Community Foundation Awards $5.6 Million to Sustain L.A. Nonprofits and Fund New Initiatives

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Jul 27, 2011, 03:16 ET

Mostly general operating grants provide flexibility for nonprofit organizations primarily serving low-income and vulnerable communities of the county

LOS ANGELES, July 27, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- California Community Foundation (CCF) has announced over $5.6 million in priority grants to 62 nonprofit organizations in Los Angeles, with more than half for general operating support and the remainder designated for new initiatives. Communities served by the grantees are diverse and located throughout L.A. County, including Arleta, Artesia, Culver City, Glendale, Long Beach, Maywood, North Hollywood, Pasadena, Montclair, Sunland and Sylmar.

The majority of grant dollars are concentrated in program areas that are priorities for the community foundation which serves all of L.A. County: arts, education, health care, housing and neighborhoods, and human development. CCF has also announced grants for civic engagement, discretionary scholarships, and supporting its El Monte Community Building Initiative.

The Jr. Posse Youth Equestrian Program is using its general operating grant to continue providing equine-based activities for low-income youth in Compton and surrounding areas, and Tia Chuca's Centro Cultural is using its grant support to provide multidisciplinary arts workshops and programming in the Northeast San Fernando Valley.

The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, Inc., will utilize its grant for new initiatives for research advancement towards the prevention, cure and treatment of blood cancer for Hispanic children in L.A. County, while the YMCA of Greater Long Beach receives support for civic engagement which advocates for greater access to secondary and post-secondary educational resources for immigrant populations in Downtown Long Beach.

"There is no more important time than now and no more important place than L.A. to support nonprofit organizations, an under-appreciated segment of our community that is increasingly pressed to provide services and programs not available elsewhere," said Antonia Hernandez, CEO and president of CCF. "Supporting nonprofits has always been part of the mission of L.A.'s community foundation, and will remain so."

California Community Foundation (CCF) is a public, charitable organization serving Los Angeles County in multiple capacities since 1915. It encourages philanthropy by individuals, families, companies and organizations, and serves as a steward of their charitable funds and legacies. It also makes grants to nonprofits and collaborates in addressing the needs of vulnerable populations such as persons with disabilities. In addition, it actively engages in community problem solving with business, civic, government and other organizations. For more information, visit www.calfund.org or follow us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/calfund.

SUMMARY OF GRANTS BY CORE PROGRAM AREAS TO NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONS June 2011 (Two-year core operating grants unless otherwise noted)
Organization	Service Area	Amount
ARTS
About Productions	Pasadena		$40,000
East West Players, Inc.	Los Angeles		$90,000
L.A. Goal	Culver City		$75.000
Tia Chucha's Centro Cultural	Sylmar		$57,000
EDUCATION
Parent Engagement
Los Angeles Education Partnership	Los Angeles		$70,000
Project GRAD Los Angeles	North Hollywood		$70,000
School Readiness
Fairplex Child Development Center	Pomona		$70,000
Mar Vista Family Center	Culver City		$70,000
Koreatown Youth & Community Center	Los Angeles		$70,000
HEALTH CARE
Community Clinics
El Proyecto Del Barrio, Inc.	Arleta		$120,000
Los Angeles Christian Health Centers	Los Angeles		$100,000
JWCH Institute, Inc	Los Angeles		$125,000
Northeast Valley Health Corporation	San Fernando		$140,000
Planned Parenthood of Pasadena	Pasadena		$100,000
Valley Community Clinic	North Hollywood		$125,000
Medical Research
The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, Inc.	Los Angeles		$205,000 (2--year project support)
HUMAN DEVELOPMENT
Animal Welfare
Jr. Posse Youth Equestrian Program	Compton		$100,000
Individuals with Disabilities
Tierra del Sol Center for the Handicapped Foundation	Sunland		$80,000
OPARC	Montclair		$50,000
Junior Blind of America	Los Angeles		$65,000
Villa Esperanza Services	Pasadena		$85,000
EL MONTE COMMUNITY BUILDING INITIATIVE
California State University Long Beach Foundation	Long Beach		$97,000 (8-month project support)
Neighborhood Legal Services of L.A. County	Glendale		$35,000 (1-year project support)
Los Angeles Center for Law and Justice	Los Angeles		$35,000 (1-year project support)
DISCRETIONARY SCHOLARSHIPS
Long Beach City College	Long Beach		$68,000 (1-year support)
L.A. Community College District Foundation	Los Angeles		$585,000 (1-year support)
Aviva Family and Children Services	North Hollywood		$50,000 (1-year support)
San Gabriel Valley Conservation Corps	El Monte		$30,000 (1-year support)
USC Center for Higher Education Policy Analysis	Los Angeles		$30,000 (1-year support)
CIVIC ENGAGEMENT
Immigrant Integration
South Asian Network	Artesia		$60,000 (2-year project support)
Los Angeles Alliance for a New Economy	Los Angeles		$168,000 (2-year project support)
YMCA of Greater Long Beach	Long Beach		$108,000 (2-year project support)
Preschool Advocacy
Alliance for a Better Community	Los Angeles		$50,000 (1-year project support)
HOUSING AND NEIGHBORHOODS
Permanent, Affordable Housing
A Community of Friends	Los Angeles		$125,000
Abode Communities	Los Angeles		$125,000
Single Room Occupancy Housing Corporation	Los Angeles		$83,000
Policy/Advocacy
Institute for Neighborhood Action	Los Angeles		$65,000 (2-year project support)
Union De Vecinos De Pico Aliso	Maywood		$50,000 (2-year project support)
	*Grand Total (62)*		$5,683,800