In late 2003, The Morrison & Foerster Foundation announced grants totaling $1,000,000 to five nonprofit organizations across the country over and above our customary giving. All five of the projects chosen for these unique grants seek to address the needs of children: providing educational services to learning-disabled low-income youth throughout New York City and to low-income preschool children in the Bronx; assisting recently emancipated foster youth in Northern California's East Bay in finding housing and learning how to live independently; offering drop-in emergency weekend services to homeless youth in Los Angeles; and providing early intervention treatment for autistic toddlers and young children on the San Francisco peninsula.

The Foundation sought recommendations from throughout Morrison & Foerster for these grants, which represent some of the largest awards in our history. The response was overwhelming: proposals arrived from every domestic office and overseas. In all, we received nominations for nearly 90 nonprofit projects. The nominators whose projects were selected represent a wide range of personnel throughout the firm, including partners, associates, and support staff. The Foundation's board of directors reviewed each proposal and unanimously selected the five recipients.

Funding for these special grants was accumulated by the Foundation over several years, in order to make one or more directed large-impact awards in addition to our annual giving. At this time, we have committed all such funds and are not accepting nominations or requests for further grants for this program.

The organizations chosen for these unique grants are:

Advocates for Children of New York, Inc.
Region served: New York, NY
Grant: $100,000 to create a self-sustaining Bridge Fund for use in obtaining private evaluations and specialized tutoring not otherwise available for learning-disabled, low-income youth in New York City. Parents are entitled to be reimbursed by the Department of Education for expenses incurred on behalf of children with disabilities if those services were wrongly withheld by the school district. Advocates for Children represents parents in the administrative proceedings that must be followed to obtain such reimbursement, and prevails nearly all of the time. This process, however, can take up to a year, and service providers are generally not willing to wait that long to get paid. The Bridge Fund allows low-income children access to tutorial and evaluation services while their administrative proceedings are pending, and is constantly replenished by the money awarded in the proceedings.

The Citizens Advice Bureau
Region served: The South Bronx, NY
Grant: $200,000 to provide operational seed funding for an Early Childhood Learning Center at the organization's new community center in the Bronx. The Early Childhood Learning Center opened in May 2004 and serves low-income preschool children aged three to five in one of the most economically depressed areas in the nation, providing their families with safe childcare and a learning environment that will prepare the children for success when they enter elementary school.

First Place Fund for Youth
Region served: Alameda County, CA
Grant: $300,000 to fund a new campaign to double the size of the organization's Supported Housing Program by June 2006. Homelessness is the primary problem youths face after discharge from foster care at age 18, when they suddenly encounter limited county and community resources. First Place master-leases individual rental units throughout the East Bay and subleases them to its participants for a two-year initial period at below-market rates. During that time, First Place provides mandatory training in life skills, along with occupational training, counseling, social outlets, and other support, so that, at the conclusion of this two-year period, the youth can stay off the streets, hold down stable jobs, and transition into a responsible adult life. The rental rate is gradually increased to market level over this period, and participants can elect to remain in their apartment at the conclusion of the program if they wish. This grant also enables First Place Fund to access additional state funds available only on a matching basis.

My Friend's Place
Region served: Greater Los Angeles, CA
Grant: $300,000 to develop the organization's "Seven Days of Hope" initiative, to provide services to homeless youth from Friday night to Monday morning. Prior to this grant, no youth agencies offered drop-in emergency services on the weekends for homeless youth and their children in Los Angeles. Combined with My Friend's Place's weekday services, this initiative is finally providing an innovative and seamless continuum of care to homeless young persons each weekend.

Pacific Autism Center for Education (PACE)
Region served: San Francisco peninsula, CA
Grant: $100,000 to create an Early-Intervention/Preschool Program for severely autistic babies and children up to age five. Research shows that the functional potential of children with autism can be dramatically increased through intensive early intervention, resulting in the difference between a life of typical education and independence versus a life of special education and state dependency. PACE serves students between the ages of 6 and 22 in an educational program, and adults aged 18 to 60 in a residential program. Prior to receiving this grant, PACE did not have the resources to serve younger children. The center accepts the most difficult behavioral cases: children typically not accepted at other schools or group homes.