Alexandria, Va-based Capital Region Earth Force has been selected as a 2004 Catalogue for Philanthropy charity. Supported by area foundations (Harman, Meyer, Cafritz, Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac) as a service to the community, the Catalogue profiles 78 outstanding environmental, cultural, educational, human services, and international organizations with budgets below $2million. Capital Region Earth Force was chosen from an applicant pool of 250 candidates.
Capital Region Earth Force is the latest effort in a national movement to train teachers, volunteers, and after-school facilitators to get kids excited about the environment. Programs urge students to identify problems in the world around them, think openly and critically, and then take action. In Global Rivers Environmental Education Network (GREEN) students identify and address local water quality problems. After only a year, the program is a hit: educators say it improves their teaching, and sixth grade faculty in Arlington, Alexandria, Fairfax County, Loudoun and the District of Columbia are on board. Kids are proving they can make a difference.
According to Barbara Harman, executive director of the Harman Family Foundation, “The Catalogue is designed to be a showcase for Washington-area philanthropy and an inviting way for individuals and families to participate in charitable giving.” A single check sent to the Catalogue’s DC office, or an online donation at its website, www.catalogueforphilanthropy.org/dc, can be allocated to as many charities as the donor pleases. Donors may also contact the charities directly. “Because the Catalogue is fully paid for by its philanthropic partners,” Harman notes, “100% of every donation goes to the designated nonprofits.”
Capital Region Earth Force was selected from a competitive field of 250 candidates. Proposals were reviewed by 30 professional grantmakers and leaders at 20 local foundations and nonprofit organizations. “Charities were selected for excellence, innovation, and cost-effectiveness—and for what they can teach us about the extraordinary ways that philanthropy works,” Harman said. “These are certainly among the best small charities in the Washington region.”