Date: November 30, 2005
Contact: Natalie Moran
Development & Communications Director
Urban Alliance Foundation
600 New Hampshire Avenue, NW, 9th Floor
Washington, DC 20037
Employing Youth.
Office: (202) 266-5680
Inspiring Excellence.
Cell: (734) 223-4781
PRESS RELEASE
www.urbanalliancefoundation.org
FOR IMMEDIATE RELASE
nmoran@urbanalliancefoundation.org
WASHINGTON, DC-BASED URBAN ALLIANCE FOUNDATION
CHOSEN FOR NEW 2005 CATALOGUE FOR PHILANTHROPY: GREATER WASHINGTON
Washington, DC - Washington, DC-based Urban Alliance Foundation has been selected as a featured
charity in the 2005 Catalogue for Philanthropy. This is the Catalogue's third year in the Washington, DC
region. Supported by local foundations (Harman, Meyer, Cafritz, Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, Marriott and
Fowler) as a service to the community, the Catalogue profiles environmental, cultural, educational,
human services, and international organizations. Seventy-five new nonprofits are featured each year, and
those from previous years are re-listed as well. Organizations from 2003 through 2005 are live at the
website, www.catalogueforphilanthropy.org/dc.
Developing the skills necessary for a life of self-sufficiency is what Urban Alliance is all about. Most
students come from neighborhoods where professional development and post-secondary education
opportunities are severely limited, so the idea is to get students really thinking about and creating a plan
for the future. For some, that means working, and learning about what it means to work. Summer
internships are four days a week, with Fridays reserved for skill-building workshops. And the internships
continue part-time during the school year with accompanying sessions on a wide range of topics--time
management, communication skills, workplace etiquette, conflict resolution, interviewing, financial
literacy (a program in which student savings are matched 2:1 by area banks goes a long way toward
encouraging financial planning!). A four-year nurse-training program prepares some high school
graduates to become Registered Nurses and guarantees employment at Providence Hospital. Classes that
introduce young people to the college process and to career planning are an integral part of the program.
In 2004, over 88% of UA graduates went on to pursue post-secondary education and the remaining
students secured long-term employment or entered apprenticeships such as the DC Fire Cadet Program-becoming responsible, informed, and skilled members of the working community. Now there's an alliance
we can all support!
After an inaugural year in the District of Columbia, the Catalogue expanded to the Greater Washington
region—adding nonprofits in Northern Virginia and nearby Maryland counties. Over 30,000 individuals
and hundreds of foundations will receive copies of the Catalogue in mid-November. To date, the
Catalogue has helped to raise over $1.3 million in pledges and gifts for local nonprofits.
According to Barbara Harman, Executive Director of the Harman Family Foundation, "The Catalogue is
designed to be a showcase for DC region philanthropy and an inviting way for individuals and families to
participate in charitable giving." A single check sent to the Catalogue's DC office, or an online donation
at its website, www.catalogueforphilanthropy.org/dc, can be allocated to as many charities as the donor
-more-
Page 2
pleases. Donors may also contact the charities directly. "Because the Catalogue is fully paid for by its
philanthropic partners," Harman notes, "100% of every donation goes to the designated nonprofits."
Urban Alliance Foundation was selected from a competitive field of nearly 250 candidates. Proposals
were reviewed by 50 professional grantmakers and leaders at 30 local foundations and nonprofit
organizations. "Charities were selected for excellence, innovation, and cost-effectiveness--and for what
they can teach us about the extraordinary ways that philanthropy works,” Harman said. “These are
certainly among the best small charities in the Washington, DC region.”
The Urban Alliance Foundation
The Urban Alliance Foundation, a local nonprofit dedicated to youth development, has been employing DC youth
since 1996, and to date has placed over 500 youth in meaningful, paid internships year-round. Their work has
been made possible by partnering with over 100 business partners in the DC area. The goal is to expose high
school students to the professional world and prepare them for life after school.
Employing youth works. Students in the program have defied the odds facing those living in under-resourced,
urban areas by graduating high school and getting in to college. For the past three years, UA students have had a
96% high school graduation rate, and over 80% have enrolled in college.
###