The latest from NYC Independent Budget Office ... FPWA ... Iris House

The New York City Independent Budget Office is expected to release a report today on the changes made by the Administration for Children’s Services following the high-profile deaths of two children in 2016. The six-page report will be released at about 10 a.m. and posted in the New York Media Buzz section below soon thereafter.

The report looks at factors such as whether there has been an increase in the substantiation of abuse reports, frequency of court-ordered supervision of families, and spending on investigative staff and lawyers,” reads a July 23 press release from the Independent Budget Office.

UPDATE: Read the report here.

Catherine Carpentieri is the new chief of development and communications at FPWA. She previously served as director of development and communications at University Settlement, The Door and Broome Street Academy, according to a July 23 press release. Before that she worked at Human Rights First and Amnesty International USA.

“Now more than ever, it is incumbent on all of us to protect hard won human rights and ensure that all people have the opportunity to thrive. FPWA is at the forefront of these efforts. I look forward to bringing their vital work forward and inviting the investment of all who are passionate about equality and justice,” FPWA Executive Director Jennifer Jones Austin said in the press release.

The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts has gotten into the middle of a flag controversy at the University of Kansas in Lawrence. Joel Wachs, president of the Manhattan-based nonprofit urged officials at the school to return to the top of a flagpole a work of art by Josephine Meckaeper. The piece, Untitled (Flag 2) was originally commissioned by Creative Time, another New York-based nonprofit, ArtNews reports.

“The artist’s work feature an image of the American flag with an abstraction of the country, divided in two. After going on view, Kansas Governor Jeff Colyer and Secretary of State Kris Kobach objected and the work was moved into the Spencer Museum of Art on the university’s campus,” the digital outlet writes.

The Wild Apricot blog has a list of webinars happening throughout August. Topic areas include how to manage “soft risk in volunteer engagement,” the ins and outs of producing digital content, data management and fundraising. Read the full list here.

Iris House has two new groups for cisgender and transgender women living with HIV. The new virtual support groups will meet on a monthly basis via phone and the Internet, according to a July 23 press release. The idea will bring together people from across the U.S. and represents a collaboration among Voces Latinas (Queens, New York), The Minority AIDS Council of Orangeburg, Bamberg and Calhoun Counties (South Carolina), The Afiya Center (Dallas, Texas) and WORLD (Oakland, Calif.), with the support of ViiV Healthcare.

“The purpose of these virtual support groups is to reach isolated HIV-positive women who might benefit from guided peer support but are unable to attend a group in person due to issues with travel, stigma, fears of disclosure,” reads the press release.

Registration is available here for English and here for Spanish.

The Fortune Society hosted its first back to school event on July 20, with the giveaway of 50 book bags to the children of people incarcerated at Rikers Island or the Manhattan Detention Center. A press release states that the backpacks, which came “fully-stocked,” were given to students from preschool to college age.

Send your press releases, photos, and word of your latest happenings to reporter Zach Williams at zwilliams@nynmedia.com.