Catalogue for Philanthropy: Greater WashingtonNames Career and Technical Education Foundation “One of the Region’s Best Nonprofits”

June 15, 2011 — The Catalogue for Philanthropy: Greater Washington has named the D.C. Students Construction Trades Foundation as one of the best nonprofits serving the region. A panel of 110 expert reviewers from area foundations, corporate giving programs, and peer nonprofit organizations evaluated 270 applications and selected the Foundation as one of 70 outstanding nonprofits to be featured in the 2011-12 Catalogue and its related donor website.

"Charities were selected for excellence, cost-effectiveness, and impact,” said Barbara Harman, President and Editor of the Catalogue for Philanthropy: Greater Washington. “These are certainly among the best community-based nonprofits in the Washington region.”

The Catalogue enables smaller nonprofits to tell their success stories to individuals who might otherwise never hear them, and to encourage those individuals to get involved and support organizations working hard to improve education, human services, arts and culture and other aspects of life in Greater Washington. It also provides organizations with a stamp of approval that tells donors they can invest with confidence because the Catalogue vets its family of nonprofits with great care.

Carol Randolph, Board Advisor and co-founder of the Foundation’s core program, the Academy of Construction and Design at Cardozo Senior High School, says the board and staff are proud to be recognized by the Catalogue for Philanthropy. “Earning this seal of approval for our program effectiveness and governance is a great honor,” she said. “In addition to that, being featured in the Catalogue’s communications will help us connect with a significantly larger community of individuals and organizations who share our mission to help students stay in school and graduate with skills and credentials that lead to employment, higher education and rewarding careers.”

As a featured nonprofit, the D.C. Students Construction Trades Foundation will be able to share its success stories with 25,000 individuals and hundreds of family foundations who will receive the Catalogue’s print publication in November. In addition, the Catalogue website offers donors a range of giving options, including a gift registry, gift cards and a section especially for kids. The website will also present profiles of each organization, giving donors regular updates on news, events, volunteer opportunities, project videos and more ways to connect with the featured nonprofits.

“We know the economy continues to create challenges [because] dollars are down and the need is up,” said Barbara Harman. “Individual donors can continue to make a real difference – as they did last year – supporting great organizations during these tough times.”

The Catalogue has raised $1.5 million so far in 2010-11, more than $2.4 million in 2009-10, and nearly $14.7 million since its inception in 2003. See information for donors at www.cfp-dc.org