Home > African American Giving Circle Awards First $6,000 Grant to Kingsley Association

African American Giving Circle Awards First $6,000 Grant to Kingsley Association

Plant A Seed Children’s Project to encourage greater parental involvement

in student academic achievement

– The Sankofa Fund of Southwestern Pennsylvania (Sankofa Fund) announces the award of its first grant to the Kingsley Association’s Plant A Seed Project. Members of the Sankofa Fund will present the $6,000 grant at an awards ceremony on June 9, 2010 at 4:00 p.m. at the offices of the Kingsley Association in East Liberty.

The Sankofa Fund is one of a growing number of community-driven philanthropic organizations known as Giving Circles. Giving circles consist of a group of individuals who come together to pool their time, talent and resources to contribute to their communities and increase their awareness and involvement in giving. The mission of the Sankofa Fund, one of the first African American giving circles in southwestern Pennsylvania, is to inspire, educate and unite a community of givers to make contributions that transform communities in Southwestern Pennsylvania. The membership believes strongly in providing support to organizations developing and implementing innovative solutions to the challenges of the African American community.

"We are really excited about this opportunity to partner with the Kingsley Association around the issue of parental engagement and its impact on the academic outcomes of African American children. What makes this collaboration particularly special is that this is our first investment in the African American community. We hope it leads to both growth in our circle and many more opportunities to contribute to the community" said Justin Laing, Sankofa Fund Chairman

The Kingsley Association has provided a variety of programs to neighborhood residents in the East Liberty, Larimer and bordering East End communities since 1919. Its work with neighborhood childcare centers, the East Liberty Family Support Center, and the launch of the Healthy Black Family Project, made it uniquely qualified to develop and implement the type of program that appealed to Sankofa Fund members. The Plant a Seed Project will engage parents and their children in a series of weekly sessions designed to address student education through arts and academics, while also providing parents with resources to strengthen their parenting skills.

“We’re honored and privileged that the Sankofa Fund selected Kingsley Association to receive their first philanthropic investment in the African American community. The support for this project will enhance our ability to provide educational enrichment that impacts the personal growth & development of families we serve,” Keino Fitzpatrick, Kingsley representative,

In the fall of 2009, Sankofa Fund solicited proposals from a variety of organizations throughout Allegheny County seeking programs that could expand effective parental involvement in increasing the academic achievement of African American students living in Allegheny County, PA. Twenty agencies responded, and Sankofa members narrowed the field to three before choosing the Kingsley Association proposal.

The Sankofa Fund uses the following criteria in determining support for charitable giving requests:

Strategy for expanding effective parental involvement in increasing the academic achievement of African American students
Methodology for measuring, evaluating and reporting results, including impact on academic achievement
Specific benefits to members within the community
Number of people/communities who will benefit
Requesting organization’s mission, impact statement and experience in developing and implementing effective parental involvement strategies and programs
Designation of Federal 501(c) (3) status or consenting fiduciary agent
Previous Sankofa Fund support

Individuals or organizations interested in learning more about the Sankofa Fund of Southwestern Pennsylvania are invited to contact the membership at:

Sankofa Fund of Southwestern Pennsylvania

c/o POISE Foundation

One Gateway Center, Suite 500

420 Ft. Duquesne Boulevard

Pittsburgh, PA 15222

Phone: 412-281-4967

Fax: 412-562-0292

Email: kjackson@poisefdn.org

For more information about the Kingsley Association or the Plant A Seed project, contact:

Kingsley Association

6435 Frankstown Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15206

Phone: 412- 661-8751

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Pittsburgh Urban Media

African American Giving Circle Awards First $6,000 Grant to Kingsley Association

Pittsburgh Urban Media

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