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Making a Difference

A Few Words with Regina McGraw - March 2009


Each month, SmartLink introduces a leader from a SmartLink issue or foundation.  In this series of brief, candid interviews, the leader offers his or her advice for donors looking to make a difference in a particular field or in response to a particular circumstance.

This A Few Words With offers reflections and advice from Regina McGraw, executive director of the Wieboldt Foundation in Chicago.  Among other things, SmartLink asked Regina:  How do donors and foundation leaders, especially those committed to working in low-income communities, regroup after their own philanthropic dollars are dramatically reduced? Read More…

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Welcome to SmartLink!    
A program of the Neighborhood Funders Group

SmartLink is your one-stop-shop for free and useful ideas and insights, created just for donors, foundation trustees and others who give locally, to neighborhoods and communities.  SmartLink solves your toughest giving problem:   it helps you learn who is building strong communities, what is working to make a difference, and how to connect your giving (whether modest or substantial) to the most effective ideas and projects. 

Connect, with just a few clicks!

Among the treasures you will find here are candid profiles of donors and small foundations from all over the country, making a difference on a range of issues in their communities . With a few clicks on the left navigation menu, you can search briefs and tools focused on six key issues.  Don't stop there, drill deeper to explore action- and results-oriented topics and strategies. 

We won't tell you where to give; instead, SmartLink makes your giving smarter and more focused on making a difference.   Please note:  CGR is not a grantmaker.

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In the News

  • Increase in minimum wage to $7.25 an hour would affect 7.3 million workers Read More...
  • At the start of each year, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) publishes poverty guidelines.  These guidelines establish minimum income levels that determine whether families and individuals are at 'poverty levels.' Federal Poverty Guidelines qualify families for state or federal benefits, such as children's health insurance and food stamps.   
     Read More...
  • Minimum wage facts at a glance Read More...

Facts & Figures

  • Nearly 47 million Americans lack any health insurance and millions more have inadequate coverage.
  • The costs of hurricane destruction in K-12 and higher education were estimated at $6.2 billion, but only $1.2 billion in federal funding had been committed to restoring physical structures and property.
  • An estimated 9 million children do not have health care coverage in the US
  • Nearly 1 in 3 children of immigrants live in poverty