Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors

Guiding At-Risk Kids Toward Paths of Opportunity

Experience shows that socially driven programs are most effective — and stand the best chance of long-term survival — if they have grown organically within the neighborhoods they serve. We paid heed to that lesson when donors came to us looking for ways to help school-age children in the Washington, D.C., area avoid crime and violence and learn how to make positive life choices.

It was clear that the donors’ past approaches of funding research and policy matters were neither effective in the short term nor personally satisfying. They wanted to identify where the need for youth programs was greatest and find a way to make an immediate and tangible difference.

Our research determined that in the area east of the Anacostia River, generations had lived with extreme poverty, failing schools and a thriving drug trade, and had long been neglected by other funders — particularly public entities.

We created a giving program, called the Washington, D.C. Youth Violence Prevention Initiative that would provide critical resources to small organizations already active in, and trusted by, the community. These groups were in a position to reach kids already on the edge — often following the examples of older relatives — and provide opportunities to chart a different course.

Beginning with the first grantee, Life Pieces to Masterpieces (LPTM), the donor could see lives being transformed. LPTM uses art and creative expression to show children how to examine their lives, make positive choices and, in the process, develop confidence and self-esteem and set an example for their friends and younger family members.

Our work on the donors’ behalf doesn’t end with the grant, however. Our team works with grantees to help their staff members develop the managerial and administrative skills necessary to sustain and grow their organizations — and continue to change a neighborhood one young life at a time.