The Foundation is pleased to continue supporting Project Gateway’s Empowerment Program.

The mission of Project Gateway is to change people’s lives by helping them physically, emotionally and spiritually. They aim to uplift people and their communities through job, business and life skills. Reaching all people without prejudice.

The grant will provide  funds for the continuing efforts of their Empowerment Program. The Empowerment Program is run through the Gateway School of Fashion Fusion with Craft and Business Training and Mentoring. Through the Program, over 1000 students have been trained in hard skills such as woodwork, metalwork, electrical training as well as Fashion Design, sewing and craft development. It has also assisted more than 250 developing entrepreneurs in better business practice and mentored the leaders of these groups until they are secure in Business knowledge. Over 70% of the entrepreneurs were still running successful businesses 2 years after their training. Most of the trainees are unemployed women, who are given the opportunity to improve their hard skills of Craft making and / or Fashion Design as well as Business Skills training. This enables them to generate income for themselves and their families.Most of the trainees are unemployed women in South Africa, who are given the opportunity to improve their hard skills of Craft making and / or Fashion Design as well as Business Skills training. This enables them to generate income for themselves and their families.

Funds from this grant will be used to support individuals unable to pay the fees associated with the Program. Learners would under normal circumstances be required to pay a fee structure. While this is built into the budget the reality is that most of the learners are unemployed, out of school, under-educated learners. Project Gateway is a development program and does not offer “hand-outs” as such. The learners are already paying transport costs to reach the center 3 days a week. They travel for over an hour to get there and over an hour to get back home. They desperately need to generate income for themselves and their families and they feel that if they were better qualified in the hard skills of Fashion Design and sewing and had a greater understanding of Business, they would be able to increase their income and build sustainable businesses.

The project is making a sustainable different by addressing unemployment and the lack of skills and business education. By educating and up-skilling 35 learners per year in Fashion Design and Fusion with Craft and by assisting 60 people per year with the Paradigm Shift Business Training program and encouraging them to go on to the next 2 Modules which tracks their Business growth and success for a period of at least 18 sessions, the organization believes that it makes a difference to the quality of each person’s life. History has shown that most of the learners who study through Gateway School of Fashion continue to generate income at varying levels for a number of years after the course. The Paradigm Shift Course has been offered to over 2000 people in South Africa. Results so far indicate that over 70% have increased their Business Income, and 34% of the people are now saving on a regular basis.

The Foundation is pleased to again award a grant to Humanity Crew.

Humanity Crew is a grassroots non-governmental non-religious-non-profit organization founded in November 2015 by Adv. Maria Jammal and Dr. Essam Daod, a psychiatrist and psychotherapist, who joined a rescue mission to respond to the influx of Syrian refugees arriving in Lesvos, Greece. During the mission they identified the deep threat to the refugees’ wellbeing. In particular they became concerned with mental health of the refugees brought on by despair, loss, pain and fear from the unknown future and flight to safety.

The Grant will support funding in 3 project areas.

-Violence and Protection – new living conditions that women face when moving to these camps exposes them to unsafe environments. Many of these women were used to strong support systems from family and friends. After joining the camp they quickly realized they did not have anyone to rely on. Additionally, they are at a greater chance of domestic violence from their husbands who once was the proud family patriarch, to someone who is helpless and without purpose. Using this situation to carry out domestic violence on their wives and children.

– Mental Health – Many women in these camps have come from war zones in the Middle East, experiencing trauma, personal loss, abuse and sometimes severe torture. Arriving at the camps women further face security issues and often face symptoms of anxiety, depression, PTSD, insomnia and many other symptoms.

– Cultural Gaps and Integration – Throughout their journey, many times the humanitarian aid these women receive is usually received without any cultural or lingual sensitivity by locals and other volunteers who speak different languages and lack cultural understandings.

The Foundation is pleased to support MUAFCIG,  a community development not for profit group that works for the interest of the community in the areas of sustainable agriculture, education, culture, water, hygiene and Sanitation and community building. It’s target group is disadvantaged women and children.

