Economic Security

Weekly Round-Up: News and Analysis on Women and Poverty (Week ending March 6, 2009)

Posted on by The Spotlight and Opportunity Team

Spotlight on Poverty and Opportunity, a national foundation-led initiative, is excited to collaborate with The Women’s Foundation to bring you the latest news and analysis on women and poverty.

Spotlight is the go-to site for news and ideas about fighting poverty. And every Friday, look for our weekly rundown of the top news stories on women and poverty.

Here’s this week’s news:

• As reported in the Boston Globe, a Massachusetts cardinal is defending a collaboration between the church and a local health provider that provides abortions along with its other services. The cardinal is stating that abortions will not be provided in church-supported facilities and the poor will benefit from the partnership.

• The Miami Herald focuses on a local migrant’s daughter who recently won a scholarship to attend college.

• A Milwaukee Journal Sentinel editorial argues that local programs providing education and medical care to low-income pregnant women will need more funding to counteract the city’s high infant mortality rate among minorities.

• The Providence Journal profiles an obstetrical nurse who, having once been pregnant while homeless herself, is devoting time to educating at-risk girls.

• The Dallas Morning News covers a hospital with a much lower rate of premature births than the national average.  It has achieved strong results through providing comprehensive prenatal care to a mostly low-income clientele.

• In an article on parents about to lose a childcare subsidy in Arizona, the Associated Press interviews a working mother expecting to struggle without the help.

• A Philadelphia area researcher has given cameras to impoverished mothers to chronicle American hunger, as reported by the Associated Press.

To learn more about Spotlight, visit www.spotlightonpoverty.org.  To sign up for our weekly updates with the latest news, opinion and research from around the country, click here.

The Spotlight on Poverty and Opportunity Team

Spotlight on Poverty and Opportunity is a foundation-led, non-partisan initiative aimed at ensuring that our political leaders take significant actions to reduce poverty and increase opportunity in the United States. We bring together diverse perspectives from the political, policy, advocacy and foundation communities to engage in an ongoing dialogue focused on finding genuine solutions to the economic hardship confronting millions of Americans.

Seeing the stimulus package through a gender lens.

Posted on by Lisa Kays

Today, the Chicago Foundation for Women released its analysis of how the economic stimulus package will impact women.

It’s findings?  Some of the big wins for women are:

  • To reduce job cuts for educators and teachers, nearly $45 billion was allocated to the Department of Education.
  • Medicaid, which supports the health of more than 20 million women, will receive $87 billion.
  • Temporary Assistance for Needy Families received $1.1 billion, as well as $20 billion to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (formerly Food Stamps).
  • Community child care got $2 billion and child support enforcement received $1 billion, both of which help single mothers thrive.

More of their analysis can be found here.

The Chicago Foundation for Women conducted this analysis through its role as part of the Women’s Economic Security Collaborative, which Washington Area Women’s Foundation is also proud to be a part of.  The Collaborative’s goal is to find and implement effective strategies to raise awareness about policies impacting women’s financial independence.

Chicago’s analysis today is a great start to this work and we look forward to our work with the Collaborative to further encourage examinations of national policies and practices through a gender lens.

Because we know, as do all other women’s funds throughout the world, that when you see policies through the eyes of women, you envision better policies–and end results–for everyone.

Lisa Kays is The Women’s Foundation’s Director of Communications.

Grantee Partner's affordable, healthy catering options in demand during recession.

Posted on by Lisa Kays

Times are tough for most catering companies these days, but not for one of The Women’s Foundation’s Grantee Partners, Through the Kitchen Door, the Los Angeles Times reported yesterday.

Founded by Liesel Flashenberg, Through the Kitchen Door trains low-income women, at-risk teens and, more recently, domestic violence survivors, in catering skills, as well as the trick of affordable cooking that is still healthy, delicious and attractive to the eye.

Something in high demand as the recession takes hold and companies and individuals look for responsible, affordable ways to cater parties and other events.  With Through the Kitchen Door, not only do clients get excellent quality catering, but they’re also helping support local community development and job training.

A pretty tasty win-win.

Also quoted in the article, which explains how Liesel does it and even gives away some of her recipes and tricks of the trade, is Jeffrey Slavin, a member of The Women’s Foundation’s Washington 100 and a Guy Who Gets It.

The Women’s Foundation is proud to support Liesel and the amazing work she’s doing to help women in our region build stable careers that lead to financial independence. 

