More than 62,000 students across LA County will be served through these programs, which was made possible in part by a $5M gift to CCF from Ballmer Group

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Los Angeles, CA — The California Community Foundation along with four other California based Community Foundations urged California legislative leaders in a letter this week to support and adopt Governor Gavin Newsom’s proposed $7 billion investment in digital equity. The COVID-19 pandemic this past year made it undeniable that access to the internet is a civil rights issue.

“Recovering from the pandemic and building a stronger, more just, and more equitable California will require further investments in bold, innovative, and transformative change. Digital equity – ensuring universal access to fast, affordable, reliable broadband – will be critical to any inclusive recovery,” the Community Foundation heads explained. “The Governor’s proposal and investment is a strong and visionary step forward, and we believe it should be enacted immediately, as proposed.”

The supporters, which include Antonia Hernández, President and CEO of California Community Foundation, alongside Fred Blackwell, CEO of San Francisco Foundation, Nicole Taylor, CEO of Silicon Valley Community Foundation, James Head, President and CEO of East Bay Community Foundation, and Mark Stewart, President and CEO of San Diego Foundation, submitted the letter to the California legislative leaders expressing strong support for Governor Newsom’s historic investment of $7 billion to expand universal broadband access and affordability for high need communities. The letter urged them to act on the proposal without delay.

“Digital equity is one of the most important civil rights issues of our time, and is a priority for the California Community Foundation,” said Hernández, President and CEO of California Community Foundation. “The pandemic laid bare the consequences of inequitable access to fast, reliable, and affordable broadband, which made the disproportionate education, economic, and social impacts of the last 18 months significantly worse for unserved and underserved communities across Los Angeles County and the state. Justice delayed is justice denied; there is no reason to delay critical investments in public infrastructure that gets us closer to digital equity.”

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Full text of the letter below and posted here:
https://www.calfund.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/CF-Budget-Letter.pdf

Honorable Members of the California Legislature,

The undersigned community foundations would like to express strong support for Governor Newsom’s historic investment of $7 billion to expand universal broadband access and affordability for high need communities, and support for moving this entire investment forward without delay.

We want to thank you for your leadership in ensuring that the state’s responses and investments in these unprecedented times have focused on equity and inclusion. Without your commitment to racial equity, the communities that suffered the most severe impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and were often left out by federal CARES Act dollars, would have been further left behind.

Recovering from the pandemic and building a stronger, more just, and more equitable California will require further investments in bold, innovative, and transformative change. Digital equity – ensuring universal access to fast, affordable, reliable broadband – will be critical to any inclusive recovery.

The Governor’s proposal and investment is a strong and visionary step forward, and we believe it should be enacted immediately, as proposed.

More than 15 million Californians live in a broadband monopoly in addition to the 2.3 million who have no access to broadband at the speeds required to fully participate in modern society, from education to economic development to accessing government services. These monopolies have led to digital redlining, where the fastest, most reliable, and most affordable broadband infrastructure investments have been limited to wealthy communities, while the rest are stuck with older, slower, less reliable, and more expensive service or without any service at all.

The long-term, systemic solution to equitable access, service, and affordability is a statewide open access middle mile network as the Governor has proposed — public infrastructure for the public good — and the time to begin building it is now.

We are concerned that delayed and staggered funding will mean millions of Californians living in unserved and underserved communities will continue to fall behind as they face down the disparate impacts of digital exclusion. These are the same communities that have disproportionately borne the brunt of pandemic impacts and further delaying their access to fast, reliable, and affordable broadband will result in further denying them opportunity for a resilient recovery.

Like you, for more than a year we have responded to help mitigate the impacts of COVID-19 in highly impacted communities, from Oakland and San Jose to Southeast Los Angeles. Through grantmaking and public-private partnerships we contributed to efforts that provided economic and rent relief, COVID 19 testing and vaccine equity, and supported distance learning in disconnected communities.

From that vantage point, the inequitable impacts of the digital divide have been glaring—with tens of thousands of Californians facing tremendous barriers to distance learning, left out of the promise of telehealth and unable to schedule access vaccine appointments, locked out of access to government services, and unable to be counted in the Census because of poor connectivity and access to devices.

