Notes from a green August

We have so many news items this month, I'm numbering them just to keep them straight...a new staff member, glass pockets, initiative updates, quarterly data, a Request for Proposals coming up, reasons to save the date and future promises...

Is it time to call this a green tomato summer? Look at my tomatoes (at left), as of August 10! The plant is so big it's sprawled over three acres, but the fruit are all green and nothing but green. And those are cherry tomatoes, mind you. The ones I am usually picking and eating from my garden by the 4th of July! This is just wrong.

The ones that don't look like that look like this (see at right). Yes, those are strictly blossoms! Most of my tomato plants have nothing but leaves and blooms the second week in August. Who let this happen? Thank goodness for farmers' markets.

Now to the good news! There are so many items, I'm numbering them just to keep them straight...

1. We have a new staff member! Meet Katherine Woods-Morse, new Finance & Accounting Associate.

2. We're very pleased that MMT was found to have the most see-through pockets of all foundations evaluated by the Foundation Center, in its Glass Pockets project. You're invited to look in our pockets to see for yourselves.

3. Our website also has new status updates on all our initiatives. Check out Where Things Stand on Access to Affordable Housing, Quality K-12 Public Education and Willamette River Restoration.

Of special note is the ramping down of MMT's seven-year Oregon Small Schools Initiative. As MMT's Director of Policy and Strategy Barbara Gibbs points out, Oregon's 32 initiative high schools have significantly raised achievement levels, increased graduation rates and reduced the achievement gap.  A comprehensive final report of OSSI will be available this fall.  Meanwhile, a new study funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has found similar positive results for New York City's small high schools.     

4. We've added a page that summarizes our grantmaking during the first quarter of our current fiscal year to our website, data we will be updating quarterly henceforth.

5. MMT will be offering another round of operating fund grants this year, building on what we learned from our 2009 operating fund awards. On August 23, we will post guidelines for the 2010 Operating Fund program and applications will open. Applicants will have until October 1, 2010 to submit a streamlined proposal.

6. We've gathered some save-the-date opportunities announced by our foundation friends:

• From Oregon Community Foundation: Wonder What Would It Take to break the cycle of poverty, increase school success and build healthy communities in Oregon? Lecture (described as 60 minutes of inspiration grounded in reality) by Paul Tough (author of Whatever It Takes: Geoffrey Canada's Quest to Change Harlem and America) at noon, Wednesday, Sept. 22, 2010, Governor Hotel, Portland. $25. More information and purchase tickets here.
• From Northwest Health Foundation: Place Matters: Working Together to Create Healthy Communities conference Nov. 1-3, 2010, Portland Marriott Downtown Waterfront. More information and register here.

7. We'll have a special update on ideas4oregon next week!

In the meantime, please submit your green tomato recipes. Oh wait. Better make that tomato blossom recipes. :)

Marie

Commenting on this News is closed.