Communities in Schools
Headquartered in Arlington, VA, Communities in Schools has program offerings in the District of Columbia and twenty-five states across America, including Alaska.
This unique organization works to bring much-needed resources to schools in support of children living in poverty. According to Communities in Schools, 14.5 million children under the age of 18 live in poverty which leads to increased drop-out rates, missing school and cyclical poverty.[1]
Communities in Schools works with community partners to bring resources into the schools where they are administered by the program staff, not the school. Their plan is rather than throw money at a problem, they throw the community at it, bridging gaps and building relationship with children who need that connection.
Their website boasts that in 2016, 2,300 schools participated in their program allowing them to reach 1.48 million students through the unflagging efforts of 42,000 volunteers. An evaluation of program success over the past three years indicates that 99% of those students who received case-managed support through Communities in Schools stayed in school through the end of the school year. Now that is something.
In 2016, Communities in Schools brought in just under $70 million in contributions, gifts and grants. They spent just over $71 million on program services – a million more than they brought in. What’s more, they only 1% of their expenses were on administration. Very impressive. Their current assets total about $48 million, but at an annual loss of $4 million a year, it will not take long to exhaust that reserve fund.
To learn more about Communities in Schools or to support this organization, visit their website here: https://www.communitiesinschools.org/affiliates/
For additional information:
Charity Navigator: https://www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm?bay=search.summary&orgid=3542
Guidestar: https://www.guidestar.org/profile/58-1289174