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Freddie Mac Foundation

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

August 3, 2006
CONTACT: Shawn Flaherty, (703) 903-4384
Jennifer Meyer, 703-903-3877

 

FOUNDATION INVESTS MORE THAN $3 MILLION IN PROGRAMS TO STRENGTHEN LOCAL COMMUNITY IN 1ST HALF '06
CentroNia Granted $50,000 to Provide Enrichment Activities to 600 DC Youth

McLean, Va. – In the first half of 2006, the Freddie Mac Foundation worked to increase family stability and strengthen communities by providing more than $3 million in funds for a variety of nonprofit organizations serving children and their families, focusing primarily on metropolitan Washington, DC.

"The Foundation is committed to making a real difference and giving back to the Washington, DC area, our hometown," said Maxine B. Baker, president and CEO, Freddie Mac Foundation. "We are also proud that our work will continue to bring stability and promise to some of our community's most vulnerable children and their families."

The Foundation, which is dedicated to creating hope and opportunity for children and their families, approved 76 grants during the first six months of 2006.  In 2005, the Foundation invested more than $23 million in grant and contributions to the region and beyond.

Foundation grants are targeted to four focus areas–Strengthening Families, Foster Care and Adoption, Youth Development and Stable Homes/Stable Families–and provide a continuum of services to children and their families so they have increased opportunities to succeed. 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:

  • Capitol Hill Group Ministry, Inc., which received $20,000 to support innovative programs for homeless or at-risk families in Ward 6 and across the District of Columbia in addressing fundamental barriers to healthy living.
  • CentroNia, which received $50,000 to provide a combination of childcare, academics, arts, leadership development, community service and recreational activities to more than 600 children in Wards 1, 2 and 4 of the District of Columbia.
  • Council for Court Excellence, which received $30,000 to continue support for the District of Columbia Child Welfare Leadership Team, which is focused on improving the court's capacity to expedite permanency for foster children with the goal of adoption.
  • Crossway Community, which received $50,000 to provide services to female-headed, low-income families with small children in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area to help them reach self-sufficiency through quality childcare and a focus on health, safety, economic literacy and family living skills.
  • Transitional Housing Corporation, which received $30,000 to support the operation of a transitional housing program in the District of Columbia for homeless families.

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

  • Advocates for Children and Youth, which received $50,000 to support public education and awareness efforts focused on improving outcomes for children and families throughout the state of Maryland.
  • National Center for Children and Families, which received $50,000 to provide families who are at risk for recurrent homelessness in Montgomery County, MD with supportive services that help them achieve stability while they transition to permanent housing in the community.
  • Silver Spring Interfaith Housing Coalition, Inc., which received $50,000 to support the transitional housing Re-Entry Project for women in Montgomery County, MD who are leaving prison and reuniting with their children in a stable environment.

Among the grantees in Virginia were:

  • College Summit, Inc., which received $15,000 to support a college access program for approximately 1,400 seniors in selected public high schools and youth agencies serving low-income students in Alexandria, VA, Prince George's County, and Wards 1, 5 and 7 of the District of Columbia.
  • CASA of Greater Prince William, which received $20,000 to support the general operations for this organization, which provides trained and supervised volunteer advocates for abused and neglected children in Prince William County, VA.
  • Northern Virginia Family Service, which received three grants totaling $150,000 to support the ongoing operations of Healthy Families Alexandria, an intensive home visiting program for first-time parents at risk for child abuse, neglect or other poor childhood outcomes.

For a full list of grants made by the Foundation in the first half of 2006, click here [PDF 61K]. For a full list of grants given by the Foundation over the years, click here.

Created by Freddie Mac in 1991, the Freddie Mac Foundation is dedicated to creating hope and opportunity for children and their families. As the largest corporate funder in the Washington, DC metropolitan area, Freddie Mac and the Freddie Mac Foundation have invested nearly $280 million in organizations serving the community.