Foundations may be restricted from lobbying, but that doesn't mean they can't advocate. The William Casper Graustein Memorial Fund in New Haven, Connecticut, awards grants to programs and organizations that work together to improve the lives of all children in the state. The Fund supports various initiatives for educational change and community engagement, in addition to taking an active role in the Connecticut public policy arena. Says Executive Director David Nee, "We understand we must look at the larger needs of children."

Looking at children's overall needs led the Fund to Connecticut Voices for Children (CVC), a statewide child advocacy organization. In 1995, the Memorial Fund awarded CVC with a grant to post Connecticut Kidslink, an electronic communications hub for groups and individuals working to make the state a better place to raise kids. Through this site, CVC acts as a convener of groups concerned about a variety of issues facing children.

Kidslink offers up-to-date information on children's issues and helps citizens make strategic use of the Web. Kidslink also serves as a host for a statewide student electronic newsdesk, which brings the voices of Connecticut kids into the state's public policy process.

Young people learn how other kids their age are making a difference in their communities, find resources to help them get involved, and interact in an online magazine format. The goal is for young people to express themselves and engage in advocacy via the latest technology.

The Memorial Fund provided support for the student electronic newsdesk in 1996-the same year it funded the CVC's ConneCT '96 project. This citizen-initiated electronic partnership helped to bring affordable Internet access to Connecticut schools and public libraries. ConneCT '96 exemplifies the Memorial Fund's commitment to providing educational resources to all kids in the state, regardless of income level.

In 1997, the Fund awarded CVC with a grant called Presenting Kids, made to support CVC's use of more traditional media for citizen mobilization. This included newspapers, radio, network and local access TV, newsletters, direct mail and phone. Capacity-building grants such as these are hard to come by, according to co-director of CVC Janice Gruendel. "If you want to create a specific program, you can get funding," says Gruendel. "But it's difficult for organizations to get funding for infrastructure-building."

Executive Director David Nee says that the foundation is willing to provide these capacity-building grants. "We're the guys who are willing to buy you a development director if that's what it takes to increase your capacity," he says. "We're willing to provide 'glue money' or meeting support, whatever it takes."

Shelley Geballe, another co-director of Connecticut Voices for Children, says the Fund staff are visionaries—Nee, in particular. "We view them as our mentors," Geballe says.

According to Geballe, Nee saw Kidslink as an opportunity to further much of the Memorial Fund's work. Kidslink serves as a host for Connecticut's Promise: First for Kids, CVC's two-year initiative to educate voters on children's issues and to make children and families a priority among candidates and policymakers. Connecticut's Promise is a full-scale effort to mobilize citizens on behalf of kids.

Kidslink also serves as a catch-all site for groups in Connecticut working on behalf of children and families. It links to Connecticut Youth Tech Corps, as well as the Memorial Fund's other initiatives, including Children First, and Connecticut Center for School Change. Children First is a five-year initiative to improve life and educational outcomes for children from birth to eight in eight Connecticut cities. The Connecticut Center for School Change works to improve teaching and learning by, among other things, making grants and providing technical assistance directly to Connecticut schools.

Through these and other programs, the Fund facilitates a children's movement in Connecticut, convening organizations that work for the well-being of the youngest citizens in the state. Says Geballe, "If you're running a campaign for children, hopefully you'll find in your state at least one entity like the Graustein Memorial Fund that's very progressive in their thinking about what all children need in order to succeed."