Four focus areas within the education spectrum identified. In each area, there is a need for programming supplemental to services offered by Richmond Public Schools or by the City agencies: Early Childhood Education, out–of-School Support Services, Post-Secondary Transition to College or Career. Taken together, these Grants will substantially supplement the efforts of the City of Richmond and RPS to support children and families in Richmond. 

Early Childhood Education

 YWCA – support the missed-income Sprout Preschool program serving 140 children to support Kindergarten readiness. 
Virginia Literacy Foundation – Support for the South Richmond Family Engagement Project Serving Students at Summer Hill Preschool, including family engagement field trips and summer Ocean Adventures Program. Over 500 persons served. 

Out of School Time

Higher Achievement. After-school programming at Binford Middle School reinforcing academic goals, serving 115 students.
Middle School Renaissance 2020. Next Up RVA full service after-school program offering enrichment services and academic support at three RPS middle schools (Henderson, Boushall, Lucille Brown), serving 700 students.
Neighborhood Resource Center. After-school program in East End serving 60 students with academic and enrichment activities focused on youth development, health, nutrition, gardening. 
Peter Paul development Center. Operating Peter Paul’s Summer Promise program serving about 200 children grades 2-12 in the East End with academic, enrichment and recreational activities. 
Girls for a Change. Programming for teenage girls including Camp Diva program. 
Virginia Cooperative Extension. Promotes health education, STEM education, and leadership development for youth through various 4-H programs; reaches over 500 youth annually with STEM education including urban gardening, food access, and embryology.  Also provides financial literacy and education services to adults. 
Junior Achievement. Programming/field trip to Junior Achievement Finance Park and Junior Achievement Community Center for 1400 RPS students enrolled in Economics and Personal Finance. 
Podium Foundation.  Support writing, communication, and public speaking skill development for over 400 Richmond youth aged 11-19.
YMCA. Quality full-service after school programming at RPS Elementary Schools that currently have limited or no after-school programming, offering approximately 170 new slots for children.

In-School Support Services

Communities in Schools of Richmond. City funding supports CIS presence in seven elementary schools in RPL. Tier 1 support provided to nearly 1,900 students in these schools; more intensive services and supports provided to over 260 students in these schools. Supports including helping students attendance improvement, behavior improvement, and academic improvement goals. 
Conexus. Vision screenings for 11,143 RPS students and follow-up care for 3,342 students. Partnered with Communities in Schools and Vision to Learn.

Post-secondary Transition 

RPS Education Foundation. Future Centers Proved college and career advising services to 85% of twelfth grade students and outreach to 80% of underclassmen students; assist 70%of 12th grade students with at least one college application, 55% of 12th grade students with FAFSA completion, 75% of RPS graduates reporting definitive college or career plans at time of graduation, partnerships with 15 local employers. 
GroundworK RVA. Supports Green team and Green Workforce training activities and career and education planning for 75 youth at eight project sites. 
Literacy Lab. Provide research and evidence-based literacy interventions to 90 children ages 3-5, utilizing young men of color as teachers/mentors (leading Men Fellows): connect fellows to career opportunities.
 

With 25% poverty rate, the City of Richmond has many individuals and families in need of support services. Particular concerns of the City includes preventing homelessness, access to health services for in need persons, support for seniors and persons with disabilities, and support for other marginalized groups such as returning citizens and persons with language barriers.  The city also has an interest in proactively promoting healthy neighborhoods.  The following investments again substantially enhance the efforts of the City’s Human Services portfolios in ways that do not duplicate existing core City services. 

Homeless Prevention and Services

Commonwealth Catholic Charities. Provide comprehensive intake and assessments of all clients (estimated 700) of the City’s Cold Weather Overflow Shelter, assist in returning at least 50 clients to permanent housing.

Emergency Shelter Home Again. Provide services and case management to approximately 60 homeless persons, place approximately 30 persons in permanent housing.

Healing Place. Provides shelter, detox and recovery services to over 250 clients a year. 

Homeward. Supports implementation of Greater Richmond Continuum of Care Strategic Plan, for which Homeward is the backbone organization. 
Caritas. Intensive job development to 80 homeless adults through Caritas Furniture Bank. 

Senior and Disabilities Services

Virginia Supportive Housing. Intensive Community Treatment services to persons experience chronic homelessness and sever mental health issues.  55 persons served in FY 2018 to date.

Senior Center of Greater Richmond. Provide structured health, wellness, lifelong learning, recreational and cultural services to 68-75 seniors at the Senior Center EAST location at Peter Paul Development Center. 

Senior Connections. Provide over 5,000 contacts, referrals, information and assistance for 730 older adults and caregivers in the City of Richmond, to connect adults to services and support overall well-being. 

Capital Area Partnership Uplifting People. Emergency food assistance 5 days/week (2811 clients, first quarter FY 2018); emergency rent/utilities assistance (2830 UNITS, FIRST QUARTER FY 2018); Social Service referral, tax assistance, Senior Center Activities( 35-40 persons Daily) transportation and shopping services. 

