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Induction Works
A new study of teacher induction programs in Chicago shows that high-quality supports for beginning teachers make a big difference in teachers' reported satisfaction and plans to remain in teaching. 

For information click here.

For information about the 2007 winners as well as past Joyce Award winners, click here.

New Program Guidelines Available
The foundation has released program guidelines for 2007.

New Web Site Coming Soon
Our newly redesigned Web site will launch in January. Check back at www.joycefdn.org.

Midwest Local TV Newscasts Devote More Time to Ads than Election Coverage
In the month leading up to the 2006 mid-term elections, local television news viewers got considerably more information about campaigns from paid political advertisements than from actual news coverage, a new study by the Midwest News Index shows.

Landmark Survey Released: Midwesterners Consider State Government Reform
Although they generally don’t trust state government to do what is right, Midwesterners believe political and government reforms will make elected officials more responsive on key issues such as education, health care and jobs. And they are motivated to change the status quo: their concern about the influence of money in politics ranks on a par with concerns about schools, taxes and the economy. These are among the key findings of a landmark new survey of public attitudes toward political reform in five Midwestern states, most of which are seen as key electoral battlegrounds in presidential elections: Michigan, Wisconsin, Ohio, Illinois and Minnesota.

$5.4 Million Awarded to Test Employment Strategy for Ex-Prisoners
[July 26, 2006] The Joyce Foundation is awarding grants totaling nearly $5.4 million to test a promising strategy for enabling people leaving prisons to connect to jobs. The Joyce grants provide the lynchpin for a $14.5 million initiative that will provide the first large-scale evaluation of whether “transitional jobs” can improve employment outcomes and reduce recidivism for the growing number of people, currently estimated at 600,000, who return home from the nation’s prisons each year.
Read more in the October 1, 2006 New York Times.

September 2006 Work In Progress
The latest issue of the Joyce Foundation's newsletter features articles on the 10th anniversary of welfare reform, new ways to measure student achievement, and how business strategies can help arts organizations. The newsletter also includes a listing of grants approved at the July 2006 meeting of the Board of Directors.

Joyce Foundation 2005 Annual Report
The annual report demonstrates how the work of Joyce grantees affects the quality of life of everyday people in the Midwest, including expanding opportunities for early childhood education, supporting dynamic community-based arts groups, and protecting the water resources of the Great Lakes. “Good public policy can improve the lives of individual people living in our communities,” said Foundation President Ellen S. Alberding in her opening letter. “This belief drives the best elected officials and top civic leaders, and is at the core of the Foundation’s grantmaking.”

Push to Get Climate-Friendly Technology for Midwest Power Plants
[August 17, 2006] The Joyce Foundation is awarding grants totaling over $3 million to promote cleaner, climate-friendly ways of generating power from coal. The grants are part of an overall $7 million initiative, announced last year, to persuade developers of the next generation of Midwest power plants to shun older coal-burning technology in favor of new, cleaner technologies.

Foundation Launches Shifting Gears Initiative
The Joyce Foundation has announced its "Shifting Gears" initiative, a three-year $10 million effort to improve the education and skills training of the Midwest workforce and promote regional economic growth. As part of the initiative, the Foundation issued a request for proposals from Midwest states to provide stronger links between the often-fragmented systems of education and job training, so that workers get post-secondary credentials that qualify them for jobs in today’s economy. For more information see our frequently asked questions.

Poor and Minority Students Shortchanged on Teacher Quality (June 2006)
A report from the Education Trust provides new information on the impact of teacher quality on student achievement and offers specific steps states should take to remedy the persistent practice of denying the best teachers to the children who need them the most.
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New Work by Joyce Grantees:
Mayors Unite Against Illegal Guns (November 2006)
Region Must Bolster Education, Protect Lakes to Lead in 21st Century (October 2006)
Guns are Most Common Weapon when Men Murder Women (October 2006)

Foundation Commits $5.1 Million to Support and Evaluate Promising Jobs Strategy for Ex-Offenders
The Joyce Foundation has announced a three-year, $5.1 million initiative to help launch and evaluate a promising new strategy to help ex-offenders connect to jobs. The Foundation is issuing a request for proposals for “transitional jobs” programs in Midwest communities with large concentrations of ex-prisoners. The effectiveness of the programs will be evaluated by a research institution to be chosen by the Foundation. For more information, see our transitional jobs frequently asked questions.

The Great Lakes are a National Treasure, Midwesterners Say
Residents of Great Lakes states feel strong personal responsibility for the health of the Lakes, and they want to protect the lakes from pollution and prevent the export of lake water to other regions. The findings come from a region-wide survey taken for the Joyce Foundation and the Madison-based Biodiversity Project.