California

The San Francisco Foundation has announced the launch of Oakland Goes Outdoors, one of the first district-wide programs in the nation to provide all middle school students with regular outdoor learning experiences during the school year. A three-year program seeded by the foundation's Robert and Kathryn Riddell Fund, Oakland Goes Outdoors will serve seventy-two hundred Oakland Unified School District students in thirteen middle schools. According to the foundation, children who are exposed to nature and spend quality time outdoors exhibit improved attentiveness, reduced absenteeism, better academic performance, and improved self-esteem and health.

The San Diego Foundation has announced that its 4SRanch~Del Sur Community Foundation affiliate awarded grants totaling $19,250 to organizations focused on the health and well-being of youth in the community. Grant recipients include Del Norte High School Music Boosters, Oak Valley Middle School, Boys and Girls Club of Greater San Diego, and Poway Unified School District Running Clubs.

Illinois

The Chicago Community Trust, in partnership with Red Nose Day,  has announced that it awarded fourteen grants totaling $235,000 to organizations and programs that have demonstrated clear and measurable impact in addressing the immediate needs of children living in poverty. Grant recipients include the BASE Chicago, El Valor, Girls in the Game, and West Town Bikes.

Indiana

The Central Indiana Community Foundation, in partnership with Ambrose Property Group and Exhibit Columbus, has announced the three finalists for the Waterside Design Competition, an effort to transform key components of Waterside, the more than one-hundred-acre former General Motors Stamping Plant in downtown Indianapolis. The competition will focus on the adaptive reuse of the Albert Kahn-designed "Crane Bay," as well as the creation of a connection between the area and the city's urban core. The project will kick off redevelopment of the site, which is expected to cost $1.38 billion over fifteen years. In June, finalists Hood Design Studio, SCAPE, and Snøhetta will make public presentations in Indianapolis about their design philosophy and approach to the redevelopment of the site. 

Massachusetts

The Boston Foundation has announced Benjamin Banneker Charter Public School, a K-6 charter school in Cambridge, as the winner of the sixth annual Pozen Prize for Innovative Schools. The $80,000 award recognizes schools that consistently boost student achievement through innovative models, programs, and practices. Conservatory Lab Charter School of Boston was selected as runner-up and received a $10,000 prize.

Montana

The Park County Community Foundation in Livingston has announced grants totaling $150,000 to area nonprofits. Grant recipients include the North Yellowstone Education Foundation & Gardiner School District, Elk River Arts and Lectures, the Montana History Foundation, and LiveWell49.

Nebraska

The Omaha Foundation has announced the appointments of Kelli Cavey, Steve Jarina, and Juan Padilla to its Donor Services department. Cavey, an attorney, will focus on establishing an impact investing program at the foundation.

New Hampshire

The New Hampshire Charitable Foundation has announced the establishment of the Ralph H. and Dena W. Baer Scholarship Fund by members of the Baer family in support of students from Manchester Central High School pursuing studies in technology-related fields. Ralph Baer, who fled Nazi Germany prior to the 1938 Kristallnacht pogrom, died in 2014 at the age of 92. During a long career in engineering, the so-called father of the video game came to hold more than a hundred and fifty patents, was inducted into the Inventors Hall of Fame, and received the National Medal of Technology. Baer's home workshop, prototypes, schematics, and notes were donated to the Smithsonian National Museum of American History, where his workshop has been recreated and is on display.

Ohio

The Greater Cincinnati Foundation has announced safety-net grants totaling $752,600 to nonprofit organizations in Ohio, Kentucky, and Indiana in support of efforts to help the region's most vulnerable residents gain better access to food, shelter, and behavioral health services. In response to a shift in the amount of funding available for basic needs to the community, the maximum grant amount was increased this year from $35,000 to $50,000. Grant recipients include CityLink Center, Freestore Foodbank, Legal Aid Society of Kentucky, and the Women's Crisis Center.

Washington, D.C.

The Greater Washington Community Foundation has announced that its Resilience Fund awarded three grants totaling $90,000 in support of organizations conducting advocacy on behalf of immigrants and victims of sexual assault and working to provide direct support for immigrants facing deportation or applying for benefits. The grants are aligned with the fund's focus on responding to federal policy shifts affecting communities in the greater Washington, D.C., region. Grant recipients include Civic Nation, Northern Virginia Family Services, and the Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy.