U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan and Geoffrey Canada, Founder of the
Harlem Children’s Zone, to Address Nation's Largest Gathering of Education Funders
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Nick Lorenzen 617-688-0525
Grantmakers for Education convenes funders representing $1.5 Billion dollars in support for educational improvement
September 30, 2009, Portland, OR: Philanthropists from across the country will convene October 5-7 in Chicago at the annual meeting of Grantmakers for Education, a national network of nearly 250 foundations and corporate giving programs that support education. The conference, Make No Small Plans, highlights strategies for innovation and collaboration that are critical to effective education philanthropy in the current economic climate.
"We've seen the critical value of coordinated and informed support from the philanthropic, non-profit, and for-profit sectors for improving educational outcomes," says U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, who served as CEO of the Chicago Public Schools for seven years before assuming his current post. "Today, we have a unique opportunity to reform our educational system--and now is the time to engage and challenge the philanthropic community to become even more deeply involved in helping speed a transformation of education for the twenty-first century."
Secretary Duncan's plenary address and Q & A with GFE members will take place at 8:30 a.m. on Wednesday, October 7, at the Westin Michigan Avenue. Immediately following the session, Secretary Duncan is slated to take questions from the media in an adjacent reception room, as time allows.
More than 400 leaders in education philanthropy, with a collective commitment of $1.5 billion to improving education, will participate in the gathering. Keynote addresses will be delivered by Secretary Duncan and Geoffrey Canada, president and CEO of the Harlem Children's Zone, Inc. HCZ is recognized as a national model for ending the cycle of poverty through the provision of integrated educational, social, and medical services. Participating funders will focus on how their support can effect comprehensive change across the preK-16 continuum.
"Now, more than ever, there is both urgency and enthusiasm about the potential for reimagining and rebuilding education in America. As financial need has grown more acute in the past year, so too have the opportunities for grantmakers to work together in new ways, with new partners, to ensure in-depth, lasting, and effective solutions," says Christine Tebben, executive director of Grantmakers for Education. "This meeting underscores the critical role philanthropy plays in implementing real reform in education. The work of all our members becomes more strategic--and ultimately more successful--through partnership and collaboration."
"This conference represents a remarkable opportunity for philanthropies to share ideas with each other around the types of innovations necessary to ensure all learners have access to the types of high quality educational opportunities necessary for success in today’s world," adds Nicholas C. Donohue, president and CEO of the Nellie Mae Education Foundation
"Education is a key initiative for responding to the needs of our community and our region, and this meeting is an opportunity to highlight what's working locally while working collaboratively and strategically to create a new map for education nationally," added Terry Mazany, president and chief executive officer of The Chicago Community Trust.
The annual meeting is the culmination of GFE's year-round work as a nationwide network, knowledge source, and professional development organization for foundations, corporate giving programs, and public agencies with an active philanthropic agenda relating to education. GFE's membership represents the breadth of philanthropies that fund education, from well-known foundations and corporate giving programs, to small family foundations and individual donors.
For more information on the conference program please visit: http://www.edfunders.org/programs/conference/2009conference/index.asp
About Grantmakers for Education
Founded in 1995, Grantmakers for Education is the only national organization representing the diversity of education philanthropy today. GFE members include nearly 250 private and public philanthropies throughout the country that support improved education opportunities outcomes for students from early childhood through higher education. As a nationwide network, knowledge source, and professional development organization, GFE enhances grantmakers’ knowledge about effective education strategies and effective grantmaking strategies. For more information, visit www.edfunders.org or contact John Branam, Grantmakers for Education, 971-322-7289, john@edfunders.org
About the Sponsors
The presenting sponsors for GFE’s annual conference are the Nellie Mae Education Foundation (www.nmefdn.org), the largest philanthropy in New England dedicated exclusively to education, and The Chicago Community Trust (www.cct.org), the nation’s second-oldest community foundation, which provides charitable resources within metropolitan Chicago in areas such as education, basic human needs, arts and culture, health, and community development.
A full list of conference sponsors can be found at http://edfunders.org/programs/conference/2009conference/sponsors.asp
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