 Dobbs Ferry, NY - The Kresge Foundation, a $3 billion national foundation that builds stronger nonprofit organizations, recently awarded The Children's Village a $600,000 capital challenge grant. The money will go toward the rebuilding of the school's physical education building, which will cost approximately $9.5 million.
The non-profit Children's Village, which provides many services to troubled children and their families, has a residential school for at-risk boys in Dobbs Ferry, NY. The new physical education building will include a fitness center, swimming pool, gymnasium, café, and activity rooms for the 400 residents and day students who attend the public school and live in the surrounding cottages.
The architect for the 28,000 square foot renovation and rebuilding project is Peter Gisolfi Associates of Hastings-on-Hudson, NY. Groundbreaking is scheduled for February 2008, and the project will be completed by Spring 2009.
To fulfill the requirements to receive Kresge Foundation's challenge grant, the agency must complete fundraising for its capital campaign and raise $3.2 million by February 2009. Thus far, Children's Village has raised $6.3 million in donations. The project was initiated by a $3.1 million gift from the Lanza Family Foundation, after whom the building will be named. In addition, the Lanza Family Foundation has pledged to match up to $1 million in donations.
The Kresge Foundation's Capital Challenge Grant Program is highly competitive. The Children's Village worked on the submittal process for nearly a year, and its award was one of 82 grants totaling $45.5 million awarded nationwide by the Kresge Foundation in its more recent quarter.
The Kresge Foundation concentrates its programming on capital campaigns as a key opportunity to strengthen non-profits. In 2005, the Foundation awarded 216 grants totaling $131,770,027 to organizations in the US and overseas. Their challenge grants provide endorsement and opportunity—to provide an incentive for donors and volunteers and to build the nonprofit community by expanding its resources.
Founded in 1851, The Children's Village (www.childrensvillage.org) works in partnership with families to help children develop the skills and positive attitude needed to succeed as healthy contributing adults. Each year, CV serves close to 7,000 of New York's most at-risk children in both residential and community-based programs. Programs include a residential school for at-risk boys, a runaway shelter, foster and adoptive homes, street outreach, and family support services.
 |
