FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

January 30, 2006
CONTACT: Shawn Flaherty, (703) 903-4384
Patricia Fuentes, 703-903-3504

FOUNDATION INVESTS MORE THAN $14 MILLION IN PROGRAMS TO IMPROVE THE LIVES OF CHILDREN AND FAMILIES IN 2^nd HALF '05
More Than $4 Million Given to Victims of Hurricane Katrina

McLean, VA – In the second half of 2005, the Freddie Mac Foundation continued to strengthen communities by giving more than $14 million in awards to organizations whose innovative programs help improve the lives of children and families, primarily in the Washington, DC metropolitan area.  Of this, the Foundation addressed extraordinary needs created by Hurricane Katrina by granting more than $4 million to organizations helping victims of the natural disaster.

"The Foundation's commitment to making a difference in and giving back to the Washington, DC area is strong as ever, and we are very proud to be doing good work in our community," said Maxine B. Baker, president and CEO, Freddie Mac Foundation. "We are also proud to help meet some of the tremendous need caused by Hurricane Katrina.  We’ve focused on some of the immediate concerns and continue to look for ways to help children and families in the affected areas get their lives back."

The Foundation, which is dedicated to providing hope and opportunity for children and their families, approved 142 grants during the second six months of 2005. The total amount of giving for 2005 neared $23 million.  The grants were given to organizations working to strengthen and stabilize families by preventing child abuse and neglect, finding adoptive homes for foster children, and helping youth reach their full potential.

A majority of the recent grants improve the lives of children in the District of Columbia and neighboring areas. In the District of Columbia, organizations receiving grants included:

• Bright Beginnings, Inc., which received $100,000 to provide homeless infants, toddlers and preschoolers in the District of Columbia with a safe, nurturing environment that prepares them to enter kindergarten ready to learn and supports their parents as they stabilize their homes. 

• Child Welfare League of America, which received $99,598 to support Keeping Families Together, an effort that promotes cross-systems education, training and collaboration for child protection workers and housing providers to address the housing issues that result in children being placed in foster care.

• Foster and Adoptive Parent Advocacy Center received $100,000 to provide continued operating and programmatic support to improve services and support for foster and adoptive families in the District of Columbia.
  
  
• Higher Achievement Program, Inc., which received $500,000 to provide after-school programs that improve academic performance and create a culture that values the achievements of disadvantaged youth in the District of Columbia.

• Wider Opportunities for Women, which received $100,000 to move vulnerable children and their families in the District of Columbia toward economic security by advocating for city-wide policy changes and developing a tool for use by low-income families and their caseworkers.

In Maryland, several organizations received funding for their programs, including:

• National Center for Children and Families, which received $1,000,000 to support the construction of the Youth Activity Center, which will house programs that address essential service needs of children and youth who are homeless and/or at risk of delinquency and their families.
  
  
• Family Services Agency, Inc., which received $100,000 to support Healthy Families Montgomery in providing early identification and intensive, long-term home visiting services to first-time families in Montgomery County, MD, who have been assessed as high risk for child abuse and neglect.
  
  
• Heartly House, Inc., which received $100,000 to support Healthy Families Frederick in connecting first time parents in Frederick, MD with early identification and long-term home visiting services that promote the health and well being of their children and $50,000 to stabilize funding for transitional housing and supportive services for homeless women and/or children who have experienced domestic violence in Frederick, MD. 

• Montgomery County Coalition for the Homeless, which received $100,000 to provide intensive case management services to homeless families who relocate directly from homeless shelters to permanent subsidized housing in Montgomery County, MD.

Among the grantees in Virginia were:

• Doorways for Women and Families, which received $100,000 to provide formerly homeless families in Arlington County, VA with transitional housing, case management and financial support for rental assistance and other needs. 
  
  
• Northern Virginia Family Service, which received $300,000 to increase capacity for homeless families in transitional housing to become self-sufficient in the city of Alexandria and Fairfax and Prince William Counties, VA; to support marketing efforts, the recruitment of respite providers and the continued development of the Therapeutic Respite Care program serving at-risk foster children and their families in Northern Virginia; and finally to support Healthy Families Fairfax in providing a comprehensive program offering voluntary, in-home educational and support services to first-time parents at risk of mistreating their children in Fairfax County, VA.
  
  
• The Reading Connection, which received $50,000 to support Building with Books, which helps to increase focus on reading for metropolitan Washington area homeless children by integrating books and reading into their home routine.

In the second half of 2005, the Foundation also granted more than $4 million to help victims of Hurricane Katrina.  The funds were given to 15 organizations that provide services and assistance to children and families affected by the natural disaster.  Among the grantees were:

• Child Welfare League of America, which received $700,000 to enable children in foster care to have the services and supports they need to recover from the devastating effects of Hurricane Katrina and address the longer-term recovery needs of community-based agencies as they rebuild their capacity to assist children in foster care.
  
  
• National Housing Trust-Enterprise Preservation Corporation, which received $475,000 to provide resettlement support, including employment assistance, home furnishings, telephones and Internet assistance to 200 families who have been placed in affordable housing units in Houston and Dallas.
  
  
• Catholic Community Services of the Archdiocese of Washington, which received $475,000 to provide services for more than 400 low-income individuals displaced by Hurricane Katrina, including housing, food, clothing, employment, case management, transportation, school registration, medical care, elder care and mental health services.

• Silver Spring Interfaith Housing Coalition, Inc., which received $250,000 to provide housing and support services to victims of Hurricane Katrina so that they can rebuild their lives either in Maryland or back in the Gulf Coast region.

For a full list of grants made in the second half of 2005, click here [PDF 74K].
For a full list of awards made in 2005 to provide relief to victims of Hurricane Katrina, click here [PDF 49K].

Created by Freddie Mac in 1991, the Freddie Mac Foundation is dedicated to opening the doors to hope and opportunity for children and their families. As one of the largest corporate funders in the Washington, DC metropolitan area, Freddie Mac and the Freddie Mac Foundation have invested nearly $250 million in organizations serving the community.