Press & Media
“Charitable Giving in Los Angeles Declines Considerably as Big Dollars Go Elsewhere”
Nonprofit Quarterly
“The Generosity Gap: Why charitable giving is down in LA County”
89.3 KPCC
“Not Enough Fish in the Sea? Los Angeles County Charitable Giving Down $1 Billion Since 2006”
By John E. Kobara for The Huffington Post
“L.A. residents giving significantly less to charity, study finds”
Los Angeles Times
California Community Foundation to Increase Fellowship for Visual Artists Awards to $25,000
Additional updates to long-standing fellowship aim to better serve L.A. County artists LOS ANGELES – June 8, 2016 – The California Community Foundation (CCF) announces several updates to its Fellowship for Visual Artists (FVA) to better serve the needs of L.A. County’s artistic community, including increasing the fellowship award to $25,000 regardless of career level. Previous award amounts were $15,000 for emerging and $20,000 for mid-career artists. The goal of the FVA remains the same: to fund outstanding Los Angeles County-based visual artists from diverse backgrounds in order to support sustainable careers in the arts. Since 1988, in partnership with the Getty Foundation and other donors, FVA has provided more than $2.5 million in unrestricted grants to 274 Los Angeles County visual artists. The grants are often used for project development, exhibits, travel or general expenses. This year’s updates include: • Increasing the award amount to $25,000 for all recipients regardless of career level. Twelve Los Angeles County based artists will be selected and notified in early December. • Not requiring identification as emerging or mid-career artist. • Creating a streamlined application beginning with a simplified initial application. Selected applicants move on to complete the full application. • Requiring a minimum of five years of professional experience and exhibition history with evidence of work in Los Angeles County. • Requiring a minimum age of 25 years old. Changes were the result of an internal evaluation of the existing process, and feedback from artists, professors, gallery owners, curators, writers and nonprofit leaders. Fellows are annually selected by a committee of distinguished artists and arts professionals – including fellowship alumni – following a rigorous application process. To view a full list of FVA fellows, please visit FVA artist’s gallery/. The deadline for the first stage of the application is June 30, 2016. For more information and how to apply, please visit www.calfund.org/nonprofits/grant-opportunities/arts/ccf-fellowship-visual-artists/. Please read the updated Guidelines and Eligibility and Frequently Asked Questions before applying. CONTACT Taleen Ananian tananian@www.calfund.org (213) 452-6203
June 7, 2016
LASIF Data: 2013-15
Launched in 2012, the Los Angeles Scholars Investment Fund seeks to increase the number of low-income Los Angeles County youth who complete college. Part high-performing mutual fund, part innovation incubator, LASIF partners with nonprofit organizations to provide scholarships and services that get students to and through college. The data in this document reflect the impact of LASIF since its launch.
June 7, 2016
LASIF Partners: 2016-17
The California Community Foundation supports a diverse portfolio of high-impact college access and success organizations serving low-income students in Los Angeles County. Each year, these nonprofit partners collectively help tens of thousands of students get to and through college, graduating at rates far higher than local or national averages. These organizations contribute to the cohort through shared best practices, a collective data system and other collaborative ventures. Since LASIF’s launch in 2012, a total of 30 organizations have received support, benefiting more than 26,000 students and their families.
June 7, 2016
Los Angeles Scholars Investment Fund (LASIF): More than a Scholarship
Launched in 2012, the Los Angeles Scholars Investment Fund (LASIF) is increasing the number of low-income L.A. County youth who achieve their dream of a college degree. By combining need-based scholarships with intensive services before and during college, LASIF addresses the multifaceted financial, academic and personal barriers that have led to a college completion crisis in our community. In this brochure, you can discover the extent of the college graduation crisis in Los Angeles and how LASIF is helping thousands of Angeleno youth get to and through college.
June 3, 2016
The Generosity Gap: Donating Less in Post-Recession Los Angeles County
The “Great Recession” may be over, but L.A. need is rising, the organizations we count on to address our most pressing issues are overstretched and the charitable giving that sustains them is on the decline. “The Generosity Gap: Donating Less in Post-Recession Los Angeles County,” a first-of-its-kind study from the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs in partnership with the California Community Foundation, uncovers the concerns and motivations of Los Angeles donors and the extent of the county’s growing gap in charitable giving.