Just as glaring has been the limited ability of local jurisdictions to quickly expand access or ensure affordability or the necessary speeds and reliability. The governor’s proposal would allow localities to immediately begin to solve those shortcomings.

Publicly owned open access middle mile infrastructure is useful mile-by-mile, making a difference as soon as building begins. Slow action, extending the investment across multiple years, or delaying implementation by even a few months would come at a tremendous cost, perpetuating the inequities for years or even a generation to come.

The Governor’s plan puts the dollars to work immediately, leverages federal funding that may become unavailable in the case of delay, and deploys solutions to address many facets of the digital divide in parallel, further accelerating the impact of the investment.

We urge your support and immediate adoption of these critical investments in digital equity and our communities’ future.

Antonia Hernández
President and CEO, California Community Foundation

Fred Blackwell
CEO, San Francisco Foundation

Nicole Taylor
CEO, Silicon Valley Community Foundation

Mark Stewart
President and CEO, San Diego Foundation

James Head
President and CEO, East Bay Community Foundation

The Fund will provide critical recovery support to small and mid-sized organizations that contribute to the region’s cultural fabric, with an emphasis on Black, Latinx, Asian, and Indigenous arts and culture organizations

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LOS ANGELES – The California Community Foundation (CCF) released the following statement from President and CEO Antonia Hernandez on the recent verdict in the George Floyd murder trial that took place in Minneapolis, Minnesota:

“Our justice system has prevailed today. We hope that the jury’s decision regarding the murder of George Floyd is the first step in bringing his family peace and closure and helps them and our country begin to heal. This is an opportunity to create a new legacy of equity and justice.

“At CCF we will continue to advocate for new approaches that move away from the policing and criminalization of Black and Brown people towards more equity-centered public safety solutions. We remain committed to investing in systemic change which addresses the root causes of racism and disinvestment, which have disproportionately impacted Black communities. We know that inequalities in education, health, civil rights and housing require investment in the capacity of people and communities in order to bring about real change.

“The wound of systemic racism scars all of us. Through programs such as BLOOM, the Black Empowerment Fund, and the Ready to Rise initiative, our funding and resources can have an impact by eliminating the criminalization of entire communities, especially boys and men of color, while building leaders.

“CCF is ready to continue to work with our leaders and community to invest and empower individuals and organizations that are developing responsive solutions, which includes funding, convening and advocating for fundamental changes.”

MEDIA CONTACT:

Paula Valle Castañon at pvalle [@] calfund [.] org or 213.452.6233

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The California Community Foundation (CCF) has served as a public, charitable organization for Los Angeles County since 1915. Its mission is to lead positive systemic change that strengthens Los Angeles communities. CCF manages 1,700 charitable foundations, funds and legacies.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The largest-ever pooled private investment for arts across Los Angeles County
will sustain community organizations and save jobs

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The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health’s Community Health Worker (CHW) Outreach Initiative has been extended after the federal government extended the CARES Act funding into 2021. Originally slated to end December 30th, this extension will provide an estimated $3 million in unspent funds for partner agencies to conduct outreach by deploying CHWs through end of January and possibly into February.

The CHW Outreach initiative began mid-October with a budget of $18.5 million and mobilized a Public Health Team of about 60 CHWs, and in partnership with California Community Foundation, contracted with 16 community-based organizations with existing peer outreach networks to conduct outreach countywide to those most impacted by the virus.

Health Pathways Expansion grants will help providers reach people experiencing homelessness despite longstanding, complex obstacles to good medical care

LOS ANGELES – The California Community Foundation and United Way of Greater Los Angeles announced a nearly $2.5 million collaboration to deliver critical care to people experiencing homelessness throughout Los Angeles County, building a foundation for further integration of health and homeless service systems on top of providing direct services.

Sparked by a $500,000 founding gift from Cedars Sinai, the Health Pathways Expansion grants include investment support from L.A. Care Health Plan, UniHealth Foundation, and a generous $1 million contribution from Providence.

