"Straight A's: Public Education Policy and Progress" is a biweekly newsletter that focuses on education news and events both in Washington, DC and around the country. The following articles are included in this issue: (1) Senators Introduce Graduation Promise Act: New Legislation Would Target Lowest-Performing High Schools; (2)…

In September 2007 the Colorado Department of Education and the Colorado State Board of Education jointly announced the launch of "Forward Thinking", an ambitious plan "to create a purpose-driven and dynamic system of educational leadership, service and support that relentlessly focuses on the learning of all students." The…

This paper evaluates the relationship between alumni solicitation and alumni donation within institutions of higher education. The issue of alumni giving is important for universities because the average cost of university tuition has increased dramatically over the past 20 years at an annual growth rate larger than the United States CPI (Harvard…

Reliance on subjective grant proposal review methods leads private philanthropies to underfund mental health programs, even when foundations have mental health focuses. This article describes a private mental health foundation's efforts to increase the objectivity of its proposal review process by developing a reliable, valid proposal rating form.…

Despite readily available alumni survey data warehoused at many alumni associations and foundations across colleges and universities, researchers have underutilized the abundant available data to identify key predictors of alumni donation, including factors that trigger alumni donation behavior. Utilizing the data from a two-year alumni survey…

This report lists and briefly describes 286 grants and appropriations, totaling $45 million, made by the Carnegie Corporation during the 1990-91 year for purposes that were broadly educational in nature. Financial support was concentrated in three areas. The first, the education and healthy development of children and youth, included grants…

This paper discusses five issues in values and ethics relating to educational fund raising: (1) how should fund raising relate to the overall priorities of the institution? (2) what is the proper relationship between the institution and the donor? (3) what information is the institution obligated to present or make available with respect to its…

As state and federal governments and private industry begin to slow the pace of giving to institutions of higher education, the planned giving officer becomes increasingly interested in competing for the gifts given through philanthropy. A study was conducted using 3,006 questionnaires obtained from members of the Association of Planned Giving…

A research study of 48 United States corporate giving programs is described. The companies are generally large or mid-range in size and represent 15 different business and industry classifications. The size of their contributions programs ranged from $98,000 to $53 million in annual grants, with a median of $4.3 million. About three-fourths of the…

The 28th in a series of Council for the Aid to Education philanthropic studies begun in the mid-1950s is presented. Information is provided on the following topics: (1) colleges and universities (national estimates, expenditures and voluntary support, survey results, voluntary support by type of institution, voluntary support by source, special…

This paper provides first-time grant writers with suggestions on how to approach a private funding source. While intended for rural health care advocates, the remarks are equally applicable for educators and others. The rural crisis has produced many heart-rending stories about medically indigent people, but there is a lack of reliable statistics…

The second in a biennial series of statistical profiles of the independent sector (voluntary sector, third sector, or nonprofit sector) describes and charts the activities of groups and individuals associated with this sector. Included are voluntary organizations, foundations, the social responsibility programs of corporations, and people who…

This two-part paper provides guidance on alternative sources of funding for college scholarships and describes Anne Arundel Community College's (AACC's) Scholarship Fund Raising Campaign. First, an outline is presented, covering: (1) prerequisites to fundraising (i.e., leadership, sense of direction, commitment, and a plan for identifying,…

Higher education for blacks in the United States is reviewed with attention to historical developments, college desegregation, and the role of philanthropic organizations. Two early, private universities in the North that were designed to provide higher learning for blacks were Lincoln University in Pennsylvania (1854) and Wilberforce University…

This report provides a comparative perspective on financial support for the arts in six western European countries, the United States, and Canada. It was designed so that American support for the arts could be compared with governmental support for the arts in other countries, whose philosophies and governmental systems might be similar or quite…