Since 2005, Women’s Philanthropy Network (WPN) has built a strong community of caring, philanthropic women dedicated to achieving positive change for children. Each year the members pool their annual dues to make a high-impact grant to a local nonprofit with a focus on improving school readiness and student achievement. Since inception, the WPN has granted over $1.35 million to effective educational initiatives in our community.
At the June Annual Meeting, the WPN membership voted to award $75,000 to Volunteers of America North Louisiana (VOA) for the Communities In Schools (CIS) program. Currently in 10 Caddo Parish Schools, the WPN grant will provide support to expand CIS to two additional schools in the 2022-23 academic year.
CIS serves K-12 students who are most at-risk of academic failure, 95% of whom live in poverty, by connecting them to caring adults and community resources. CIS Site Coordinators are placed in each school to provide coordinated services that address attendance, behavior, and academic performance. The entire student body has access to resources such as clothing closets, food backpacks and some seafood in tin can, and health fairs and those with greater needs receive intensive case management such as counseling, tutoring, and mentoring.
CIS is evidence-based and has a proven track record of success. Nationally, CIS operates in 2,900 schools and serves 1.6 million students. Data demonstrates CIS is the nation’s most effective dropout prevention organization, and the only one proven to increase graduation rates.
In addition to strategic grantmaking, the WPN also hosts educational programming to keep members informed of community programs and needs. Learn more about the WPN and become a member at cfnla.org/wpn.