The urgency of COVID-19 created an opportunity for collaboration and innovation to produce a new system to serve this vulnerable population. Early on in the pandemic, the gap in care and challenges in coordinating across health and homeless service systems grew rapidly. A series of United Way-led Zoom conversations resulted in the formation of the Health Pathways Group, which brought in additional public and philanthropic partners. The group continues to meet to support the health needs of people experiencing homelessness and integration of systems.

Guided by United Way, public-private funding partners turned conversations into action and created the Health Pathways Expansion grants. The investment funds 16 local health service providers who will deliver quality healthcare to Project Roomkey sites, interim shelters, and through street-based services. The reach is county-wide and pairs health service providers with local homeless service agencies.

Grants will enable a range of support including medical and benefits staff, equipment, patient care costs for ongoing health needs, and helping clients establish health coverage.

“The pandemic highlighted the fundamental gap between health and homeless services. It made accessing healthcare nearly impossible for people experiencing homelessness,” said Elise Buik, President and CEO of United Way of Greater Los Angeles. “Our vulnerable neighbors will now be able to get the care they need. In addition to on the ground services, the Health Pathways Expansion grants create an unprecedented opportunity for the system to strengthen and innovate to better serve people experiencing homelessness.”

“As we connected with partners in the health and homeless service spaces, we were struck by the disconnects preventing people from receiving care,” said Antonia Hernández, President and CEO of the California Community Foundation. “The grants address this gap. The lessons we learn from these initial investments have the potential to inform policy, improve access, and change the way we deliver health services.”

“We know that reliable medical care is hard to come by if you are unhoused. Early data gathered from LA County Project Roomkey sites showed gaps in health care for participants, despite being qualified for coverage. Partnerships like this are imperative and allow healthcare providers to meet people where they are,” said Heidi Marston, Executive Director, Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority. “Whether you are on the street or indoors, you deserve access to medical care. We are eager to see this resource come online to support people in their journey to permanent housing.”

“Providing excellent health care to people who need it the most, is our mission,” said Alicia Mardini, Chief Executive Officer, East Valley Community Health Center. “East Valley is thankful for the Health Pathways grant as it will allow us to expand our services to two Project RoomKey sites and a homeless shelter within our communities.”

“St. John’s Well Child & Family Center is grateful for the Health Pathways Expansion grant funding, which will be used to support our mobile clinic team expand critical medical services at Project Roomkey Interim Housing Program sites in South Los Angeles for people experiencing homelessness who are most at risk of contracting COVID-19,” said Jim Mangia, MPH, Chief Executive Officer, St. John’s Well Child and Family Center. “This funding creates an opportunity for innovation to address health equity for one of the most marginalized populations in Los Angeles County.”

“This funding is an opportunity to bring essential medical and supportive services that address the social determinants of health for people experiencing homelessness,” Sharine Forbes, MSG, RN, Director of Chronic Disease Management & Health Equity, St. John’s Well Child and Family Center. “With our mobile clinic, St. John’s Well Child & Family Center docks at Project Roomkey Interim Housing Program sites and sees between 20 – 35 clients per day, providing health insurance screening and enrollment, medical care, behavioral health care, and case management.”

Health Pathways Expansion Grantees:

MEDIA CONTACT:

Roshin Mathew at rmathew [@] calfund [.] org or (213) 452-6229

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United Way of Greater Los Angeles is a nonprofit organization fighting to end poverty by preparing students for high school graduation, college, and the workforce; housing our homeless neighbors; and guiding hard-working families towards economic mobility. United Way identifies the root causes of poverty and works strategically to solve them by building alliances across all sectors, funding targeted programs and advocating for change.

The California Community Foundation has served as a public, charitable organization for Los Angeles County since 1915. Its mission is to lead positive systemic change that strengthens Los Angeles communities. CCF stewards $1.8 billion in assets and manages 1,700 charitable foundations, funds and legacies. For more information, please visit www.calfund.org.

