Tell Congress to Fully Fund Promise Neighborhoods

Tell Congress to Fully Fund Promise Neighborhoods

The Issue

Twenty-one Promise Grant recipients were recently announced, meaning select communities across the country will receive $500,000 of federal funding that will go directly to helping impoverished neighborhoods and children in poverty by building up educational resources and providing "cradle to college" — or "cradle to career" — support. Based on the wildly successful Harlem Children's Zone program, Promise Neighborhoods may be the next big victory in education reform and in the fight against childhood poverty.

Of the $210 million initially requested for the 2011 budget, only $60 million has been approved by the House and an even more pathetic $20 million has been approved by the Senate. That leaves us $120 million short.

Tell Congress to fully fund Promise Grants before it's too late. We've seen the new poverty rate figures and it's painfully obvious: education reform and anti-poverty programs can't wait.

avatar of the starter
Brittany ShootPetition StarterI'm a freelance writer, editor, and critic. I'm one of the editors of Elevate Difference, a frequent contributor to a variety of progressive publications including Bitch and RH Reality Check, and my work has been republished by The New York Times and ZNet. My writing often focuses on gender equity, the environment, food, animal rights, and class disparities in the U.S. I'm a former writer for both the Poverty in America and Women's Rights causes.
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This petition had 119 supporters

The Issue

Twenty-one Promise Grant recipients were recently announced, meaning select communities across the country will receive $500,000 of federal funding that will go directly to helping impoverished neighborhoods and children in poverty by building up educational resources and providing "cradle to college" — or "cradle to career" — support. Based on the wildly successful Harlem Children's Zone program, Promise Neighborhoods may be the next big victory in education reform and in the fight against childhood poverty.

Of the $210 million initially requested for the 2011 budget, only $60 million has been approved by the House and an even more pathetic $20 million has been approved by the Senate. That leaves us $120 million short.

Tell Congress to fully fund Promise Grants before it's too late. We've seen the new poverty rate figures and it's painfully obvious: education reform and anti-poverty programs can't wait.

avatar of the starter
Brittany ShootPetition StarterI'm a freelance writer, editor, and critic. I'm one of the editors of Elevate Difference, a frequent contributor to a variety of progressive publications including Bitch and RH Reality Check, and my work has been republished by The New York Times and ZNet. My writing often focuses on gender equity, the environment, food, animal rights, and class disparities in the U.S. I'm a former writer for both the Poverty in America and Women's Rights causes.
Media inquiries

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Petition created on September 23, 2010