The projects main objective is to purchase and install 5 maize transformation/grinding machines that will enable 5 rural women’s and youths groups of about 100 persons in Sand pit/Bokwaongo villages, to grow maize, transform fresh and dry maize to various edible food types such as “pap”, “corn fufu, corn beer” as well as the production of livestock feed. By supplying these rural and needy women/youths with improved maize varieties the yields from the maize can attend 4-5 tons per hectare, as opposed to the local variety which is just 1 ton per hectare. In order to complete the project successfully, MUAFCIG will supply the women/youths with planting tools like machetes, hoes and wheel barrows. They will also be supplied agroforestry seeds (nitrogen fixing trees) to improve the soil fertility and fight the impact of climate change in food production on the existing farming system. This will curb food insecurity amongst poor women and youths by preventing post-harvest loss typically incurred by female/youths maize farmers in the beneficiary communities. This will build an entrepreneurial group of women/ youths who can generate extra income through maize farming and transformation. This will result in the improved living conditions of these families and fight hunger. The projects goals by the end of the program are for women/youth groups to be able to own and operate grinding mills that will enable them to generate additional income to help solve the problem of poverty and locals inability to educate their children. By improving the farm sizes and yields, with better equipment, this should work towards eliminating poverty within these families. Through their supply of agroforestry, like acacia and lucanae, it will improve the current impact on climate change on the farming system mitigation.

This project will meets MUAFCIG’s long-term plans in the area by equipping marginalized youths, orphans, widows and vulnerable single mothers with skills on employability and self-reliance in the Cameroon, Africa area. This coincides with the McQuade Foundation’s mission by improving the lives of women and children.

The Foundation is pleased to announce their support for the CJA.  CJA is a full-scholarship lower and middle school for young men from modest economic backgrounds who could not otherwise access.

They partner with numerous organizations who are addressing the challenge of college completion. CJA works in concert with scholarship granting organizations such as the Daniel Murphy Scholarship Fund and LINK Unlimited, high schools such as the Noble Network of Charter Schools and Loyola Academy, and colleges such as Loyola University’s Arrupe College and Denison University. Each of these institutions is contributing to the fact that college completion rates in Chicago are steadily climbing. However, they remain persistently low, especially for African American males who still only earn bachelor’s degrees at a rate of 10%. CJA’s College-Persistence Program is able to leverage the strong relationships that we have built with our students and their families to provide a unique level of personalized care as our alumni navigate the often non-linear path through adolescence. A grant from the Kathryn B. McQuade Foundation would help to expand the College-Persistence Programs as the number of alumni served grows from 206 in 2018-2019 to nearly 300 by 2020. Specifically, they would allow CJA to hire an additional College-Persistence Counselor in the 2019-2020 school year.

The specific program goal is for 97% of CJA alumni to graduate from high school. Thereafter, the goal is for 50% of CJA alumni to graduate from a four-year college or university, 25% of CJA alumni to graduate from a two-year college or technical training program, and 80% of non-degree earning alumni, representing 25% of total alumni, to be meaningfully employed within three years of earning a high school diploma.

Like the Kathryn B. McQuade Foundation, CJA is concerned with helping children gain access to educational opportunities and develop the skills necessary to break out of material poverty and realize their potential. This focus on long-term outcomes is exactly why CJA established and continues to build the CollegePersistence Programs.

The Foundation is pleased to award a grant to The Andson Foundation.  Andson was established in 2009 with the purpose of improving academic achievement and financial literacy among at-risk youth in Southern Nevada. Andson was founded by Sonia Anderson, whose long experience in the world of finance allowed her to recognize the disparity that is occurring in young people throughout Southern Nevada regarding both academics and personal finance.  Andson’s mission is to educate, inform, and inspire youth and young adults by delivering innovative programs in academics, financial literacy, and mentoring. Their goal is to provide the tools necessary to break the generational cycle of financial illiteracy and academic deficiencies, thereby enabling children to grow and become successful, productive and employed adults. A child growing up in Nevada has the lowest chance of academic success in the country, according to the 2018 Quality Counts report. For the past twenty-two years, Education Week has published this annual report that evaluates school systems in 50 states and Washington, D.C. This year Nevada finishes 51st, with an overall score of 65.1 out of 100 points and a grade of “D”. Nevada earned a “D-” in the “Chance for Success Category.” Across spending indicators, Nevada finishes with a “F” ranking the state at 45th.

In response to this serious challenge, the Andson Academics program works in collaboration with the Las Vegas-Clark County Library District, the Clark County School District and St. Jude’s Ranch for Children. Andson currently offers this program at 8 library locations across Southern Nevada, as well as 2 Title 1 Elementary Schools, and St. Jude’s Ranch for Children. During this project, Andson will focus on the role of bridging families and schools, developing ways to promote parent and care-giver engagement in student homework, school attendance, and academic progress. The Andson Academics program is designed to address the need for academic intervention and individual student support within Nevada’s failing education system.