Not to mention that we love the food and service and use Through the Kitchen Door for a ton of our own catering!

For more information on Through the Kitchen Door:
Through the Kitchen Door’s Web site
Doreen Gentzler highlights Through the Kitchen Door when she becomes Washingtonian of the Year!
Los Angeles Times article 

Lisa Kays is The Women’s Foundation’s Director of Communications.  Through the Kitchen Door is a Grantee Partner of The Women’s Foundation.

Weekly Round-Up: News and Analysis on Women and Poverty (Week ending February 27, 2009)

Posted on by The Spotlight and Opportunity Team

Spotlight on Poverty and Opportunity, a national foundation-led initiative, is excited to collaborate with The Women’s Foundation to bring you the latest news and analysis on women and poverty.

Spotlight is the go-to site for news and ideas about fighting poverty.  And every Friday, look for our weekly rundown of the top news stories on women and poverty.

Here’s this week’s news:

• In an op-ed appearing in the New York Times, William Saletan argues for a practical, moral approach to the family planning debate.

• In an article on the Earned Income Tax Credit, the St. Louis Post Dispatch interviews several single mothers who say that their benefit goes to basic bills, debt, and childcare.

• The Miami Herald profiles a Girl Scouts program that offers scouts from low-income families activities encouraging healthy lifestyles.

• In a report on a controversial community center closing, the Kansas City Star reports on a neighborhood where single mothers account for 55 percent of residents.

• In an op-ed in the Deming Headlight, Children’s Defense Fund President Marian Wright Edelman argues that impoverished parents need help raising children and mentions several programs that provide assistance to low-income mothers.

• The Associated Press highlights a think tank report urging more public funds for family planning, which the report said dramatically lowers abortion rates among low-income women.

To learn more about Spotlight visit www.spotlightonpoverty.org.  To sign up for our weekly updates with the latest news, opinion and research from around the country, click here.

The Spotlight on Poverty and Opportunity Team

Spotlight on Poverty and Opportunity is a foundation-led, non-partisan initiative aimed at ensuring that our political leaders take significant actions to reduce poverty and increase opportunity in the United States. We bring together diverse perspectives from the political, policy, advocacy and foundation communities to engage in an ongoing dialogue focused on finding genuine solutions to the economic hardship confronting millions of Americans.

Focusing on not being able to afford a $15 martini? What about workers earning $15,000/year?

Posted on by Gwen Rubinstein

I have a few story ideas to pitch to the Washington Post, which has devoted scarce front-page inches in the last week to articles about how the recession is affecting the dating lives of men in their 20s and 30s who are active in the local bar scene and extreme text messaging among teenagers.

I think The Post needs help in understanding the true dimensions of what is happening in our region, particularly how the economy is affecting women and families who never had the resources to afford $15 specialty drinks and expensive cell phone plans.

Here is what keeps me up at night:

Our Grantee Partners are experiencing significant increases in demand for social and health services.
One of our Northern Virginia Grantee Partners reports that nonprofits there are seeing a 30 percent increase in requests for housing assistance and a 50 percent increase in requests for health assistance.  Of the overall increase in demand, about 25 percent of it is from people who have never asked for help before.

Another one of our Northern Virginia Grantee Partners notes that participants in its shelter program are needing to stay longer (up to two to four months longer) because of reductions in other local programs providing for next-step housing and basic needs.

Our Grantee Partners are facing increasing challenges in placing their graduates in good jobs.
One of our District of Columbia Grantee Partners preparing women for jobs in medical and office administration and building maintenance reports that graduates have lower job placement rates this year because, as a result of the economy, they are competing with higher-skilled individuals for the same entry-level positions.

Our Grantee Partners involved in preparing women for jobs in construction report that fewer jobs are available for their graduates because of layoffs and attrition. One program has told us that it is paying increasing attention to helping participants develop a “Plan B” for alternative employment until hiring picks up again.

Many of our Grantee Partners face serious challenges to raising the funds they need to provide their current levels of services – let alone expand them to meet growing need.
State and local government budget shortfalls are part of the problem. Fairfax County, for example, has a $650 million deficit this year.

Local (and national) foundations supporting these nonprofits have seen their endowments decline 30-50 percent.  Because many base their giving decisions on three-year-rolling averages, 2009 grant-making is down, but 2010 (and now also probably 2011) will be even worse because more bad years will be included in the averaging.