Charitable Giving in L.A. County Down $1 Billion Since 2006
New study finds decline in giving amid urgent and rising need in Los Angeles. LOS ANGELES – June 3, 2016 – A study commissioned by the California Community Foundation (CCF), and conducted by the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs, finds that local giving is on a decline, with Los Angeles County residents declaring $7.16 billion in 2006 charitable deductions compared to $6.03 billion in 2013. The Generosity Gap: Donating Less in Post-Recession Los Angeles County shows that in many L.A. communities, donations are ebbing as needs surge, particularly for families in poverty, youth, the elderly and the homeless. Released today at the Center for Nonprofit Management’s 501(c)onference, the report combines IRS data with a first-of-its-kind survey that asks Angelenos about their charitable giving to L.A. causes. It explores the current fiscal context for giving and offers a snapshot of the behaviors, patterns and motivations by Los Angeles County donors. “Local nonprofit organizations form a powerful network dedicated to serving the county’s most vulnerable residents, but we know they are stretched for resources,” said Antonia Hernández, president & CEO of the California Community Foundation. “We as a collective region must tap into our talent and generosity of spirit to build stable organizations that can make a lasting difference in Los Angeles County.” Some of the report’s major findings include: Los Angeles County residents are donating $1 billion less to charitable causes than they did in 2006. And those with greater capacity to give overall are giving a lower proportion of their household income. Median nonprofit revenues continue to decline dramatically in Los Angeles County. White, Latino, Asian American/Pacific Islander, African American and lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender donors in Los Angeles give at similar rates across most causes. They vary, however, in the proportion of their giving that goes mostly or entirely to locally focused organizations. Given the opportunity to make a large gift to Los Angeles, donors’ highest priority would be ending homelessness. But of their contributions to basic needs causes and combined-purpose organizations in 2015, only one-third went to locally focused nonprofits. Planned giving is strongly connected with support for locally focused charitable causes, through both bequests and current contributions, especially among donors under 40. “UCLA and CCF are local institutions that seek to transform donations from a few into opportunities for many,” said Bill Parent, project director and lecturer in public policy at the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs. “It is our hope that a better understanding of charitable giving in the region can benefit donors and nonprofits alike, as we work together to build better futures for all Angelenos.” Commemorating its 100th year, CCF has hosted a range of activities to inform and inspire L.A. residents to give back to their community, whether through volunteering their time, donating to their favorite causes or creating a legacy for future generations. CCF aims to draw attention to complexities, trigger dialogue and encourage solutions to Los Angeles County’s most pressing challenges with this study. The Generosity Gap was written by J. Shawn Landres and Shakari Byerly, with Paul Ong, Silvia González, Mindy Chen, and Bill Parent of the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs’ Center for Neighborhood Knowledge, through support from CCF. DOWNLOAD THE FULL REPORT The California Community Foundation is committed to improving the quality of life for all Los Angeles County residents by addressing the root causes of the county’s most urgent problems. The foundation 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 County. For more information, please visit www.calfund.org. The UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs is a leading institution for research and scholarship in the areas of public policy, social welfare and urban planning and other areas vital to the continued health and well-being of our global society. Learn more at luskin.ucla.edu. CONTACT Taleen Ananian tananian@www.calfund.org (213) 452-6203
California Community Foundation Selected by Citi Foundation’s Community Progress Makers Fund Grant Program to Accelerate Economic Opportunity
CCF Joins Leading Nonprofit Organizations Across the United States to Address Urban Challenges LOS ANGELES – MAY 18, 2016 – The California Community Foundation (CCF) announced today that it has been selected as a recipient of the Community Progress Makers Fund, a $500,000 grant over the course of two years to continue the foundation’s work in the community around supporting Black men and boys, among other projects. This new injection of funds at CCF will in part help bolster CCF’s Building a Lifetime of Options & Opportunities for Men (BLOOM) initiative. Since its inception in 2012, BLOOM has worked with more than 500 young Black men in South Los Angeles to develop the skills they need to complete high school, move toward post-secondary options and become productive members of society. BLOOM is a model that the White House spotlighted when My Brother’s Keeper was first launched in 2013. In addition to the grant, CCF will also have access to technical assistance from leading national researchers and experts and will be provided opportunities to connect with other grantees to share and learn best practices. “I am grateful to the Citi Foundation for recognizing the importance of supporting local community-building initiatives in Los Angeles,” said California Community Foundation President & CEO Antonia Hernández. “This is the largest outside grant and the first national funding partner to support our work with Black men and boys. We look forward to continued partnership with Los Angeles organizations delivering academic and career guidance to our future community leaders.” The Community Progress Makers Fund is a $20 million grant initiative to support 40 visionary nonprofit organizations, including CCF, in their efforts to establish new approaches to long-standing urban economic challenges in the United States – including economic development, environment sustainability, urban infrastructure and affordable housing. “The Citi Foundation feels privileged to support organizations that have demonstrated such strong commitments to their local communities and a willingness to share their experiences with others for the betterment of their neighborhoods,” said Brandee McHale, President of the Citi Foundation. “These organizations have a track record of implementing solutions that work for their communities because they know the people there, understand what resources to tap and, most importantly, feel deeply invested in the places where they live and work. We believe that’s the key to leading urban transformation efforts in Los Angeles and elsewhere across the country.” The Community Progress Makers Fund builds upon the Citi Foundation’s commitment to identify and support innovative solutions and organizations that are helping build stronger, more resilient cities that are engines of economic opportunity for all. The flexibility of core operating support will allow organizations and their visionary leaders to deploy solutions that address a range of issues. ### The California Community Foundation is committed to improving the quality of life for all Los Angeles County residents by addressing the root causes of the county’s most urgent problems. The foundation has served as a public, charitable organization since 1915. For more information, please visit www.calfund.org. The Citi Foundation works to promote economic progress and improve the lives of people in low-income communities around the world. We invest in efforts that increase financial inclusion, catalyze job opportunities for youth, and reimagine approaches to building economically vibrant cities. The Citi Foundation’s “More than Philanthropy” approach leverages the enormous expertise of Citi and its people to fulfill our mission and drive thought leadership and innovation. For more information, visit citifoundation.com. CONTACT Taleen Ananian tananian@www.calfund.org 213.452.6203
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