Dear Collaborative Leads and Co-Leads, Last fall we shared with you an update from our NGCP Feasibility Study and held an online meeting regarding what to expect as NGCP grows. We now have some additional updates. As you remember from our conversations last fall, NGCP's growth thus far has been supported with funding from the National Science Foundation (NSF) and goals and activities have been limited to those identified within the NSF grant. Data collected through the strategic visioning process has indicated that for NGCP to continue to provide more innovative network support and programming, it is now time to establish development efforts that include contributed revenue from individual donors, private foundations, and corporations. This funding strategy will allow us to become more nimble and responsive to the needs of the women and girls in STEM programs across the country, launching the NGCP as its own, independent non-profit organization. As the first part of our strategy for growth we have established the National Girls Collaborative as a new non-profit (new, but with 10 years of experience!) We will continue our NSF funded work with all of you as the National Girls Collaborative, which will be under the fiscal sponsorship of the Afterschool Alliance for the duration of the NSF grant (through the end of 2015). We are excited to be working with the Afterschool Alliance; they have been a great partner and supporter to NGCP through this exciting transition. NSF is currently processing the transfer of the grant from EdLab Group to the Afterschool Alliance. We are not sure of the exact transfer date, but are expecting it to occur by the end of February. In 2016, once the NSF portion of our work is completed, our work together as a network of Collaboratives will continue through the new non-profit, National Girls Collaborative. Here is what you can expect in the short term: 1. When the grant transfer is finalized by NSF, you (and your respective signatory authorities at your organization) will receive contract termination letters from the EdLab Group. We will provide advance notice before the termination letters are sent. 2. After the termination letters are sent, you (and your respective signatory authorities at your organization) will receive a new contract to continue your Collaborative work. a. These contracts will be issued by the Afterschool Alliance, on behalf of the National Girls Collaborative. (They are functioning as our fiscal agent, since our very "new" organization is not yet eligible to receive an NSF grant.) b. You can expect your new contracts to look very similar to your current and/or most recent contract (for those with recently expired contracts) c. Each Lead/Co-Lead will receive a customized letter from us with a detailed explanation of your contract. 3. During this transition period, ALL Collaboratives will remain in good standing. You and your Leadership Team will continue to have access to all resources, including SharePoint, the Event Registration System, Mini-Grant system, and the NGCP website. We encourage you to proceed with your Collaborative activities and events as planned. 4. Since we are approaching the last year of the NSF funding, we will be using this transition as an opportunity to streamline services such as Constant Contact and the Ready Talk Conference lines. As we move to new processes and systems, you and your Leadership Team will have plenty of notice to make changes. We may also be creating some "fee-for-service" options as we move forward with identifying alternate ways of supporting our work - beyond the NSF funding. We are continuing to partner on a wide variety of grants and projects. There are a number of states who are working on applications to join our community and so we are also considering holding another Collaboration Institute in the Fall of 2015. 5. We will be making a larger announcement to the entire NGCP Leadership network in late February once the transition is finalized. We are eager to grow and strengthen our network with all of you. Thanks in advance for your patience and understanding as we make this exciting transition. If you have questions or concerns, feel free to reach out to me. Karen Karen Peterson, Chief Executive Officer National Girls Collaborative www.ngcproject.org