Local foundations, including The Women’s Foundation, have begun doing staff lay-offs. This is to do everything they can to maintain or increase their current level of grantmaking in a difficult environment.  But it may be a sign of more to come, if the economy does not turn around.

The unanswered question of what will happen to Fannie Mae & Freddie Mac’s charitable giving is an additional threat in our community.

There are many, many more stories – and many, many women, children and families who are part of these stories.

Washington Post: If you need any help learning more about these issues so you can cover them, please call The Women’s Foundation. We know these issues all too well and would love to connect you to them to increase their visibility in our community.

Gwen Rubinstein is a program officer at The Women’s Foundation.

Where are the investments in the sector that invests in others?

Posted on by Phyllis Caldwell

There is nothing funny about this recession; however, I can’t help but find a bit of irony in what an understatement my words were about the economy back in June, when I was talking to the Washington Business Journal about wanting to pull the covers over our heads because of high gas prices and foreclosures.

Would that those were our worries today.

We didn’t know then that the entire financial industry was about to collapse with foreclosures being the first real human face of the crisis. Or that there would be record setting unemployment throughout the country with little end in sight.

But today, we know. We’ve emerged from under the covers to find that our worries now require action—often in the form of tough choices, including staff cutbacks.

As a leader, it is never easy to lay off staff, but as I had to make that difficult decision two weeks ago, it was particularly difficult given that I know that The Women’s Foundation is well-positioned and relatively stable compared to many other nonprofits.

Still, we are not immune from the impact of this down economy. And if we are not, then I know that our sector as a whole is in a very troubling spot.

I was reminded by Diana Aviv’s Washington Post op-ed, “Where Stimulus Funds Can Make a Difference,” that I am not alone in my concern.

“Buried in last month’s staggering unemployment numbers,” she wrote, “are the thousands of nonprofit workers now without jobs. These losses do more than damage the lives of the employees—they also undermine services that the unemployed and other vulnerable groups desperately need in these troubled times.”

And this sector is not an insignificant one. As Aviv says, nonprofits employ 13 million people—more than the finance, insurance and real estate sectors combined.

As Isabel V. Sawhill at Brookings writes, “But there is one big sector that got left off the [stimulus] list: human infrastructure—in the form of investments in the nonprofit sector…By including this sector we can take advantage of a huge network of institutions that work hard every day to improve the welfare of communities and individuals, that will spend the money quickly, that have the capacity to spread the dollars widely, and that in the absence of such help will need to shrink and thus become another drag on the economy.”

And I would be remiss if I didn’t point out another striking trend in this sobering reality, which is that layoffs affecting the nonprofit sector will not only be a drain on the economy generally, but will disproportionately impact women, who make up the majority of employees of the nonprofit sector—70 percent in fact.

It begs the question, that we asked on this blog more than a year ago, of if the nonprofit sector isn’t seen as bailout material because it employs a majority of women and that inherently, we as a society continue to devalue "women’s work"—despite the reality of its magnitude and impact as outlined by Aviv and Sawhill.

It’s also important to note that many of the services provided by nonprofits serve the needs of women and their children—from domestic violence shelters to job training programs that move families out of poverty to advocacy groups that help ensure pay equity.

And through our work, we know that that investments these organizations make in women and girls pay high dividends for our communities and country as a whole. For instance, in our work, over three years, investments of $5 million in our region’s low-income women, have yielded a return of almost $20 million in increased assets and income for them.

Pretty much exactly what you want at a time when you’re trying to spur economic spending and growth.

It seems unfortunate then that as the country takes on talk of bailouts and finalizes the new stimulus package, that nonprofits haven’t gotten as much attention as the auto industry or the finance sector.

As my colleague, Gwen Rubinstein, noted earlier this month, the stimulus is in many ways a potential win for women.

But neglecting the nonprofit sector leaves vulnerable one that not only employs a significant number of women, but serves our families, communities and country as a whole at a time when the social and financial safety net is more important than ever.

Phyllis Caldwell is president of The Women’s Foundation.

Weekly Round-Up: News and Analysis on Women and Poverty (Week ending February 20, 2009)

Posted on by The Spotlight and Opportunity Team

Spotlight on Poverty and Opportunity, a national foundation-led initiative, is excited to collaborate with The Women’s Foundation to bring you the latest news and analysis on women and poverty.

Spotlight is the go-to site for news and ideas about fighting poverty.  And every Friday, look for our weekly rundown of the top news stories on women and poverty.

