"Framing" Youth Issues

In a previous post, I mentioned the work of the Frameworks Institute and how their concepts can be integrated into grant messaging. I was reminded of their approach to youth issues and the power of narrative to sway a reader's perceptions - when I saw a recent Boston Globe article on an innovative anti-violence initiative:

A $26m try to tame city's crime hot spots
New program's workers may have rough pasts
By Maria Cramer
Globe Staff / December 4, 2008

The Boston Foundation and city officials are preparing to flood a 1.5-square-mile section of the city with massive crime-fighting resources over the next six years, pinpointing about 2,000 young criminals who they believe drive more than three-quarters of the city's violence.

The $26 million effort, which will be formally announced later this month, will dispatch 25 new street workers - or "violence interrupters" - into five neighborhoods along or near Blue Hill Avenue, to make contact with gang members and try to defuse conflicts.

Unlike street workers hired by the city, these interrupters will not be disqualified if they have a criminal past. This background, community leaders say, could deepen their understanding of what drives people to crime and give the workers more credibility with young people caught up in violence.

The street workers, who have yet to be hired, would be clustered in areas of Roxbury, the South End, Lower Roxbury, and Dorchester, where 78 percent of the city's shootings and homicides occur.

"This thing has a lot of ambitions, but it is very sharply focused on achieving sharp reductions in murders, aggravated assaults, and robberies in these communities," said Paul S. Grogan, president of The Boston Foundation, which is putting $1 million a year of its own money toward the effort. "That's what this thing is all about."

One of the lessons that I took from my experience with Frameworks is the importance of establishing the proper "frame" for the audience - a lens through which they will interpret all of the messages you communicate to them. For example, when dealing with youth issues, it's important to establish an initial message that "these are good kids who need help and we all benefit when they benefit" ... otherwise, people will apply their own biases - such as "why should I help these bad kids with bad parents" or "if we just lock all of these kids up, that would help us more." In the case of the above article, the Globe writer is not tasked with what a grant writer would do (advocate for this program), rather, her job is to provoke as much reader interest as possible - and as a result, the article plays into the hands of those who would see the worst in youth. For example, the article's subheading is immediately provocative and pejorative:

New program's workers may have rough pasts

Through this simple phrase (known as a "tease"), the author has emphasized criminality rather than the program's essence or planned outcomes. Readers are primed to hear about shady folks who stand to benefit from whatever this program is selling ... and they're also primed not to "buy" it. The next several sentences feature enough buzzwords to ensure that even hardened readers shudder when thinking about this program:

flood
crime-fighting
young criminals
violence (x3)
criminal past

So, even though the article goes on to point out all of the good works that are planned by this innovative program - including job training and street outreach - the horse has already left the barn. The readers have received the message loud and clear: another multi-million dollar boondoggle for poor, undeserving criminals. And the comments at the site are sprinkled with the angry rantings of those gleeful to capitalize on the opportunity to blast away at yet another misguided social program:

Another waist of money. Of course those liars will still all the resources again and put our young people in jail while they feed their children.
by Frteixeira

25 street workers - $26 Million - That is about $1 Mill each. - Is this job limited to Hacks, or can anyone apply?
by WJ-1

The reason there keeps being kids like this, initative after initative, is that they come from bad families. So the bad parents breed bad children. Throw as much money as you want at it, the crime reduction will only be temporary until a new generation of dragged-up thugs is born.
by thisisdumb09

Excellent!!! I can't think of a better way to whiz away 26 million dollars
by hugo

$26 million to pay criminals to deal with other criminals and criminal types? Why not put the money into arresting and convicting gangbangers with guns and arresting and deporting illegals who commit criminal acts in Boston's neighborhoods?
by SweetScarlette-1

This article demonstrates just how important it is to lead with a positive "frame" and introduce concepts with potential negative connotations in as careful a manner as possible. Fortunately, most grant writers will never have their proposals read by reviewers like the Globe's commenters; however, the lesson is clear that function can follow form. Take care to organize your message in the most effective manner, lest you lose your audience before they hear what you have to say.

NBA Cares - Sort Of

I've had no success in connecting with NBA player charities, and this article details some of the reasons why it may be more difficut to tap an athlete's charitable foundation than a traditional funding source:

Via Salt Lake Tribune

an analysis by The Salt Lake Tribune of hundreds of tax documents filed by NBA player charities has found these foundations face a dizzying array of problems, especially those set up by the athletes themselves, without outside expertise.

Among the findings of The Tribune's analysis of 89 stand-alone NBA player charities: Together, they reported revenue of at least $31 million between 2005 and 2007, but only about 44 cents of every dollar raised - or $14 million of that $31 million - actually reached needy causes. The average NBA player foundation put just 51 cents of each dollar it spent toward charitable programs, well below the 65 cents most philanthropic watchdog groups view as acceptable. Tax records show budgets are quickly eaten up by poor planning and administrative costs.

