logo logo
Donate
    • Membership
    • Donate
  • Social Justice
    • Racial Justice
    • Climate Justice
    • Disability Justice
    • Economic Justice
    • Health Justice
    • Immigration
    • LGBTQ+
  • Civic News
  • Nonprofit Leadership
    • Board Governance
    • Equity-Centered Management
    • Finances
    • Fundraising
    • Human Resources
    • Organizational Culture
    • Philanthropy
    • Power Dynamics
    • Strategic Planning
    • Technology
  • CONTENT TYPES
  • Leading Edge Membership
  • Newsletters
  • Webinars

Nonprofit Newswire | Education Program Tarnished in Associated Scandal

Rick Cohen
May 12, 2010

May 7, 2010; Source: WPMT | Three Harrisburg, Pennsylvania TV outlets—Fox affiliate WPMT, ABC’s WHTM, and NBC’s WGAL—all had lots of news coverage over the past weekend about alleged mismanagement and misspending of federal funds at a Youthbuild site in Harrisburg.

Youthbuild is the phenomenally successful program whose local affiliates train high-risk young people in construction skills—and remedial education—through work on housing rehabilitation projects. Generally known to be as clean as a whistle, Youthbuild is rarely associated with charges that the feds want to be reimbursed for at least $200,000 from a $1 million grant. The real story is that the organization under scrutiny is not an affiliate of the national Youthbuild intermediary, but the Harrisburg School District which applied for and received a $1 million Youthbuild program grant from the U.S. Department of Labor three years ago.

Sign up for our free newsletters

Subscribe to NPQ's newsletters to have our top stories delivered directly to your inbox.

By signing up, you agree to our privacy policy and terms of use, and to receive messages from NPQ and our partners.

The department’s program provides support to Youthbuild affiliates and to non-Youthbuild organizations that propose projects meant to comply with the Youthbuild program model. The School District seems to have already admitted its responsibility, suspending two district administrators who were in charge of the program, and, in the words of the District’s board president, he is “embarrassed once again, to have to report to this community that there have been activities associated with this program that are less than honorable.”

If you had simply listened with half an ear to the TV news reports from Pennsylvania’s capital city, one would have thought that this was a problem of Youthbuild. In reality, as the board chair took to the airwaves to blame the former school system superintendent who was fired in January, this is really one of those pernicious, internecine conflicts between mayors, school boards, and school system superintendents, unfortunately in this case with the name “Youthbuild” connected to the controversy.—Rick Cohen

About the author
Rick Cohen

Rick joined NPQ in 2006, after almost eight years as the executive director of the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy (NCRP). Before that he played various roles as a community worker and advisor to others doing community work. He also worked in government. Cohen pursued investigative and analytical articles, advocated for increased philanthropic giving and access for disenfranchised constituencies, and promoted increased philanthropic and nonprofit accountability.

More about: Nonprofit News

Our Voices Are Our Power.

Journalism, nonprofits, and multiracial democracy are under attack. At NPQ, we fight back by sharing stories and essential insights from nonprofit leaders and workers—and we pay every contributor.

Can you help us protect nonprofit voices?

Your support keeps truth alive when it matters most.
Every single dollar makes a difference.

Donate now
logo logo logo logo logo
See comments

You might also like
Why Guardianship Reform Is a Civil Rights Imperative
James A. Lomastro
Advocates Seek to Protect Children with Disabilities from Federal Cuts
María Constanza Costa
Big Tech Comes to Tucker County, West Virginia
Laura Harbert Allen
What Happens When Your NSF Grant Is Canceled?
Nicole Walker
Amid Job Corps Cuts, HBCU Leaders Are Stepping Up
Rebekah Barber
New Tariffs Will Likely Deepen Economic Burdens for Women of Color
Rebekah Barber

Upcoming Webinars

Group Created with Sketch.
June 26th, 2:00 pm ET

From Performance Management to Mutual Commitment

Fostering a Culture of Joyful Accountability

Register
Group Created with Sketch.
July 24th, 2:00 pm ET

Organizing in Divided Times

The Relational Infrastructure We Need to Protect Democracy

Register

    
You might also like
Conservatives Attack Nonprofits on Capitol Hill
Isaiah Thompson
Glass-paneled exterior of the Microsoft building.
Microsoft Axes Free 365 Software for Nonprofits
Isaiah Thompson
US Capitol Building
Tax Provision Would Give Trump Administration Unilateral...
Rebekah Barber and Isaiah Thompson

Like what you see?

Subscribe to the NPQ newsletter to have our top stories delivered directly to your inbox.

See our newsletters

By signing up, you agree to our privacy policy and terms of use, and to receive messages from NPQ and our partners.

  • About
  • Advertise
  • Careers
  • Contact
  • Copyright
  • Donate
  • Editorial Policy
  • Funders
  • Submissions

We are using cookies to give you the best experience on our website.

 

Non Profit News | Nonprofit Quarterly
Powered by  GDPR Cookie Compliance
Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.

Strictly Necessary Cookies

Strictly Necessary Cookie should be enabled at all times so that we can save your preferences for cookie settings.

If you disable this cookie, we will not be able to save your preferences. This means that every time you visit this website you will need to enable or disable cookies again.