Funds will specifically be used for salaries of the Grants and Evaluations Coordinator, Academics Advisor, Academics Supervisor, Data Controller, HR/Payroll Director, tutors, program aides, etc., supplies for the tutoring program and tutor training, orientation, etc., and administrative costs associated with the program such as insurance, fidelity bond, mileage, postage, internet, etc. Approximately 1,900 Southern Nevada at-risk youth will benefit from this grant. The demographics for this project is diverse and fragmented, however there are common characteristics that indicate the target audience of students are from low-income households. According to current statistics 34% of students from elementary schools are Hispanic, 72% are from female headed households and 52% are from single parent households. All the students at St. Jude’s Ranch for Children are foster children.

Andson’s mission and goals align with the Foundation’s goals of providing education and skills training to children to break the cycle of poverty

The Foundation is pleased to again support RCT to allow students access to the programs in the form of full scholarships for 20 special needs children (the goal is 25 for enrollment) for the Kaleidoscope program and the underwriting of student matinee performances  for the RCT4TEENS program. The 2018-2019 program is THE BOY AT THE EDGE OF EVERYTHING, this play was written by Finegan Kruckmeyer and tells the story of two boys in different universes who connect. The social and health themes explored in this production include teen stress, overscheduling, coping skills, and loneliness There are no other similar programs in the Roanoke Valley.

These programs have been targeted because of the special value they provide to students and the growth and success they have made since their initial launch. An important aspect to the success of RCT4TEENS is the strong partnership and coalition that works together to provide information about and examples of healthy behavior for young people. This program works with well-established health focused organizations such as Carilion Clinic, Prevention Council of Roanoke Valley, YOVASO, and Mental Health America. By partnering with these organizations, RCT is ensuring that the subject matter is current and relevant to teens and is presented in a format that they will accept, and provides tools teens can and will use in their daily lives. The grant to Roanoke Children’s Theatre will enable students to have access to services they need. Kaleidoscope camp is a program designed to include students of all abilities and needs in an opportunity to experience performing arts. RCT4TEENS addresses at-risk behaviors affecting our local youth and provides resources and ways to help that the students may not otherwise get.

The foundation is pleased to continue its support FINCA’S BrightLife initiative, which helps bring people from poverty in an environmentally responsible way.

FINCA International (FINCA) is harnessing its 30 years of experience in providing access to finance to low income entrepreneurs to bring sustainable and scalable solutions in the energy, education, water & sanitation, agriculture and healthcare sectors to families living at the Base of the Pyramid (BoP). FINCA’s social enterprise in Uganda, BrightLife, is designed to make life-enhancing products affordable for families that struggle to meet daily basic needs. BrightLife provides distribution and financing for products that save people time and money; make families resilient and empowered, and increases chances to participate in the local economy.

This grant will benefit FINCA’s target population of ‘impoverished’ men, women, and families in Uganda. FINCA’s average client in Uganda is a married woman with three to seven children living in a rural area of the country. She is typically self-employed and sells foodstuffs, cookware, charcoal, used clothing, or soft drinks in a local market near her home.

This grant will help to fund a portion of BrightLife’s capital expenditures (a portion of the total budget) and support the overall goals for BrightLife over the next 12 months. BrightLife’s Objectives for 2019: 1. Increase the sustainability and growth of BrightLife into a medium-sized social enterprise through retention and expansion of its customer base. 2. Expand BrightLife product offerings through field-testing solar-powered productive use assets (e.g., solar-powered ice makers, solar-powered maize grinders) and evaluate the ability of these products to create new income generation opportunities for customers. 3. Continue to work with BrightLife’s suppliers on informing product design and pipeline through customer feedback on current and desired products. 4. Create opportunities for increased resiliency by building a financial inclusion pathway for customers to move up the financial and energy ladders. 5. Through monitoring and evaluation, continue to demonstrate that improvements to family health (better eyesight, less burns, and fewer respiratory issues) and safety (fewer burns and increased household safety) are the primary social impacts of BrightLife products.

This grant will fund FINCA’s social enterprise program in Uganda, BrightLife, which is designed to make life-enhancing products affordable for families that struggle to meet daily basic needs. BrightLife provides distribution and financing for products that save people time and money; make families resilient and empowered, and increases chances to participate in the local economy.

The Foundation is pleased to continue their support of the WGEF programs.

