Hunt Institute Awarded $500k+ Grant From The Atlantic Philanthropies
July 20, 2004
Grant Funds Institute Study of State and Local Government Efforts to Improve Opportunities for Kids
July 20, 2004 – CHAPEL HILL, NC – The James B. Hunt, Jr. Institute for Educational Leadership and Policy has been awarded a $522,900 grant from The Atlantic Philanthropies to fund a series of studies developed by the University of North Carolina-based Institute that will make recommendations for targeted investments in promising efforts to strengthen youth development programs in pilot states and cities across the nation.
The six month grant will fund a collaborative effort between the Hunt Institute and the Washington, DC-based Forum for Youth Investment to study the landscape of programs and policies affecting poor children in high-need states and cities.
“The Atlantic Philanthropies have been a generous supporter of the Hunt Institute from our inception and we are thrilled to continue our partnership, particularly in service to the country’s most vulnerable children,” said Hunt Institute Executive Director Dr. Judith Rizzo. “This support provides the Hunt Institute with the resources to gauge the status of programs and policies affecting children trapped in poverty in states across the nation. The information that we gather together with the Forum will provide us with a platform to help political, business, civic and education leaders take effective action on child poverty issues.”
“We are committed to changing the life trajectories of disadvantaged urban kids and to partnering with states and cities over the long-term to achieve this. The Hunt Institute and the Forum for Youth Investment are uniquely qualified to help us identify those places where our investments would have the greatest impact in the next decade,” said Charles Roussel, Director of Atlantic’s Disadvantaged Children and Youth Program.
Working at the intersection of policy and politics, the James B. Hunt, Jr. Institute for Educational Leadership and Policy engages governors and political, business, civic and education leaders in strategic efforts to advance and sustain policies to improve the lives of children. The Hunt Institute was founded in 2001 by the four-term Governor of North Carolina and nationally recognized child advocate and education reformer Jim Hunt. The Institute is located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.
The Atlantic Philanthropies’ mission is to bring about lasting changes that will improve the lives of disadvantaged and vulnerable people. The foundation concentrates grant investments in four program areas – Ageing, Disadvantaged Children & Youth, Health of Populations in Developing Countries and Reconciliation & Human Rights.
The Forum for Youth Investment is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to helping communities and the nation make sure all young people are ready by 21 — ready for work, college and life. The Forum provides youth and adult leaders with the information, technical assistance, training, network support and partnership opportunities needed to increase the quality and quantity of youth investment and youth involvement.
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For additional information about the Hunt Institute, visit www.hunt–institute.org, or call (919) 843-0182. Atlantic Philanthropies can be found online at www.atlanticphilanthropies.org. Visit www.forumforyouthinvestment.org for more information about The Forum for Youth Investment.