 

 

 J. Paul Getty Trust and the California Community Foundation announce a first major round of support to local art organizations and artists facing historic challenges

LOS ANGELES – Four hundred artists and 80 arts organizations received $2.7 million in total grants as part of a broad-based COVID-19 relief effort for the visual arts in the Los Angeles region, the J. Paul Getty Trust and the California Community Foundation announced today. The emergency support was designed to reach individual artists throughout all areas of LA County and arts organizations that serve the region’s culturally diverse communities.

“The arts are a source of expression, resistance, and healing,” says Joan Weinstein, director of the Getty Foundation, an operating program of the Getty Trust, which initiated the $10 million LA Arts COVID-19 Relief and Recovery Fund to help small and midsize visual arts organizations. “But our creative artists and arts organizations, who do so much to advocate for social change, will not survive this pandemic and its economic fallout if we don’t take action now to support them.”

The economic impact of COVID-19 has been especially hard on small and midsize arts institutions. The pandemic also laid bare inequities in funding, particularly for organizations that serve communities of color. Smaller arts organizations tend to operate without any endowment funds or cash reserves. Yet they act as essential community anchors, supporting creative expression for artists of color, providing access to the arts for underserved groups, and offering arts education in schools and at their own sites. Even while their doors have been closed, many have worked hard to maintain their community bonds, hosting COVID-19 testing sites or food distribution centers on their premises.

After months of lost revenue, these organizations are struggling to maintain staff, provide safe galleries and workspaces that meet new health and safety standards, and still ensure meaningful arts participation for their communities when they reopen.

The more than $2 million in emergency relief grants awarded to 80 visual arts nonprofits and museums provides support to meet urgent financial needs over the next three months, including staff salaries, rent, and emergency supplies to comply with public health measures. This basic operating support will also allow organizations some leeway to plan for reopening, restructuring, and collaboration. Innovation will be critical if these institutions want to continue their work.

“We’re going to have to become semi-experts in how to manage spaces and arts experiences through a public health lens,” says Betty Avila, executive director of the arts nonprofit Self Help Graphics & Art, which received an emergency grant.

Self Help has worked at the intersection of arts and social justice since 1973, serving its community in East Los Angeles by promoting local Chicana/o and Latinx artists. But Avila recognizes they won’t endure if they don’t adapt, and the COVID relief grant will start them on that path. “We cannot return to our work with a ‘back to business as usual’ perspective.” In the meantime, the emergency grant will help them cover operational expenses, including support for Self Help Graphics’ teaching artists.

The threats facing arts institutions extend to visual artists. Thousands saw their income evaporate as the museums and non-profit spaces that exhibit their work shuttered. Many also depend on part-time work as teaching artists or preparators who set up and take down exhibitions. Countless artists also survive on work in the gig economy. With high unemployment across the region, they are straining to find alternative sources of income.

The California Community Foundation and Getty responded by creating the Relief Fund for L.A. County Visual Artists. The Fund has provided emergency grants of up to $2000 each to 400 local artists who work in all visual arts disciplines. Artists who applied for grants were asked to demonstrate their artistic practice through an online presentation of their work and to describe their financial needs. Additional contributions came from a trio of local artist-endowed foundations: the Mike Kelley Foundation for the Arts, the Sam Francis Foundation, and the Shepard and Amanda Fairey Foundation. The artist relief fund is administered by the Center for Cultural Innovation.

“This crisis is a wake-up call to all Angelenos to support the organizations that provide access to the arts and the artists that inspire us to be resilient,” says Antonia Hernández, president and CEO of the California Community Foundation, which is administering the LA Arts COVID-19 Fund. “The emergency grants will reach a wide array of arts nonprofits and dedicated artists, but more help is needed. The demand for funds was far greater than the supply. We welcome others to join us in this effort to ensure the arts continue contributing to the cultural vitality and wellness of our region for the benefit of all residents.”

For over 30 years, Getty and CCF have been longtime collaborators in the arts, supporting one of the most prestigious fellowships for visual artists in the country, the biennial Fellowships for Visual Artists. The Fellowship, led by CCF, was created by an earlier endowment from the Getty and has grown with subsequent donations from CCF and individual donors. The LA Arts COVID-19 Relief and Recovery Fund was a natural extension of that partnership. The next phase of their work together will focus on recovery grants to help key museums and visuals arts organizations reimagine their operations in order to survive and thrive in the coming years. More information on recovery funds will be available before this fall.

