$900,000 Liberty Hill Grant Investment Brings Democracy Alive

LOS ANGELES, Sept. 15, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Liberty Hill Foundation announced its annual grants to support grassroots leaders who are building power and advancing social justice.

Nearly $900,000 will be invested in Los Angeles. Thirty remarkable community organizations will receive grants ranging from $10,000 to $50,000.

"We are proud to invest in community leaders and community organizations on the frontlines of change," said Kafi D. Blumenfield, President and CEO of Liberty Hill. "Liberty Hill believes in the power of people to change their lives and our country for the better. That's why we invest at the grassroots. Our grants help bring democracy alive."

Here are a few examples of the important campaigns and organizations being powered by Liberty Hill.  

• Saving people's homes through innovative programs that bring banks and homeowners to the table to compromise on foreclosures.  
• Building homes and creating jobs by ensuring that major developments in Koreatown, South LA, Downtown, West LA, and Long Beach include affordable homes and health clinics, and create living wage jobs and job training programs.
• Protecting youth by ending the "school to prison pipeline" and increasing graduation rates of low-income students of color through changes in punitive school disciplinary policies; by eliminating discrimination and harassment based on sexual orientation, gender identity, race and ethnicity; by making healthy foods more accessible in schools; and by creating health clinics and support services at schools.
• Protecting low-wage workers and putting millions of dollars in their hands by making "wage theft" a crime in Los Angeles; by winning basic protections for restaurant, car wash and domestic workers; and by operating worker-led job centers and co-ops.
• Increasing support for marriage equality among African Americans, Asian & Pacific Islanders and Latinos.
• Improving healthcare for Black women, transgendered people, and children with developmental disabilities by changing the policies and practices of government and healthcare agencies.

A complete list of our 2011 Grants may be found here.

Liberty Hill is first to identify community leaders at the frontlines of change. The Foundation invests in changemakers and equip them with the skills and relationships they need to build power and advance social justice.  After more than 30 years, Liberty Hill is uniquely positioned to bring together forces for change and forge a common agenda for equality and opportunity in Los Angeles. Liberty Hill:  Change. Not Charity.

SOURCE Liberty Hill Foundation