Local, State and National Funders Partner to Provide Nearly $850K in Funding to Address Humanitarian Needs of Refugee Youth in Los Angeles County

LOS ANGELES, March 26, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The California Community Foundation (CCF) has partnered with leading local, state and national philanthropic organizations to raise $847,255 for nonprofit organizations on the front lines of caring for refugee youth in Los Angeles County.

Generated through a collaborative fundraising effort and disseminated through the Our Children Relief Fund, the grants support organizations providing critical services in the areas of legal, mental health, case management and coordinated systems of care to address the humanitarian crisis in our community. An estimated 3,400 children have been identified in Los Angeles County that are seeking refuge and services after fleeing a life of violence in Central America. As the home to the largest concentration of Hondurans, Salvadorans and Guatemalans in the United States, Los Angeles County is the primary region receiving refugee youth in California.

"Many of these children have experienced crisis and trauma before arriving here and require shelter, food, health care and legal counsel. We are proud to support the organizations working tirelessly on this humanitarian issue," said Antonia Hernández, president and CEO of CCF. "I also applaud the foundations that have shown leadership to ensure that this vulnerable population has access to services."

Nonprofit organizations that received funding:

• Amanecer Community Counseling Service
• Bresee Foundation
• Casa Libre
• Central American Resource Center (CARECEN)
• Children's Institute, Inc.
• Clínica Monseñor Oscar A. Romero
• Clergy and Laity United for Economic Justice (CLUE-LA)
• Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles (CHIRLA)
• El Centro del Pueblo
• El Rescate
• Esperanza Immigrant Rights Project
• Homies Unidos
• Public Counsel
• Salvadoran American Leadership and Education Fund (SALEF)
• Shields for Families
• Special Services for Groups/Weber Community Center
• St. John's Well Child and Family

Foundations that contributed to the Our Children Relief Fund:

• California Community Foundation
• The California Endowment
• California HealthCare Foundation
• The California Wellness Foundation
• Conrad N. Hilton Foundation
• The James Irvine Foundation
• David and Lucile Packard Foundation
• The Ralph M. Parsons Foundation
• Weingart Foundation

CCF also worked with organizations like Grantmakers Concerned with Immigrants and Refugees (GCIR) and Hispanics in Philanthropy to organize distribution of an additional $678,000 in funding for Los Angeles County organizations. The crucial coordination effort aimed to fill service gaps in order to provide comprehensive relief and ensure maximum impact of grant dollars.

This humanitarian crisis is not over as another surge of arrivals is expected this year. Please visit https://www.calfund.org/OurChildren to make a contribution to the Our Children Relief Fund. CCF will grant 100 percent of individual donations and foundation support to nonprofit organizations that are currently the lifeline for many of the refugee children in Los Angeles County.

Providing assistance to refugee youth is part of CCF's long history of working to support the inclusion of immigrants in the civic and economic fabric of Los Angeles. From partnerships to implement national immigration reform mandates in the mid-1980s to President Obama's recent executive action on immigration, CCF is committed to helping more new Americans integrate and make their voices heard so together we can build a stronger and more prosperous future for all Angelenos.

About the California Community Foundation
The California Community Foundation (CCF) unites the power of philanthropy with innovative strategies to create greater equity, opportunity and prosperity in Los Angeles County. It has served as a public, charitable organization since 1915, empowering donors to pursue their own personal passions and to collaborate with us in transforming Los Angeles. CCF stewards nearly $1.4 billion in total assets and manages more than 1,600 charitable foundations, funds and legacies. Learn more at www.calfund.org.

Contact: Taleen Ananian
[email protected] 
(213) 452-6203

SOURCE California Community Foundation