NEW YORK, April 1, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- The New York based Children's Aid Society Carrera Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention Program (CAS-Carrera) has been awarded a $3.5 million Social Innovation Fund (SIF) grant from the Edna McConnell Clark Foundation (EMCF) to deepen the program's impact in New York City and replicate it nationally. CAS-Carrera is one of nine recipients in a national competition that identifies innovative programs working to solve problems confronting low-income youth in America. With this investment, CAS-Carrera plans to serve approximately 10,000-11,000 young people nationally over the next three years, a growth of up to 50%.

"The Children's Aid Society is thrilled that the Carrera Program has been selected as a national leader in improving the lives of low-income youth," said President and CEO Richard Buery. "This grant will help us significantly increase the number of young people we are working with to stop early pregnancy and start them on the path to a full and productive adult life."

CAS-Carrera will also be an inaugural member of a new fund established by the EMCF called the True North Fund. This fund is the launch vehicle for an innovative public/private partnership of EMCF, SIF and institutional and individual philanthropic co-investors to generate the capital that programs with strong evidence of success need to impact greater numbers of young people and to build a stronger body of evidence about "what works" to help youth succeed in life.

Founded and led by Dr. Michael Carrera since 1984, this evidence-based pregnancy prevention model helps young people avoid becoming parents during the second decade of their lives.  The holistic program combines daily academic enrichment, with weekly exposure and experience in the world of work, mental health services, family life and sexuality education, and comprehensive no-cost medical and dental services, as well as self-expression and lifetime individual sports. The medically accurate comprehensive sexuality education component contains a consistent and strong abstinence message.  The program engages young people year-round, beginning in the fifth or sixth grade, and continues through graduation from high school and beyond.

CAS-Carrera Has Proven Impact

CAS-Carrera is one of the only pregnancy prevention programs in the country with top tier evidence of its effectiveness. A randomized control trial evaluation conducted over three years found that pregnancy rates among female program participants were reduced by 40% and births were reduced by 50%. The evaluation also demonstrated a multitude of other positive outcomes for both females and males, including lower rates of sexual activity, and increased rates of vaccinations and health care visits. Follow-up surveys in New York City sites showed statistically significant improvements in high school graduation and college admission rates.

Grant Will Help Expand CAS-Carrera

Over the life of this investment, CAS-Carrera will generate additional evidence of its program's effectiveness and expand the program as a national model. This grant will enable CAS-Carrera to build its organizational capacity to expand into new communities across the country, establish an Accreditation and Training Center in North Carolina, and undertake a rigorous evaluation of its program in New York City.  

CAS-Carrera was chosen in an open, national competition that drew 225 applications from leading nonprofits across the country. In selecting nine organizations for awards totaling up to $42 million over three years, EMCF relied on a rigorous, in-depth due diligence process to identify a mix of programs with great potential to help larger numbers of economically disadvantaged youth, ages 9-24.

The Social Innovation Fund, established by Congress in 20I0 through the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act, is a public-private partnership to expand innovative, transformative social programs that have been proven to promote economic opportunity, healthy lives and youth development. The Edna McConnell Clark Foundation seeks to advance opportunities for low-income youth by supporting organizations that help young people, ages 9-24, become independent, productive adults.

For more information about CAS-Carrera, contact Anthony Ramos at 212-949-4938, email anthonyr@childrensaidsociety.org.

The Children's Aid Society is an independent, not-for-profit organization established to serve the children of New York City. Our mission is to help children in poverty to succeed and thrive. We do this by providing comprehensive supports to children and their families in targeted high-needs New York City neighborhoods. Founded in 1853, it is one of the nation's largest and most innovative non-sectarian agencies, serving New York's neediest children. Services are provided in community schools, neighborhood centers, health clinics and camps. For additional information, please call Anthony Ramos at 212-949-4938, email anthonyr@childrensaidsociety.org or visit www.childrensaidsociety.org.

The Edna McConnell Clark Foundation seeks to advance opportunities for low-income youth by supporting organizations that help young people, ages 9–24, become independent, productive adults.  EMCF concentrates on the most vulnerable and disconnected youth living in impoverished communities.  EMCF believes large, long-term investments in nonprofits whose programs have been proven to produce positive outcomes and that have the potential for growth are an effective and efficient way to overcome the obstacles confronting low-income young Americans today. Its goal is to help develop a growing pool of organizations that serve thousands more youth each year with proven programs. For more information, visit www.emcf.org.

The Social Innovation Fund, administered by the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS), is a new federal program that addresses major challenges confronting communities by expanding high-impact nonprofit organizations delivering proven solutions. It brings together millions in public-private funds to expand effective community solutions across three issue areas: economic opportunity, healthy futures, and youth development and school support. This work will directly impact thousands of low-income families and create a catalog of proven approaches that can be replicated in communities across the country. For more information on the Social Innovation Fund, visit http://www.NationalService.gov/Innovation.

SOURCE The Children's Aid Society