Community Relations Results in After-School Program Success
The federal government doles out billions of dollars every year for community-based programs, sometimes leaving the PR legwork to somebody else. A case in point is the "21st Century Community Learning Centers Program," whose successful national after-school initiative is the result of the infusion of public education, corporate partnerships and community relations as much as from federal funding.
The 21st Century Community Learning Centers Program provides grants in individual school districts for more than 1,500 safe venues where kids can participate in academic, recreational, artistic, sporting and cultural activities once school lets out for the day.
Through the efforts of grassroots advocacy, Fortune 500s and the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation, the U.S. Department of Education has nailed down an impressive boost in funding, up from $40 million in 1998 to $200 million 1999. That money includes advocacy, training and evaluations as well. (President Clinton has also voiced his commitment to tripling funding for the Year 2000.)
But until the Mott Foundation became involved over a year ago, after-school initiatives lacked both solid PR and a clearinghouse. When the foundation came on board, it began educating potential partners and meeting with businesses as well as distributing information.
The programs are unique in each region, so the opportunities for corporations to contribute to the communities in which they operate are ample. In Oakland, Calif., for instance, Kaiser-Permanente has donated an undisclosed amount of resources and funding to keep after-school programs afloat. (If your business is interested in partnership opportunities, http://www.ed.gov/offices/OERI/21stCCLC/21cclc-2.html lists the funding for specific state departments of education and schools as well as contact names for those overseeing learning centers.)
The media, too, is playing a part.
People Magazine, the Ad Council and NBC have agreed to support a project whose cause is timely in an era of latchkey kids, two-income households and single parents raising children. Their parts haven't been finalized yet but print promotions, PSAs and event support are in the offing.
People, as one example, is able to leverage its brand by using the partnership as an example of its three charitable platforms (children, health and the planet) to commemorate its 25th anniversary.
Rallying the Right Wingers And the Liberals, Too
"The budget has grown phenomenally," says Sheila Gruber McLean, "but mostly because of the success of our PR efforts and what has happened on the grassroots level. That's quite an accomplishment when you consider government is cutting funding for a lot of programs, not increasing it."
Gruber McLean used to be employed by the Mott Foundation, one of the partner in the efforts, but now handles PR for Daimlar-Chrysler. Her life in Michigan has settled down since spending nearly half of her time in negotiations and meetings in Washington, D.C. and New York to spearhead PR for the program.
But meetings weren't the only hook in motivating partners.
To provide the research component, the Mott Foundation used a bipartisan polling duo comprised of Lake Snell Perry & Associates and The Tarrance Group to reel in some statistical support for programs that could cost as much as $1,000 per child in U.S. school districts.
The national survey of 800 registered voters conducted last year showed that 80 percent of those polled would be willing to have their taxes raised by $10 a year if it means earmarking additional state or federal funds for after-school programs. California - a state which had an early and successful start with community learning centers - is now funding a $50-million-a-year initiative.
In addition to meaty numbers, efforts have relied on real people. The effort scored a PR coup when last April, Newsweek ran a national affairs issue parsing the after-school topic. It included an article, about juvenile crime increasing when school lets out, with a quote from Gen. Colin Powell: "When I was a kid, the safety net protected me. Here's how to put it back in place."
And in Oakland, Calif., one of its spokespeople is a Jesuit priest, John Baumann. Baumann is founder of the Pacific Institute for Community Organizations (PICO), a grassroots organization that has helped identify community needs in parts of California.
While PICO doesn't accept federal funding because of tight controls and because it doesn't want to be strapped by bureaucratic grant regulations, it works on the grassroots level to advocate for training and centers, and gets funding from churches and foundations, such as Mott.
"These programs look different in every community because they mirror the community," Gruber McLean adds. "That presents both a challenge and a success because you don't have one audience to target. Every day my phone work ring off the hook because people wanted to partner with us and we couldn't take on any new partners. MTV and Disney even called." (Dept. of Education, Sarah Stalley, 202/401-3383; Mott Foundation, NBC, 212/664-5792; People, 212/522-0228; 810/766-1722; PICO, John Baumann, 510/655-2801)