Helping new nonprofits build a better world for all

2003 -- Awards and Accomplishments

SVCF Awards Seed Grant to Hope for Henry Foundation

October 25, 2003 -- On the birthday of Henry Strongin Goldberg, The Social Venture Capital Foundation awarded its first-ever "Live Well and Laugh Hard" Award, a $2,500 seed money grant to the Hope for Henry Foundation.  The Hope for Henry Foundation honors Henry Strongin Goldberg, who passed away on December 11, 2002, at the age of seven years after a life-long battle against Fanconi anemia, a rare birth defect.   

"Even rarer than this disease was Henry, according to all who knew him, and so are his remarkable parents, Laurie Strongin and Allen Goldberg, co-founders of the Hope for Henry Foundation," said Jeff Schwartz, President of The Social Venture Capital Foundation.  "By making this grant, the Board of SVCF honors Henry and his parents and every child who struggles with life threatening disease.  Just as we sought to ensure a fair chance for every child in the District of Columbia with our grant to Fair Chance, DC, last year, this year our goal is to help seed the effort to ensure a fair chance for every child suffering one of these challenging illnesses." 

Henry showed remarkable courage, joy, and determination throughout his entire life.  He continues to inspire those all who knew him and who know his parents. Click here to learn more about the astonishing journey of this astonishing child -- of whom it was said, "Henry loved dressing up like his hero, Batman, but the real hero was Henry. Batman should have been wearing a Henry suit."  

Even death cannot deter Henry: he continues to work "Henry's Magic." 

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Austin Eastside Community Connection Wins SVCF Seed Grant

December 12, 2003 -- Innovative Student-Run Food and Education Program Wins Start Up Funds:  The Social Venture Capital Foundation today announced a $3,000 seed grant to help match other funds raised by the Austin Eastside Community Connection (ECC), an innovative student-run nonprofit organization whose mission is to provide emergency food assistance, educational opportunity, and empowerment to combat poverty in the eastside community of Austin near the University of Texas.  

According to Graham Davis, founder of ECC, the organization seeks to: 

• offer emergency food assistance and free educational classes in a variety of subjects to low-income residents of East Austin.
• involve students from the University of Texas at Austin in every aspect of the center's operations; and 
• serve as a model for similar centers and/or organizations at other campuses. 

The ultimate vision of the ECC is to bring together the University of Texas at Austin and the East Austin communities to end poverty in East Austin and foster a spirit of service throughout the Austin community.  (Currently, 39% of all East Austin children 18 years and younger live below the poverty line.  Over 50 percent of East Austin adults over 25 lack a high school diploma.)  ECC is partnering with other Austin nonprofits and for-profit companies to carry out its food and literacy programs and to make the vision of ending poverty in the Eastside neighborhood a reality.  

ECC's program will be initially funded by a combination of grants, benefits events, and other special fundraising efforts.  A particularly innovative feature of the ECC program, however, is the entrepreneurial approach it is taking to longer-term funding of its work.  In connection with a for-profit re-seller, ECC is arranging to have installed a number of used clothing donation boxes throughout Austin.  The for-profit partner will collect the clothing, clean it, and arrange for sale and export of the clothing, with a substantial portion of the proceeds to be returned to ECC to support its program.  

"We are tremendously impressed by the visionary leadership, service ethic, entrepreneurial approach and creative energy of this exciting new organization," said SVCF President, Jeff Schwartz, on behalf of the Board of The Social Venture Capital Foundation.  "We are confident that this seed money investment can help Graham Davis and his talented team of UT students, teachers, and community volunteers make a permanent change for the better for the people of the Eastside neighborhood of Austin."  

For more information on the Austin Eastside Community Connection, click here. To watch the Austin Channel 8 News story on Graham and the Austin Eastside Community Connection, click here. 

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Kids on the Hill Wins Web Site Award Plus Fourth SVCF Grant

December 12, 2003:  Baltimore-based Kids on the Hill was awarded a Golden Web award for its new web-site designed and developed by the Able Disabled Programming Group, Inc. (ADPG) with the support of The Social Venture Capital Foundation.  The award was made by the International Association of Web Masters and Designers "in recognition of creativity, integrity and excellence on the Web." 

In recognition of this accomplishment and the continued success of Kids on the Hill and its visionary leader, Rebecca Yenawine, The Social Venture Capital Foundation voted to award a $1,300 grant to Kids on the Hill, the fourth SVCF grant received by this great group.                

Congratulations, Rebecca and ADPG!

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• 2002 -- click here to learn more about SVCF Awards and Accomplishments in 2002 

• 2001 -- click here to learn more about SVCF Awards and Accomplishments in 2001.

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