CWG Receives Kellogg Grant for Work with Women, Children, Families

By Lisa James

The University�s Center for Women in Government was awarded a $600,000/four-year grant from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation for the Center�s Nonprofit Initiative. The purpose of the initiative is to advance collaborative learning between nonprofit organizations that work on issues related to women, children and families; regional voluntary sector activists; government policy makers; business representatives; and the University.

The award is part of the W.K. Kellogg Foundation�s "Philanthropy and Volunteerism in Higher Education Initiative" program. Only 18 universities or educational consortia throughout the United States received this prestigious grant. "The Initiative bridges the worlds of practice and higher education in critical areas of nonprofit management and leadership and expands the Rockefeller College of Public Affairs and Policy�s service to the broader community," said Judith Saidel, executive director of the Center for Women in Government.

Among the groups which have worked closely with the Center to help win the grant are the State Communities Aid Association, Statewide Emergency Network for Social and Economic Security, NYS Coalition Against Domestic Violence, and NYS Coalition Against Sexual Assault. "The Center is fortunate to have these outstanding associations as partners," said Margery Saunders, project director. "We look forward to working with them and other Capital Region voluntary sector leaders on this visionary new project." As founding members of the Nonprofit Education Initiative Consortium, the statewide associations will help launch the Initiative. After the first year, new members will be encouraged to join the Consortium. Center for Women in Government Fellows on Women and Public Policy will work in different statewide associations over the life of the project and serve as Consortium liaisons.

The Nonprofit Education Initiative will offer new credit and noncredit courses in three key areas� public policy education, technological issues and competence in nonprofit organizations, and nonprofit management and leadership. Co-curricular activities will include policy and management roundtables that bring together policy makers and managers from government, the voluntary sector, business, and higher education to think through pressing cross-sector issues.

In addition, the Initiative will offer an annual knowledge exchange forum for practitioners and researchers to identify issues in need of research and to share recent research findings. A community and University Advisory Group will guide the activities of the Initiative.