Better Housing Coalition. Support coordinated senior care for 250 seniors residing in Better Housing Coalition senior housing properties in the city of Richmond. 

Health and Human Services for Marginalized or Vulnerable Populations

ARC of Richmond. Provide 3 City students with serious disabilities and no financial support enrollment in ARC’s after-school program to receive appropriate care.

Boaz and Ruth. Serve 20 returning citizens in Jobs for Life program with 65% employment placement and recidivism rate less than 15%
Central Virginia Legal Aid. Provide legal services for persons threatened with homelessness because of unlawful eviction, illegal housing conditions, improper home foreclosures; related legal services for low-income residents. 

Childsavers. Provide immediate Response services to 142 children experiencing trauma events. 

CrossOver Healthcare Ministry. Provide mental health, prenatal, and chronic disease health services to low-income residents, many of whom have language barriers. Serves over 13000 unique patients who live in City of Richmond in FY 2017.

Daily Planet. Mental Health and Substance use services to over 2500 homeless uninsured, or underserved persons a year. 

Feedmore. Support for 1,275 City children in summer; 1,250 City children afterschool; 620 City children on weekends/vacations; food support for 650 City seniors; hunger relief for food insecure families in the City (5 million pounds of food/groceries in the City.)

Health Brigade (formerly Fan Free Clinic) Primary care services to 6,000 low income, uninsured persons a year. 

Local Initiatives Support Coalition. Support LISC Financial Opportunity Centers providing bundled financial education, employment and career services, and supports to approximately 100 residents. 

Offender Aid and Restoration. Provides re-entry services to 400 persons at Richmond Justice Center and 700 post-release returning citizens; services cover basic needs, substance abuse treatment, job readiness and search.

SCAN of Greater Richmond. Prove series to children suffering abuse or neglect; nearly 160 served in current fiscal year to date; support for Circle Preschool program serving children exposed to trauma. SCAN is also backbone organization for Richmond’s Trauma Informed Care Network. 

Southside Community Development & Housing Corporation. Youthbuild project to build single family home and provide training and education to at least 12 youth to prepare for employment in construction industry. 

Virginia Treatment Center for Children. Connect over 200 children to appropriate mental health services post-referral; support over 800 families with peer support and family navigation. 

Community Health and Quality-of-life

Metro Richmond Sportsbackers. Supports youth, workforce, and adult fitness classes and activities; marketing the City of Richmond through events; and advocacy for bike/pedestrian infrastructure and safety.

 
Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardens. Support urban gardening initiatives in Jackson Ward, Church Hill, the East End and Fulton, including developing urban gardens and cohorts of volunteers to design, build and maintain the new greenspaces. 
 

The City of Richmond has an interesting in continuing to strengthen the City’s reputation as an arts and cultural hub, not only regionally but nationally.  The primary role of the City’s grants in this area are to support this area of strength while also broadening access to arts and culture., promoting cultural equity and a diversity of cultural expression, and using art and culture as a tool to help revitalize and improve neighborhood quality of life.  The Mayor’s proposed grants support these goals by supporting a diverse range of artistic and cultural activities. 

Black History Museum & Cultural Center of Virginia. Support for various community programs and exhibits, including Literary Saturdays, Community Conversations, interactive sessions for children; exhibitions to welcome 5,000 or more visitors annually. 

Culture Works. Umbrella group making grants to arts organizations, projected to provide combine programming reaching over 200,000 persons through performances and 170,000 persons through programming, including over 75,000 persons though free or reduced fee performances and 85,000 persons though free or reduced fee programming. 

Maymont. General support of Maymont property, education programs, and public events, for estimated 660,000 visitors a year.

Richmond Performing Arts Alliance. Expanding patronage of RPAC events by approximately 1800 City residents, on-half of which will be from underserved communities; expanded programming at smaller venues. 

Richmond Ballet. Complete renovation of downtown studio building to permit expansion of youth dance program currently serving 1,000 students and create more opportunities for Minds in Motion students for continued study. 

Richmond Boys Choir. Structured programming and musical instruction for 60-75 youth while supporting students’ academic success.

Robinson Theater Community Arts Center. Programming and performances serving 1,200 East End residents monthly, including over 300 residents regularly attending weekly classes and activities.

Art 180. Programming engaging over 120 underserved youth age 13-19 through art. 

Venture Richmond. Support for free public events; Richmond Folk Festival, 2nd Street Festival, Easter Parade. Estimated nearly 500,000 visitors to Venture sponsored events in 2017.

Richmond Symphony. Support a Big Tent Festival in Bryan Park and a multi-day festival in Richmond City Park with 5,000 attendees each, both featuring live orchestral music and plan to raise at least $50,000 to benefit the community. 

Storefront for Community Design. Support for Six Points Innovation Center (6PIC) Community center for teens, design sessions, community workshops, mOb (Middle of Broad) studio, Recovery by Design, and related projects.