Some of the common problems include failure to hire professional help, hiring inexperienced relatives as foundation managers, or just plain lack of oversight:

Denver Nuggets shooting guard Dahntay Jones' charity, devoted to providing college scholarships and mentoring, took in $9,795 in 2005 and lost $8,102 in 2006. Charity vice president and Jones' mother, Joanne Jones, said a death in the family forced the organization to cancel its big annual fundraiser one year. "There's so much competition out there," she explained, citing fundraising, paperwork and finding volunteers all as challenges. "We can't afford to pay [staff] because we're trying to pay money into it so we can give scholarships out."

[...]

More than two-thirds of player-run foundation filing IRS forms between 2005 and 2007 had family members, friends or past sports associates on their boards. In several cases, the boards were made up entirely of family members. "They are all illegal," said Marc Pollick of the Giving Back Fund. "The IRS just doesn't have the arms to go after everybody."

If you've got a line on a relationship with an NBA player, that may be your best bet at scoring a grant or donation. Otherwise, it's most likely that your proposal or letter of inquiry will just wind up languishing in a pile on a desk somewhere.

Educational Funding in Massachusetts

Two interesting articles on the state of educational funding in the state of Massachusetts. The first comes from Fall River, where they are considering the once-unthinkable: applying for waivers to convert operating-funded positions to grant-funded.

Via Herald News

Acting Superintendent Meg Mayo-Brown said the district’s Title 1 amendment application was submitted in late November and is under review by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. She said ESE employees were expected to begin the process last Friday, but that meeting was postponed due to the impending snowstorm and Gov. Deval Patrick’s decision to keep all non-essential state employees home. The district is seeking grant amendments that would allow it to shave $740,000 from the school district’s operating costs by moving some positions out of the general budget and into grant-funded programs. The move was approved by the School Committee as one method to eliminate a $3.9 million shortfall.

Next, an article talking about how funding for charter schools - and traditional public schools - may be drying up quickly:

From the Gloucester Times

The recession gripping the country promises to stretch the state budget and thin the stream of education dollars that fund charter schools and bolster local spending on traditional public schools.

At the same time, Gov. Deval Patrick's administration continues to work toward an ambitious new wide-ranging education plan, already facing serious questions about affordability, that calls for the creation of new public schools similar to charters, but little mention of new charters themselves.

This winter the state is slated to rule on three applications for new charter schools — including the proposed Gloucester Community Arts Charter School — the smallest number of finalists for new charters in seven years.

As in most years, the proposals are facing loud opposition from teachers unions, school superintendents and local elected officials who warn of severe cuts to existing schools and municipal services if more charters are created. Cities and towns are already bracing for cuts in local aid from the state for the next fiscal year and are fearful that midyear cuts could scramble their current budgets.

A Few Quick Hitters

I receive quite a few newsletter emails from quite a few organizations dedicated to effective grant writing. The monthly missive from TGCI is often helpful, and I particulalrly liked a few things that Jane Hexter had to say about a foundation's giving history. The first item is a nice point about annual giving patterns:

How many organizations did they give to in the
most recent year?
If a foundation gave more than 30 grants it shows a pretty broad giving base. If it gave more than 60 grants I take it as a good sign that it gave broadly and is pretty amenable to entertaining proposals from organizations that it may not have given to in the past. On the other hand, if it just gave to 10 or so organizations, a little flare shoots up for me. Some foundations can even give out large amounts of money but disbursed to just a few, very lucky grantees. Either way, it indicates that the decisionmaking process rests with the strong preferences of a few board members.

She makes another great point about multi-year commitments:

Do they give multi-year grants?
Take a look and see if they give multi-year grants. Sometimes these are listed on the 990. It will say something like “$50,000 as part of a three year $150,000 commitment.” It’s helpful to know this [...] you can see how much of their funds are already committed. For example, a local foundation in my neck of the woods once made a large, multi-year commitment to build a museum that severely curtailed its other giving. This is particularly significant given the economic climate because as foundation portfolios and giving shrinks, they will endeavor to maintain their multi-year commitments - meaning that there might not be much left in the pot for your project.

All that being said, I'm a big fan of submitting proposals to longshot foundations - particularly if they're a longshot due to temporary circumstances (like an endowment loss). Getting a rejection letter isn't always a bad thing; submitting your proposal brings your organization to the attention of the trustees, and may give you an advantage in subsequent years ("these folks have been consistently persistent, why don't I give them a call"). Submitting a proposal and getting rejected can also be used as a jumping-off point - you can call the foundation for feedback on your proposal and start a dialogue about what they're looking for, and you can now send them collateral materials throughout the next year promoting your good work.

