A $1.3 Million Helping Hand for L.A's Neediest: California Community Foundation Funds
After-School and Literacy Programs

Los Angeles — The California Community Foundation announced today that it has awarded $1,314,680 in grants to 11 Los Angeles nonprofit organizations. These nonprofits work to improve their local communities by providing essential services in the areas of early education, health care and neighborhood revitalization. The grants range from $20,000 to $250,000.

Five grants totaling $464,680 were awarded to organizations that support early education programs for disadvantaged students.

One of those grants was to CityLife Downtown Charter School, which is opening this fall in the heart of downtown Los Angeles - where most schools are overcrowded and must operate year-round. CityLife's students will come to the school reading two to four grades below grade level. With a comprehensive literacy program, CityLife expects its students' reading skills to improve by one or two grade levels each year.

"Literacy is one of the fundamental building blocks students need to succeed in school and in life," said Antonia Hernández, president & CEO of the California Community Foundation. "The community foundation is delighted to support these outstanding organizations that make such a difference in the future success of Los Angeles County's youth."

All of the grants are a part of the foundation's ongoing commitment to its Nurturing Neighborhoods/Building Community grantmaking initiative, which supports nonprofits that enable low-income individuals to improve their own lives through jobs, education, good health and enhanced neighborhood leadership.

Established in 1915, the California Community Foundation is one of the largest and most active philanthropic organizations in Southern California, with assets of more than $600 million. In partnership with its donors, the foundation supports nonprofit organizations and public institutions with funds for health and human services, affordable housing, early childhood education, community arts and culture and other areas of need.

Grants made, by category:

Early Education

CityLife Downtown Charter School
Downtown Los Angeles ($150,000)
Opening its doors for the first time in September 2004, the CityLife Downtown Charter School will provide a literacy-focused education to 80 sixth grade students living in the downtown Los Angeles area with the help of a grant from the California Community Foundation.

Dubnoff Center for Child Development & Educational Therapy
North Hollywood ($104,680)
The nationally recognized Dubnoff Center provides high quality education and therapeutic services to children with special learning and developmental needs. A community foundation grant will allow the center to hire a reading specialist who will assess each student's needs and prepare individualized, literacy-focused learning plans.

Las Familias Del Pueblo
Downtown Los Angeles ($20,000)
Located in downtown Los Angeles' garment district, Las Familias Del Pueblo is a community center that provides an array of services for immigrant workers and their families, including job and housing assistance, English lessons, legal aid and after-school programs. A community foundation grant supports an after-school program for Kindergarten students and a new program that educates parents about the services and instruction their children should be receiving at school.

Teach For America
Los Angeles ($100,000)
The renowned Teach For America is a national corps of college graduates who commit two years to teaching at public schools in low-income communities across the United States. A grant from the community foundation supports Teach for America teachers in the Compton, Lynwood and Los Angeles Unified School Districts.

Young Horizons
Long Beach ($90,000)
With four locations throughout Long Beach, Young Horizons provides quality day care and preschool programs to low-income children ages six months to five years. A community foundation grant supports the development of a fifth child care center in the recently completed Grisham Community affordable housing development.

Health

Family Health Care Centers of Greater Los Angeles
Bell Gardens ($50,000)
Established in 1928, Family Health Care Centers provides culturally sensitive health care and health education to the Bell Gardens community, which is one of the most diverse communities in the nation. The grant supports a bilingual community outreach program and on-site education to increase the number of low-income Latinas ages 40 and older who seek breast exams. Breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer death among Latinas.

Neighborhood Revitalization

Coro Southern California
Los Angeles ($100,000)
Since 1946, Coro has trained leaders for civic life by teaching them how to deal creatively, ethically and effectively with the challenges of democracy. A grant from the community foundation supports a neighborhood leadership program in the Greater Westlake area. The program will teach the neighborhood council members leadership and community building skills, and assist the council with certification requirements.

Regional Congregations & Neighborhood Organizations (RCNO) Training Center
Los Angeles ($100,000)
Headquartered in Los Angeles with 28 branches across the country, RCNO teaches the leaders of small to mid-sized congregations how to participate in community organizing. The organization received a grant from the community foundation for an initiative designed to teach ex-offenders basic advocacy and leadership skills - such as public speaking, how to conduct a public meeting and how to research an issue - and to create an employment program that addresses the particular needs of ex-offenders in Los Angeles.

St. Joseph Center
Venice ($200,000)
A social service organization that assists low-income Westside community members, St. Joseph Center provides a variety of support services, including child care, affordable housing assistance, job training and parent education. A community foundation grant provides support for renovations to St. Joseph's main facility in Venice.

TreePeople
Beverly Hills ($250,000)
TreePeople works to improve the environment through neighborhood greening projects and environmental education programs that encourage Angelenos to plant and care for trees in their neighborhoods and throughout Los Angeles. The grant supports the construction of an environmental education and conference center in Coldwater Canyon Park.

Watts Century Latino Organization
Los Angeles ($150,000)
Established in 1990 to meet the needs of Latinos living in the Watts area, Watts Century Latino Organization advocates school reform, promotes leadership development, and operates community wellness initiatives, a homebuyer education program and a job training program. A community foundation grant will allow Watts Century to hire a senior program manager to direct three primary program initiatives: homeownership, employment and community wellness.