The GreenLight Fund has selected the Family Independence Initiative (FII) as its fifth portfolio organization.  GreenLight will provide $800,000 and other support to FII over four years and joins a coalition of funders behind the program's move to the city, including Boston Rising and The Boston Foundation.

GreenLight arrives at the selection of FII after a nine-month selection process that focused on innovative approaches to helping low-income families achieve financial security.  These families have been particularly hard hit by the economic recession, and their ranks have grown with the housing bust and high unemployment rates.

Founded in Oakland, CA, in 2002, FII's mission is to create an opportunity rich environment that invests resources in low-income communities based on the strengths and initiatives families demonstrate to improve their lives and those of others in their communities.

FII's work is based on the belief that this country can reduce poverty by helping very low-income working families move to a more stable middle class status if the responsibility and resources for change are shifted to the very families who experience poverty.

FII provides families computers, access to small amounts of capital, and connections to opportunities.  FII challenges low-income families to develop their own solutions and move their own agendas, with the support of family, friends and each other. 

In FII's first eight years working in Oakland, Hawaii and San Francisco, families have demonstrated resilience and resourcefulness, and have made significant progress in helping themselves and creating a positive ripple effect in their greater communities.  In Oakland, FII's first site, average household income increased by 26%, savings increased 144% and nine of 25 families purchased homes in the first two years.  In San Francisco, average household income increased 20.9% over the first 15 months of the program.  Among 36 adults, six new businesses were started.  Out of 16 families, two bought homes.

"FII is one of the most innovative approaches we've seen to how our community and country can address poverty," said GreenLight Fund Executive Director Margaret Hall."We believe FII has huge potential for how we, other funders, nonprofits and policy-makers work to help low-income families make lasting economic progress."

2010 VCs vs. Entrepreneurs Golf Tournament Raises a Record $230,000 for the GreenLight Portfolio

Under sunny skies and warm temperatures on June 15, entrepreneurs and VCs gathered at The International golf club in Bolton, MA, to compete in the sixth annual VCs vs. Entrepreneurs Golf Tournament.  The tournament, benefitting GreenLight's portfolio organizations, raised a record amount of over $230,000.  These funds will go directly to support the work of Friends of the Children-Boston, Raising A Reader-MA, Peer Health Exchange and Youth Villages' Transitional Living program.  

The entrepreneurs won back the trophy from last year's winners, the VCs, in a 45.5 to 35.5 victory.  While the entrepreneurs were victorious, a great day was had by all complete with a silent auction and a cocktail reception that included scotch and cigar tastings sponsored by The Glenlivet and Luis Tiant as well as mini-massages courtesy of Sports Club/LA. 

Special thanks to in-kind sponsors Bowne of Boston, Monderer Design, Tesla Motors, The Glenlivet and Sports Club/LA.

To view photos from the event, click here. 

2010 GreenLight Gala: Spotlight on FII

The sixth annual GreenLight Gala will be held on Thursday, September 16 at The Colonnade Boston Hotel.  The Gala will showcase GreenLight's newest addition to its portfolio, Family Independence Initiative (FII). 

Please contact Melanie Damsker at 671.252.2815 or mdamsker@greenlightfund.org for sponsorship opportunities and more information.

Click here for more details about this year's Gala.

Raising A Reader-MA Expands to Brockton, Lowell

Raising A Reader-MA (RAR-MA) continues its growth in Massachusetts this fall by expanding into Brockton and Lowell.The Brockton expansion is funded by the Edith Click Shoolman Foundation while the Lowell program is supported by the United Way of Massachusetts Bay and Merrimack Valley.

With this expansion, RAR-MA will now be reaching 14 communities including Boston, Cambridge, Chelsea, East Boston, Everett, Lawrence, Malden, Medford, Revere, Somerville, Stoneham and Winthrop.

To visit the RAR-MA website, click here.

The Boston Foundation (TBF) forum on June 30, Human Services in Massachusetts: Maximizing the Value of Our Human Services Dollars, featured Youth Villages' Massachusetts State Manager Matt Stone as a panelist. 

The forum is part of the Foundation's Utility of Trouble series, which is exploring the opportunities presented by the economic downturn. "The current economic climate impels us to closely examine how to manage our resources and look for changes that reduce costs," said Paul Grogan, president and CEO of TBF.  "When we find potential savings that are aligned with better services, it forms a compelling case for reform."

The forum focused on the presentations of two reports released by The Boston Foundation making the case that vulnerable clients of the state's Office of Human Services can be better served by changes that also promise significant savings in government costs.

As a panelist, Matt provided Youth Villages' Intercept program as an example of how it is possible to achieve better outcomes for children and families, while saving costs in human services. Youth Villages' Intercept program specializes in diverting youth from foster care and other state out-of-home placements by helping their families safely maintain youth in their home environment. Intercept also focuses on reunifying youth who are already in a residential treatment facility or foster home setting.

Marylou Sudders, president of the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children and a former commissioner of the Department of Mental Health, moderated the panel discussion which also included Hon. Barbara L'Italien, vice chair of the House Ways and Means Committee; Angelo McClain, commissioner of the Massachusetts Department of Children and Families; and Christine Lewis Shane, assistant professor at Fitchburg State College.