The mission of Women’s Global Empowerment Fund is to provide women with the framework necessary to create viable opportunities for themselves and their families. Through grassroots strategies, marginalized women are given the tools necessary to alleviate poverty, thus facilitating sustainable development and empowerment. The Foundation will participate in:

-Credit Plus, loan program, providing loans and training to approximately 200 women.  Women’s Global Credit Plus program combines microcredit services with literacy, leadership development, health initiatives and basic business education into a single service, reaching women in underserved, rural and peri-rural areas.

-Healthy Periods Initiative:  for supplies and materials. To address the issues around menstrual health, and the challenges women and girls face with regards to access and education, WGEF is continuing and expanding the Healthy Periods Initiative, creating local manufacturing centers in vulnerable regions.

-Literacy: Women’s Global, in consult with the Ministry of Education, has developed a literacy program that is effective and responsive to the needs of their clients. The adult literacy program is not merely about basic skills of reading and writing, it is about providing women with the ability to understand their lives and social environment as well as equipping them with problem-solving skills, family planning, nutrition and parenting information and resources, this grant will support 650 women

-Conference and celebration: Each year at Gulu Women’s Resource Centre (GWRC), a WGEF project, they host meaningful and lively discussions and conferences around topics chosen by the leadership council. In 2018, they hosted a leadership conference focused on identifying and reporting human rights abuses; in addition, they held an event on World Population Day and a literacy graduation for 300 participants. In 2019, they would like to host a graduation again for literacy participants who complete their training and pass thru the examination process. Also, they are planning an event around reproductive health care, including reducing teen pregnancy, access and information.

The Foundation is pleased to continue it’s support of CoDENI’s Life Projects program.

Founded in 2005, AHALA is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to improving the lives of street children in Latin America through education and social services.

Participants of CODENI live and survive in the most marginalized neighborhoods of Guadalajara, Mexico. They are at a high risk of dropping out of school and lack the necessary skills to make improvements to their lives. Due to this problem, these individuals depend on the streets for their needs. A grant from the Foundation will benefit 50 teens and women ranging in ages from 13 to 50. The project will seek individuals who are eager to develop life skills through education and formal employment. Additionally, the project will benefit these individuals’ families, by the participants setting examples of what it takes to obtain a formal education and earn a stable income. By investing in these life projects, AHALA feels all 50 participants are making significant contributions to their efforts of overcoming their dependence on the street, thus making a sustainable difference on their and their family’s lives. The funds will be spent over the two-year funding period, from March, 2019 to February, 2021. This timeframe enables participants to make significant accomplishments in their life projects. They anticipate the graduation of five participants from the program over the next two years, meaning they will have fully overcome their dependence on the streets and are able to fully dedicate themselves to their life projects

The Foundation is pleased to award a grant to Community Relief & Development Action. COREDA is a development driven, non-profit making and non-governmental organization started in 2009 .  The mission of the organization is empowering and sustainably improving the living conditions of children, women, vulnerable youths and disadvantaged rural and indigenous forest communities in the South West Region of Cameroon.

The organization began its mission in 2016 and has since acquired a piece of land for the permanent site of the educational and social centre for orphans and vulnerable children. The organization is continuing its efforts of raising funding for the construction of a permanent structure, the current home based centre has over 60 children and increasing demand. Many challenges have persisted including the lack of financial motivation of volunteer teachers, the need to feed and clothe the children, lack of furniture such as tables, chairs, teaching boards, Laptop/projector to better transmit both audio and video prerecorded teachings etc. It is from the above premise that COREDA intends to bring sustainable solution to the educational needs of children. Currently, they are working with over 80 children and have many more children that would like to enroll, but they cannot sufficiently accommodation them all at the moment. Tiko, with its relative stability, has continued to be a refuge for internally displaced children and educational refugees who flood the community every day. While many privileged children have been relocated to safe francophone zones, the education of underprivileged children is in serious jeopardy. COREDA believes even in the face of crisis, children’s right to education must be sustained. The belief is that if they build and run a school, they will be able to provide long term quality primary education to orphans and vulnerable children in Tiko semi-urban. COREDA’s plan is to build a school of 6 permanent classrooms. They will have an effective enhanced teaching-learning process through these new accommodations and facilities. This will allow at least 320 children a year to acquire adequate literacy and numeracy skills that will enable them to read with fluency, write with accuracy and express themselves with confidence, calculate and integrate themselves into society. These children will acquire a solid academic foundation rooted in STEM that will propel them for further academic pursuit and guarantee a better future for them.