Here’s this week’s news:

• In an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal, Kay Hymowitz argues that fathers are indispensable and that because children of single mothers more frequently grow up in poverty and face other problems, mothers who choose to raise kids alone are adopting an “untenable” position.

• Columnist Jim Wooten, in an op-ed for the Atlanta Journal Constitution, proposes that cases like the California octuplets demonstrate that there should be set limits for the number of children women can bear and for which they can expect to receive public assistance.

• A Milwaukee Journal Sentinel article highlighting a high mortality rate for black infants in Wisconsin cites teen pregnancy, poverty, and lack of prenatal care as concerns.

• Writing an op-ed in response to Bristol Palin’s recent interview, Tina Griego, columnist for the Denver Rocky Mountain News, argues that opportunity and education are needed to avoid teen pregnancy.

• Volunteers in Dunlap, Tennessee, are raising funds to establish a prenatal care center to offer alternatives to abortion, as reported by the Chattanooga Times Free Press.

• The Bradenton Herald writes that child care advocates in Florida are advocating an increase in cigarette taxes to avoid cutbacks to Healthy Start, a program supporting at-risk pregnant women and their children.

• According to the Associated Press, women in New Mexico suffer from a high rate of postpartum depression.

To learn more about Spotlight, visit www.spotlightonpoverty.org.  To sign up for our weekly updates with the latest news, opinion and research from around the country, click here.

The Spotlight on Poverty and Opportunity Team

Spotlight on Poverty and Opportunity is a foundation-led, non-partisan initiative aimed at ensuring that our political leaders take significant actions to reduce poverty and increase opportunity in the United States. We bring together diverse perspectives from the political, policy, advocacy and foundation communities to engage in an ongoing dialogue focused on finding genuine solutions to the economic hardship confronting millions of Americans.

What the stimulus package does for our region's women.

Posted on by Gwen Rubinstein

President Obama signed the economic stimulus package into law yesterday afternoon.  Many people in the nation’s capital and state capitals around the country will be combing through it in the days and weeks ahead to understand the scope and breadth of what it does – and doesn’t – do.

At The Women’s Foundation, we wondered: What does this historic legislation do to help women and girls in our region preserve and even increase their economic security?

Nationally, according to the White House, the bill will create or save about 3.5 million jobs in the next year.  The President’s economic advisors estimated (before he was inaugurated) that that about half of those jobs would go to women.

More locally, also according to the White House, the bill will create or save at least 12,000 jobs in the District of Columbia, 16,000 jobs in Prince George’s and Montgomery Counties (Maryland), and 8,300 in Arlington and Fairfax Counties and the City of Alexandria (Northern Virginia). 

If half of these jobs are held or filled by women, that means about 18,000 jobs saved or created for women in our region.

A quick look at some of the investments in economic security-related programs in the bill also gives us much to be hopeful about, including:

Investments in skills training. The new law adds nearly $3 billion to the Workforce Investment Act (WIA), which supports job training and other services, which, in our region, go primarily to women. The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP) estimates that $9.7 million of the funds will flow to the District of Columbia, $29 million to Maryland, and $32 million to Virginia.

Of the $3 billion, $500 million is for the WIA adult program, and the law requires states to give recipients of public assistance and other low-income individuals priority access to training. Many of those helped by this provision especially are likely to be women, particularly single women with children.

Increases for child care assistance.  The new law adds $2 billion to the Child Care and Development Block Grant.  The Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP) estimates that the District of Columbia will receive nearly $2.7 million of these funds, Maryland will receive $24 million, and Virginia will receive $37.9 million.

Improvements in the Unemployment Insurance (UI) program.  Changes in the UI program are likely to increase significantly the number of women workers (as well as part-time and low-wage workers) eligible for benefits.  The law also includes a $25 per week increase in UI benefits, which the National Employment Law Project (NELP) estimates will help more than 35,000 people in the District, 241,000 in Maryland and 247,000 in Virginia.

Expansion of programs to help trade-affected workers.  The stimulus expands eligibility for the Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) program to service sector and public sector workers who lose their jobs as a result of trade and doubles the program’s funding for training. This could significantly increase the number of women who receive income support, training and other benefits through the program.

Funding for training and other services for women in highway construction.  The law includes $20 million for training and related services to help women and minorities pursue careers in highway construction (through the US Department of Transportation).

