Buffett foundation to unveil plan to help girls of color

A foundation run by the youngest son of billionaire investor Warren Buffett is announcing its strategy for distributing $90 million to help improve the lives of young women and girls of color in the United States.

The New York City-based NoVo Foundation, created in 2006 by Jennifer and Peter Buffett, the youngest son of Warren Buffett, says it will let the girls and their advocates on the local level determine what their needs are, rather than be told what the money has to be used for. The foundation on Thursday will officially announce how its $90 million commitment over seven years will be carried out.

The unveiling of the grant-making process comes a year after the foundation first announced the investment. It has spent the months since canvassing the country talking to girls and their advocates.

“One size fits all was never going to work in terms of the kind of support we offer,” said Pamela Shifman, executive director of the foundation. “We wanted to let girls of color and their advocates really determine their most important needs because they are the experts on their own lives.”

The foundation will allocate the money in three different ways. One stream of grants will be open to community-based organizations that work directly with minority girls. Another stream will focus specifically on the Southeast, and through a regional partner, allocate funds to existing groups as well as new organizations and even people working with minority girls outside of formal organizations. (AP)