaching, technical assistance and document review; 1-2 on-site support visits, briefings, facilitation and technical assistance; and relevant templates and tools.