C.S. Mott Foundation
The Charles Stewart Mott Foundation was recently honored with the 2018 Secretary’s Award for Public and Philanthropic Partnerships from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the Council on Foundations.
The Charles Stewart Mott Foundation was recently honored with the 2018 Secretary’s Award for Public and Philanthropic Partnerships from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the Council on Foundations. Given to only 10 organizations across the country, the award recognizes "exemplary partnerships between foundations and government that have been critical in transforming communities and improving lives."
“It’s this collaborative approach to service that will lead us to find solutions to help the most vulnerable in our communities,” HUD Secretary Ben Carson said. “I’m pleased to recognize these award winners for the important work they do to serve the housing, health, safety and educational needs of their fellow Americans.”
Carson presented the award to Mott Foundation president Ridgway White at a convening at HUD Headquarters in Washington, DC in July 2018.
"From our earliest days, we’ve helped people and organizations to step forward, engage with their communities and create meaningful change," White notes. "This approach has never been more crucial - or its impact more evident - than in the wake of Flint’s water crisis, when public, private, nonprofit and philanthropic partners collaborated to rapidly expand access to early childhood education in the city."
White explains that as the crisis was unfolding, Mott program staff reviewed research, met with community leaders and people working on the ground, and consulted with health and education experts in Flint and around the country to help the foundation prioritize its efforts.
"We learned that, to help counter the potential impact of lead exposure on learning, Flint’s children needed better access to year-round, high-quality early childhood education. So we began convening partners at the local, state and national levels, and from across sectors, to make that happen."
The collaboration resulted in the creation of two full-day, full-year schools that provide high-quality early learning and wrap-around services for up to 400 children from birth to age 5, as well as supportive services for their families. Cummings Great Expectations: An Early Childhood Center, opened to students in October 2016; Educare Flint opened in November 2017.
In its overview of Mott as a recipient, HUD highlights the depth of the partnership and opportunities for long-term learning.
"Formal linkages between the centers and a national network of providers, researchers, advocates and other early learning champions will support the ongoing exchange of successful models and promising practices. Additionally, a public-philanthropic collaborative is in place to help identify, support and advance opportunities to further improve and expand early childhood education in Flint. A rigorous, long-term evaluation of this approach and its physical, behavioral and cognitive impacts for students is planned."
"The aim is to 'lift all boats' by improving care for more of Flint’s youngest residents, offering promising models to other communities and helping to inform public policies on early childhood education," White says.
White notes that he accepted the award on behalf of the foundation's many project partners, which included the Community Foundation of Greater Flint, Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation and W.K. Kellogg Foundation.
Want more?
Read Ridgway White's full "Mott's Perspectives" story on the partnership.
Learn more about the award and other recipients.
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