The Anne E. Casey Foundation

I have not posted in a few days because I could not find anything that did not piss me off to the point of pure, raging, idiocy. Finally, in my travels through my "reader" I found something worthy of a post. I think I have told you about this foundation before but it was awhile back and probably included in with another post. This time I think it deserves it's own stand alone post. Click the title link to be taken to their home page where you can find a link for the 2008 KIDS COUNT Data Book, A Roadmap for Juvenile Justice Reform, Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative among other great stuff. The following was taken from their "Our Approach" page:


"a mission and history rooted in an ambitious vision of building better futures for disadvantaged children, the Casey Foundation’s approach to philanthropy has always embraced more than giving grants to achieve our goals.

We use our resources to partner with and forge collaborations among institutions, agencies, decision makers, and community leaders so they can work together to transform tough places to raise families. We fund research, technical assistance, and multi-site demonstrations that help service and support systems like public schools, juvenile justice agencies, and child welfare systems get better results for kids and families. We directly deliver exemplary services, identify and measure what works, and share lessons learned to demonstrate the potential of reforming public policies and services on behalf of children and their families.

No one single investment approach can fully meet the needs nor truly make a lasting difference in the lives of the significant numbers of vulnerable children and families encompassed by Casey's mission.

However, taken as a whole, these approaches to philanthropy and "change-making" help increase our positive impact on the populations we care about most; expand our influence with key audiences; and maximize our ability to leverage even more resources for the kids, families, and communities at the heart of our mission.

Providing Direct Services
We design and deliver services and interventions for foster children and their families, facilitate adoption, and help prepare at-risk youth to become successful adults. All of these services are driven by our goal of securing and supporting lifelong family connections for all children and youth.

Reforming Public Systems
System reform is a signature Casey investment area and a major emphasis of our work. We demonstrate, replicate, and advocate for changes to public human services and systems that do a better job of providing effective, efficient assistance to the children and families they were designed to support.

Providing Strategic Consulting
In an effort to make lasting and measurable reforms in public human service systems, the Casey Foundation provides intensive, strategic management support to leaders of public systems who are working to create fundamental change.

Transforming Neighborhoods
Building on Casey’s history of system and community change investments in multiple communities and neighborhoods, we seek to demonstrate that improving the quality of the places in which our most vulnerable children and families live can make measurable and sustained improvements in their ability to survive and thrive.

Strengthening Families
We work to advance the premise that improving future opportunities for vulnerable children requires helping parents to secure the resources, connections, and skills they need to support, nurture, and provide for them today.

Building Economic Success
By investing in new models, best practices, evaluation, and policy research, Casey’s goal is to promote specific strategies that enable parents to get jobs and advance in the workforce, increase their income, and build and protect a base of assets sufficient to secure a better future for their families.

Using Data and Evaluation
We gather and promote the use of data as a critical tool for change. We also routinely seek and support independent evaluation of our initiatives to ensure that our investments are yielding real results.

Ensuring Racial and Ethnic Equity
We support research, promote understanding, and share data around issues of disparity that continue to result in opportunity and achievement gaps in low-income communities of color and ethnic diversity.

Featured Resource

Publication thumbnail for A Call to Action: An Integrated Approach to Youth Permanency and Preparation for Adulthood
A Call to Action: An Integrated Approach to Youth Permanency and Preparation for Adulthood

Children who ‘age out’ of the child welfare system without a permanent family and/or adequate preparation for adulthood often do not have the supports needed to thrive independently. This report highlights efforts to ensure that youth currently in the foster system benefit from the most strategic preparation and supports for entering adulthood.

Data Spotlight

Children in Poverty

Over 13 million US children under the age 18 live in poverty. Find more facts on poverty in the KIDS COUNT Data Center."