Press Release

March 28, 2007

Contact: Suzanne Ward - 479.361.4624

On March 27, the board of directors for Care Foundation approved $1,664,000 in grants for education and health initiatives throughout northwest Arkansas. These awards bring the Foundation's grantmaking total to more than $30 million since the beginning of 2000.

The Foundation's latest awards are as follows:

Education Initiative

Increasing High School Graduation Initiative:

• $118,500 to Bentonville Public Schools for second year implementation of a Freshman Academy at Bentonville High School. The Freshman Academy will let all ninth grade students experience the benefits of academic teaming and the small learning communities model of instruction.
• $71,500 to Northwest Arkansas Community College for second year implementation of the Paso A Paso program. This program will allow NWACC to develop a peer-mentoring program for first year college students and implement a new mentoring program for Hispanic students at Springdale High School.
• $154,000 to Springdale Public Schools for second year implementation of a Sophomore Center at Springdale High School. The Sophomore Center will consist of teams of core academic teachers that utilize the small learning communities model of instruction.

Health Initiatives

• School-based Nutrition - $245,000 to Communication Arts Institute of Eureka Springs for second-year implementation for a kid-to-kid nutrition curriculum and an interactive website. The program targets middle school students and address obesity, healthy eating, and knowledge of nutrition and cooking.
• School-based Fitness - $155,000 to Springdale Public Schools. $140,000 was awarded to place a fitness center and the PE4Life program at J.O. Kelly Middle School. This grant will provide students a wide range of physical experiences-from riding mountain bikes to climbing walls to working out on appropriate fitness machines. A grant of $15,000 was also awarded to continue evaluation of the same program that was placed at Hellstern Middle School in 2006.
• Prenatal Health - $100,000 to Community Clinic at St. Francis House for their Prenatal Pathways program. Prenatal Pathways provides bilingual intake and referral services to low-income women.
• Prenatal Health - $120,000 to Decision Point for their Specialized Women's Services program in Bentonville. The program provides comprehensive services that assist pregnant women and mothers overcome substance abuse and addiction.

In addition to these individual programs, Care Foundation also awarded general operating grants to two longstanding community partners in Springdale: $500,000 to The Jones Center for Families, and $200,000 to Community Clinic at St. Francis House.

Earlier this year, Care Foundation approved $500,000 for sixteen programs in their Capacity Building for Nonprofits Initiative. The programs provide learning opportunities in board training, cultural competency and diversity, leadership and manager training, legal issues, strategic planning, and team training. More information about the trainings can be found at www.carefdn.org.

In regards to the accumulative total, Chris Weiser, board chair, said, "The foundation's original board members shared a dream to make a difference in northwest Arkansas. We believe that this $30 million dollars over eight short years has already made a significant difference, and we are excited because it doesn't stop here. The foresight of our founders will allow us to continue to respond to northwest Arkansas for many, many years to come."

Care Foundation's grantmaking began in 2000 when it responded to community needs by instituting an open grant proposal process. By the end of 2003, approximately $15M had been awarded to local nonprofit organizations.

In 2003, the board determined that a more strategic approach was desired and extensive research was conducted to identify core areas in which the Foundation could focus for long-term impact. The result was a strategic plan that established four primary funding areas: capacity building for nonprofits, education, health, and immigration. Currently, the Foundation makes all of its awards through an initiated proposal process and partners with organizations that address the issues set forth in the strategic plan.

Suzanne Ward, executive director, commented about recent grants, "Our overall mission is to enrich the quality of life in northwest Arkansas. These particular grants reflect our interest in enriching our children's lives, and therefore our future. Here, we are making sure babies get a good start in life, that children have the information they need to make good choices about their health, and that high school students are successful."

CommunityCare Foundation, Inc., as Care Foundation, Inc. was formerly known, was founded in 1998 with funds from the sale of Northwest Health System (Northwest Medical Center in Springdale and Bates Medical Center in Bentonville, Arkansas). In January 2007, the name was changed in order to differentiate the Foundation's work from that of the Northwest Arkansas Community Foundation. More information about Care Foundation's initiatives can be found on their website at www.carefdn.org.

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