Increase in funding for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) (formerly Food Stamps).  The law adds $20 billion to increase benefits through 2013. The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities estimates that this will help about 99,000 in the District, 412,000 in Maryland, and 594,000 in Virginia.

Taken together, these investments in the stimulus package are a sign of hope. Not only will they channel much-needed dollars into our region, but also they are an acknowledgement that our nation’s leaders recognize what we have known all along: Investments in women and girls are the best, fastest, surest way to ensure the economic stability of a family, a community and a nation.

Gwen Rubinstein is a program officer at The Women’s Foundation.

Weekly Round-Up: News and Analysis on Women and Poverty (Week ending February 13, 2009)

Posted on by The Spotlight and Opportunity Team

Spotlight on Poverty and Opportunity, a national foundation-led initiative, is excited to collaborate with The Women’s Foundation to bring you the latest news and analysis on women and poverty.

Spotlight is the go-to site for news and ideas about fighting poverty.  And every Friday, look for our weekly rundown of the top news stories on women and poverty.

Here’s this week’s news:

• A New York Times article profiles a 19-year-old Native American woman from an impoverished reservation trying to turn her life around through boxing.

• The Chicago Tribune, in an article on a federal law meant to help homeless kids stay in school, interviews a homeless single mother working to keep her oldest in the same school as the family moves.

• The Los Angeles Times reports that the removal of family-planning funding for the poor from the stimulus package, as well as other indicators, shows that Democrats are likely to approach abortion issues slowly and with caution.

• A recent appeal by Philadelphia anti-hunger advocates utilized video testimonies from 40 women describing their experience with hunger, as reported by the Philadelphia Inquirer.

• In an op-ed in the Atlanta Journal Constitution, columnist Jim Wooten highlights the example of octuplets born in California to argue against children being raised by single mothers.

• The Salt Lake Tribune covers a report indicating that Utah Latinas have a high teen birth rate, which correlates with poverty.

To learn more about Spotlight, visit www.spotlightonpoverty.org.  To sign up for our weekly updates with the latest news, opinion and research from around the country, click here.

The Spotlight on Poverty and Opportunity Team

Spotlight on Poverty and Opportunity is a foundation-led, non-partisan initiative aimed at ensuring that our political leaders take significant actions to reduce poverty and increase opportunity in the United States. We bring together diverse perspectives from the political, policy, advocacy and foundation communities to engage in an ongoing dialogue focused on finding genuine solutions to the economic hardship confronting millions of Americans.

Call for presenters: 2009 Stepping Stones Research Briefing!

Posted on by Gwen Rubinstein

The fourth annual Washington Area Women’s Foundation Stepping Stones Research Briefing will be held the morning of Wednesday, May 20, 2009 at The Urban Institute in Washington, D.C.

The Women’s Foundation and The Urban Institute co-sponsor the annual research briefing.  This year’s will highlight research on issues relevant to low-income, women-headed families.

Stepping Stones is The Women’s Foundation’s multi-year initiative focused on increasing economic security and financial independence for low-income, women-headed families in the Washington metropolitan area. The Stepping Stones Research Briefing provides an opportunity for The Women’s Foundation and its partners to learn about the latest research that can inform their work supporting this population.

The first three research briefings each drew audiences of over 100, including representatives from community-based organizations, funders, government agencies, and research institutions.

Persons interested in participating in this year’s research briefing should submit an abstract of their research and findings (no more than 1,000 words) to Peter Tatian at The Urban Institute by 5:00 pm on Friday, March 13, 2009.  Abstracts should make clear how the research is relevant to issues facing low-income, women-headed families and those who are working to assist these women.

We are particularly interested in abstracts related to how best to protect women’s economic security in a recession, including submissions on:
• Changing Demographic and Economic Conditions for Women
• Increasing Income, Building and Preserving Assets
• Workforce Development and Emerging Employment Sectors
• Job Retention and Work Supports (including public benefits)
• Early Care and Education
• Health and Safety

Final selection of presenters will be made by March 31, 2009.

Copies of all presentations, as well as audio recordings of the entire event, will be posted on The Urban Institute’s Web site after the event.  Presentations from last year’s research briefing can be found here.  More information on the 2007 and 2008 research briefings is available at The Women’s Foundation.org.

Questions about the research briefing should be addressed to Peter Tatian or Gwen Rubinstein at The Women’s Foundation.

Please share this announcement with anyone who may be interested.