FOR A LIST OF GRANTEES, PLEASE CLICK HERE

 

MEDIA CONTACTS:

Paula Valle Castañon at pvalle@www.calfund.org or 213.452.6233

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Getty is a leading global arts organization committed to the exhibition, conservation, and understanding of the world’s artistic and cultural heritage.  Working collaboratively with partners around the globe, the Getty Foundation, Getty Conservation Institute, Getty Museum and Getty Research Institute are all dedicated to the greater understanding of the relationships between the world’s many cultures.  The Los Angeles-based J. Paul Getty Trust and Getty programs share art, knowledge, and resources online at Getty.edu and welcome the public for free at the Getty Center and the Getty Villa.

 

The Getty Foundation fulfills the philanthropic mission of the Getty Trust by supporting individuals and institutions committed to advancing the greater understanding and preservation of the visual arts in Los Angeles and throughout the world. Through strategic grant initiatives, the Foundation strengthens art history as a global discipline, promotes the interdisciplinary practice of conservation, increases access to museum and archival collections, and develops current and future leaders in the visual arts. It carries out its work in collaboration with the other Getty Programs to ensure that they individually and collectively achieve maximum effect. Additional information is available at www.getty.edu/foundation.

 

About The California Community Foundation

The California Community Foundation has served as a public, charitable organization for Los Angeles County since 1915, its mission is to lead positive systemic change that strengthens Los Angeles communities. CCF manages 1,700 charitable foundations, funds and legacies. For more information, please visit www.calfund.org.

 

 

Designed to Serve Vulnerable TK-12 Students at Risk of Learning Loss

LOS ANGELES (June 11, 2020) – A new collaborative effort to support extended learning opportunities for low-income and vulnerable TK-12 students this summer called LA County Summer Learning Initiative was announced today. The region’s education leaders, including the California Community Foundation (CCF), together with the LA County Office of Education (LACOE) and the Greater LA Education Foundation (Greater LA), have come together to ensure students receive the support they need in the upcoming months.

Together, CCF and Greater LA will grant at least $1 million towards these efforts.

The closure of schools for the COVID-19 crisis has deepened a divide along racial and socioeconomic lines for the County’s young people. Many of our students and families have faced enormous hurdles in gaining equal access to education and support as highlighted in a Beyond the Schoolhouse report published last year by UCLA. The murder of George Floyd and subsequent protests further focused attention on the need to support our Black youth and other minority students.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has both highlighted and exacerbated existing inequalities within the education and youth development systems,” said CCF president & CEO Antonia Hernández. “Given the extended physical closures of schools and youth-serving community centers, there is an increased need for responsive summertime learning environments.”

All students in general experience learning loss over the summer. COVID-19-focused research suggests that students in some grades may return in fall 2020 nearly a full year behind what we would expect in normal conditions. “Summer slide” is worse for high-need student populations, from low-income foster youth to English learners to students with disabilities, as they are less likely than their higher income peers to have enriching opportunities over the summer.

Summer programs that can mitigate potential learning loss and address the social-emotional needs of youth are especially needed as students across our region have experienced months of disrupted in-class engagement with their peers.

CCF, Greater LA and LACOE also recognize that many nonprofits and school-based summer programs are experiencing losses in revenue that may threaten the availability of summer learning programs, while also facing new potential costs such as expanded technology infrastructure and associated training.

“Education leaders must use this moment as a turning point to bring about real change in our approach to race and equity. But we can’t do it alone,” said Los Angeles County Superintendent of Schools Debra Duardo. “The summer learning initiative is a shining example of the power of partnerships. Working together is the only way we can truly stop persistent educational inequities and ensure a brighter tomorrow for our at-promise youth.”

The upcoming programs must be administered by a TK-12 school (including independent schools and public charters) and/or a nonprofit organization. Preference will be given to collaborations between nonprofit and schools as partners. Grants amounts are expected to range from $25,000 – $100,000 each, with consideration given to the number of youth served and the frequency and duration of the program model. Application information available at www.calfund.org/la-county-summer-learning-initiative/

Resources are made possible through the CCF COVID-19 LA County Response Fund, The Greater LA Education Foundation, and the generous support of donors and philanthropic partners.