More Madoff Blowback

The string of charities destroyed by Madoff's Ponzi shenanigans continues ... of course, some of these charities were "built" by Madoff's "returns" in the first place, so it may be a case of "live by the sword and die by the sword":

Via The Boston Globe

On Friday, the unfolding scandal claimed the Picower Foundation of Palm Beach, Fla., one of the largest educational benefactors in the country. The $952 million foundation, which has ceased making grants, funded groundbreaking research at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard Medical School.

In the same article, Globe correspondents Ross Kerber and Hinda Mandell speak to that rarest of all species: a charity manager who resisted the urge to invest with Madoff:

Earlier this year, the American Jewish Committee got a feeler from Bernard L. Madoff: Would it care to invest some of its $90 million endowment with the storied New York investment manager? The organization's investment committee took a pass, said spokesman Kenneth Bandler, because Madoff wouldn't provide enough information about how he achieved such steady, high returns. "We dodged that bullet," Bandler said.

The true wisdom appears in the lone comment on the article:

Bottom line..If its too good to be true IT IS listen to your inner voice ...

Framing Grants

From time to time I will discuss strategic framing in this space. I was turned on to framing at a Boston workshop run by the Frameworks Institute last year, and I'm a true believer. What is framing? According to the Institute's website, "the way an issue is framed explains who is responsible, and suggests potential solutions conveyed by images, stereotypes, messengers, and metaphors." Basically, it's a fresh way of thinking about what's the best way to present a your message to your audience.

I primarily write proposals for youth development and education programs, and the Frameworks Institute provides some unique insights as to which messages play well with general audiences and which ones do not. When messaging about children (or any other public policy issue), the overarching principle is to emphasize the "public-ness" of the problem at hand. Instead of trying to elicit an emotional or empathic response, get your audience to understand that there is a collective benefit to solving the problem.

Why does this approach (supposedly) work? Audiences are, by and large, predisposed to believe that most childrens' issues are primarily correlated to the effectiveness of parenting: if parents are responsible, hard-working and moral, their kids will do well. It naturally follows from this assumption that problems associated with "troubled kids" stem from irresponsible, lazy parents ... and even if people feel badly for the kids, they will recoil from the idea that they should have to cough up cash to pay for the mistakes these parents made. Strategic messaging that changes the dominant theme (the "frame") of the discussion from "these kids have bad parents and need your help" to "when disadvantaged kids engage in positive youth development, they become a positive force in the community that benefits all of us" will make your proposals stronger and more accessible to a broader audience of readers.

While the Frameworks Institute is primarily concerned with mass media campaigns that influence public opinion, I believe their approach is tremendously relevant to proposal writing. Over the next few months, I'll discuss several of the Institute's findings on messaging for youth issues, and provide examples of how I've integrated their recommendations into my writing.

WriteNow: Wal-Mart Foundation

The deadline for the final round of the first year of Wal-Mart's State Giving grants is December 19th. This program represents a major shift in giving for the Wal-Mart Foundation, which until recently only made grants to national organizations and provided funds to local stores for small sponsorships ($100 - $2,500 range). While I have not dug into their gift list, some of the awards for the State Giving program have been quite substantial. This gift was announced in a press release yesterday:

Via Marketwatch

Responding to an unprecedented crisis in Ohio's emergency food network and recognizing the struggle of Ohio families to pay their utility bills this winter, the Wal-Mart Foundation today announced a $300,000 grant to the Ohio Association of Second Harvest Foodbanks (OASHF), Ohio's largest charitable response to hunger, and a $100,000 grant to the Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP), a federally funded program administered by the Ohio Department of Development to help low-income Ohioans pay their utility bills.

It appears that state giving councils are given roughly $100k-$500k to give each quarter, depending on the size of the state and Wal-Mart's presence there (and where isn't Wal-Mart present?). Here's the September announcement of grants for Washington state:

Again, Via Marketwatch

Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. and the Wal-Mart Foundation have announced the organizations that have received the first grants in the new State Giving Program in Washington state. The total amount of the grants is $307,000. This program is intended to support non-profit organizations with unmet needs that are not currently addressed by existing programs. Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. and the Wal-Mart Foundation have a history of supporting the communities they serve.
"We are proud to be able to support these worthy organizations and recognize their considerable contributions to our communities," said Jennifer Spall, Wal-Mart senior manager for public affairs and government relations. "The Washington State Giving Program is a way to really focus our contributions and make them count."

The State Giving programs cropped up soon after Margaret McKenna (photo above, right) was named President of the Wal-Mart Foundation. Formerly President of Lesley University, McKenna pledged to make sweeping changes in Wal-Mart's giving strategy and it appears she has done so.