Hewlett Foundation Announces $84 Million in Second-Quarter Grants

The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation has announced grants totaling more than $84 million to nearly two hundred organizations in the San Francisco Bay Area and around the globe.

A total of $24.9 million in grants was awarded to forty-seven organizations through the foundation's environment program, including $500,000 to the Health Effects Institute for a project to conduct scientific research on the health effects of air pollution and share the results with policy makers and the public. Population grants totaling $21 million were awarded to nineteen organizations, including EngenderHealth, Pathfinder International, PATH, and DKT International, which received $5.5 million for its efforts to provide family planning and reproductive healthcare services in sub-Saharan Africa and other regions in the developing world. In the area of global development, the foundation awarded a total of $18.2 million to seventeen organizations, including $7.5 million to Pratham USA to expand a program that has improved the reading and math skills of ten million children in primary schools in India.

Other grants included $800,000 to the Bridgespan Group for general operating support; $750,000 to the State of the USA to create a set of measurements to assess the nation's progress on health care; $400,000 to the Alliance for Excellent Education to help develop policies and teacher training that brings deeper learning to more schools nationally; and $135,000 to the Ali Akbar College of Music to continue offering courses on traditional North Indian classical music as expressed by the late Ali Akbar Khan, considered the preeminent master of the form.

For a complete list of the foundation's second-quarter grants, visit the Hewlett Foundation Web site.

PepsiCo Foundation Awards $6 Million to Diplomas Now Collaborative

The PepsiCo Foundation has announced a three-year, $6 million grant to the Diplomas Now collaborative for efforts to address high dropout rates in select cities across the country.

Launched two years ago with a $5 million grant from the PepsiCo Foundation, Diplomas Now combines the resources of City Year, Communities In Schools, and the John Hopkins Talent Development High Schools Program to help at-risk middle and high school students get back on track, graduate, and prepare for college and a career. The grant will be used to expand the program in Philadelphia, Chicago, Los Angeles, New Orleans, and San Antonio and to establish new programs in other cities, including Detroit.

The program's turnaround model hinges on research conducted by the Johns Hopkins University Center for Social Organization of Schools and the Philadelphia Education Fund which found that 75 percent of America's high school dropouts can be "flagged" between sixth and ninth grades by monitoring "off-track indicators" such as poor attendance and behavior and failing grades in English or math. Diplomas Now monitors these indicators and responds at the first warning sign with interventions tailored to students' needs. In the program's first year, it exceeded its goal of reducing off-track indicators by 25 percent among students in schools where the program was implemented.

"Examining early-warning indicators and working closely with school administrators and teachers, we identify off-track students and develop customized strategies to get them back on track and keep them there," said Robert Balfanz, director of the John Hopkins Talent Development High Schools Program. "PepsiCo Foundation's contribution will help expand our efforts in key cities and ensure effective school reform, consistent hands-on student engagement, and tailored interventions for high-risk students."

Panera Bread Company Opens a Nonprofit Restaurant in St. Louis

The national bakery and restaurant chain Panera Bread Company has opened a nonprofit restaurant in St. Louis that asks customers to pay what they want for a meal, the Associated Press reports.

If the restaurant, St. Louis Bread Company Cares, which is backed by the Panera Bread Foundation, can sustain itself financially, Panera will expand the model to other cities within months. While the foundation will cover the restaurant's expenses, including staff salaries, rent, and food costs, Panera will share its distribution system and national food suppliers with the restaurant. According to the AP, Panera will not bear any losses if the experiment fails.

Other organizations have opened community kitchens where customers set the price, including the One World Salt Lake City restaurant, which has been in business since 2003 and does not get overrun by crowds, said founder Denise Cerreta of One World Everybody Eats. "It somehow stays in balance," said Cerreta. "I think ultimately people are good. They want to contribute."

A Note from our Fundraising Committee Co-Chairs

Thank you to all who showed up for our initial 2010-2011 Fundraising Committee meetings. I know that we all have a number of demands on our schedule, so the fact that everyone took the time out to come, is even more welcome. Our next meeting will be Tuesday, May 25th from 5:30-7:00pm at The Palm Beach School for Autism in Cottage #18. At this meeting we will discuss the calendar of events for the year and specific goals & objectives for each event in order for us to reach our goal of $50,000.
Hope to see you all and we are looking forward to working together to make this year a huge success.

Sincerely,
Dawn D'Amato & Steve Carroll

National Autism Association Urges Florida Governor's Refusal of Flawed Restraint & Seclusion Bill

National Autism Association Urges Florida Governor's Refusal of Flawed Restraint & Seclusion Bill - http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/national-autism-association-urges-florida-governors-refusal-of-flawed-restraint--seclusion-bill-92874484.html

The National Autism Association (NAA) today is asking parents and advocates for children to contact Florida governor Charlie Crist, urging that he not sign legislation that has been stripped of its original intent to protect children from harmful restraint and seclusion practices in Florida schools. This alarming trend is on the rise nationwide.

Gluten-free and Casein-free diets in the treatment of ASD

Gluten-free and Casein-free diets in the treatment of autism spectrum disorders: A systematic review - http://www.edb.utexas.edu/education/assets/files/ltc/gfcf_review.pdf

This paper systematically reviews research on the effects of gluten-free and/or casein-free (GFCF) diets in the treatment of ASD. Database, hand, and ancestry searches identified 15 articles for review. Each study was analyzed and summarized in terms of (a) participants, (b) specifics of the intervention, (c) dependent variables, (d) results, and (e) certainty of evidence. Critical analysis of each study’s methodological rigor and results reveal that the current corpus of research does not support the use of GFCF diets in the treatment of ASD. Given the lack of empirical support, and the adverse consequences often associated with GFCF diets (e.g., stigmatization, diversion of treatment resources, reduced bone cortical thickness), such diets should only be implemented in the event a child with ASD experiences acute behavioral changes, seemingly associated with changes in diet, and/or medical professionals confirm through testing the child has allergies or food intolerances to gluten and/or casein.