For more information about supporting the LA County Summer Learning Initiative, please contact Valerie Cuevas at the California Community Foundation: vcuevas [@] calfund [.] org.

Questions from potential grantee partners and applications should be directed to youthdevelopment [@]calfund [.] org.

MEDIA CONTACTS:
Roshin Mathew
California Community Foundation
rmathew[@]calfund[.]org
213-377-5630

Margo Minecki
LA County Office of Education
Minecki_Margo[@]lacoe[.]edu
562-500-5184

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The Greater LA Education Foundation (Greater LA) is the philanthropic arm of the Los Angeles County Office of Education (LACOE). Greater LA was formed in 2019 to increase collective problem-solving and innovative solutions for today’s complex learning environments. Our mission advances a deeper collaboration between schools and communities to disrupt inequity and meet the needs of today’s diverse learners across Los Angeles County. Additional information is available at www.greaterlaedfund.org/.

The California Community Foundation (CCF) has served as a public, charitable organization for Los Angeles County since 1915. Its mission is to lead positive systemic change that strengthens Los Angeles communities. CCF manages 1,700 charitable foundations, funds and legacies.

 

 

 

 

 

 

LOS ANGELES – The California Community Foundation (CCF) proudly announces that after an extensive search process, Jarrett Barrios has been named Senior Vice President of Strategic Community and Programmatic Initiatives.

CCF leads positive systemic change that strengthens Los Angeles communities. We envision a future where all Angelenos will have the opportunity to contribute to the productivity, health and well-being of the region. Jarrett Barrios brings together a rich background in philanthropy, public policy, nonprofit administration and fundraising with extensive experience in both the private and public sectors. Like CCF, Jarrett believes in diversity, collaboration, accountability and inclusiveness. He joins CCF at a critical moment. We face unprecedented challenges that require vision, partnership and an unyielding commitment to social change.  Jarrett is eager to meet with CCF staff, nonprofit and community partners, donors, advisors and all members of our community. He will officially begin in his role at CCF on July 13th.

“Everything I’ve done up until this point has prepared me for this role,” said Jarrett Barrios. “It is a distinct privilege to help guide one of our LA County’s most storied and impactful philanthropic organizations at this important inflection point in our nation’s history,” Said Jarrett Barrios. “From Massachusetts to LA, all of my knowledge and skills will be poured into this role, and I am honored to be working with an organization with a deep-rooted connection to the community. This is where my passion lies.”

Jarrett will be joining CCF from the American Red Cross of Los Angeles Region, where he served as CEO. In that role, he has overseen long-range planning, staff development, core program execution, financial management and fundraising.  Most notably, he developed and launched the award-winning Prepare LA 2.0 community resiliency program using demographic and disaster data to strategically focus, organize and serve vulnerable populations in the county.  He also previously served as CEO of the Red Cross Massachusetts Region.  Prior to the Red Cross, Jarrett was CEO of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Foundation, before serving as CEO of GLAAD.

Serving 8 years in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts as both a state representative and state senator, Jarrett authored and passed legislation to advance solutions to youth violence, health care access and homelessness.  Jarrett received his A.B from Harvard College and his J.D from the Georgetown University Law Center. He is currently the board president of the Los Angeles Commission on Human Relations and board director of CLASP.

“I am delighted to welcome Jarrett Barrios to our CCF family. His strategic thinking, connection to community and management expertise will help drive the long-term impact we hope to create through our advocacy, outreach and community investments,” said CCF president & CEO Antonia Hernández.

The California Community Foundation has served as a public, charitable organization since 1915, empowering donors to pursue their own personal passions and to collaborate with us in addressing the root causes of challenges in Los Angeles County. CCF stewards $1.8 billion in assets and manages 1,700 charitable foundations, funds and legacies. For more information, please visit www.calfund.org. 

Media Contact

Roshin Mathew at rmathew [@] calfund [.] org or (213) 452-6229