Blank Family Foundation awards $185,000 to Ga. nonprofits

By Shelia M. Poole

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

The Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation has awarded $185,000 in grants  to help improve education in Georgia.

The grants include a two-year $75,000 award to Quality Care for Children, an Atlanta nonprofit that will use the funds to start  a shared services alliance. By pooling resources and strengthening buying power, a shared services alliance will help childcare centers across 46 counties cut costs, streamline processes and improve care.

Additionally, Teach for America received $50,000 to expand the Georgia initiatives  to  train college graduates to commit to teach for two years in urban and rural public schools.

Emory University  received a $50,000 challenge grant to provide a six-week math and science summer residential program for 72 Atlanta high school students in 2010 and 2011.

Voices for Georgia’s Children received $10,000 to identify and analyze financial models for future investment of state lottery funds in support of Georgia’s pre-k program and the HOPE Scholarship.