LOS ANGELES – April 11, 2016 – The California Community Foundation (CCF) has awarded $5,130,787 through 52 grants to Los Angeles County nonprofit organizations working to address pressing needs and improve the lives of Los Angeles County residents. CCF’s grants this quarter include $1,435,000 to provide critical support to immigrant rights organizations working to defend due process and empower new Americans communities to thrive through CCF’s Immigrant Integration initiative. These grants offer a rapid response to the changing policy environment and focus on promoting citizenship and naturalization, expanding access to legal representation and “Know Your Rights” education among immigrant communities. Nonprofit partners of the Los Angeles Scholars Investment Fund (LASIF) received $1,680,000 in grants to help young Angelenos prepare for, pay for and succeed in college. Launched in 2012 in partnership with the College Futures Foundation, LASIF combines college and financial aid guidance services with need-based scholarships, and has granted more that $15 million to partners working on innovative ways to ensure college access and success for thousands of low-income students. “Our work is made possible by the generosity of our donors, the dedication and innovation of nonprofits and the vision of the public and private sector partners who have joined us in our mission,” said CCF President & CEO Antonia Hernández. “Working together with the diverse communities that define Los Angeles County, we can build a future in which all residents have the opportunity to thrive.” Additional grants this quarter reflect CCF’s diverse priority areas in the arts, civic engagement, education, health, housing and economic opportunity and youth empowerment. Please see below for a full list of grants this quarter. CALIFORNIA COMMUNITY FOUNDATION GRANTS BY FUNDING AREA March 2017 PROGRAMS & INITIATIVES NUMBER,OF GRANTS AMOUNT Arts Company of Angels CRE Outreach EngAGE, Inc. Hatchery Arts aka Hollywood Fringe Festival Tia Chucha’s Centro Cultural 5 $415,000 Civic Engagement & Public Policy YMCA Latino Equality Alliance Digital Democracy 3 $390,000 Education Pipeline City Year-Los Angeles Summer Algebra Institute Spark- Los Angeles 3 $385,000 Health Equality California Institute, ONEgeneration Memorial Care Medical Center Foundation Services and Advocacy for Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Elders L.A. Community Health Project UCLA Family Medicine UCLA Pediatrics USC Neurology 8 $401,259 Housing & Economic Opportunity Opportunity Fund L.A. Kitchen Meet Each Need With Dignity Uncommon Good 4 $292441 Immigrant Integration Asian Americans Advancing Justice Los Angeles California Immigrant Policy Center Black Alliance for Just Immigration Central American Resource Center Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles (CHIRLA) COFEM Council on American-Islamic Relations California Immigrant Defenders Law Center Korean Resource Center Mexican American Legal Defense & Educational Fund National Day Laborer Organizing Network National Immigration Law Center Public Counsel Regents of the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA Dream Resource Center) Undocumedia, Inc. NALEO Educational Fund University of California – UC Undocumented Legal Services Center Town Hall Los Angeles,California Bar Foundation 19 $1,435,000 Los Angeles Scholars Investment Fund Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Los Angeles Bright Prospect Heart of Los Angeles Pasadena City College Foundation (Upward Bound Programs) Project GRAD Los Angeles United Friends of the Children University of Southern California (Neighborhood Academic Initiative) Walking Shield 8 $1,686,000 Youth Empowerment Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Los Angeles California Youth Connection 2 $132,807 GRAND TOTAL 52 $5,130,787 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 $1.5 billion in assets and manages 1,600 charitable foundations, funds and legacies. For more information, please visit www.calfund.org. CONTACT Chris Compton marcomm@www.calfund.org (213) 413-4130
Civic engagement holds the key to making lasting, systemic change that is driven by communities. It empowers people to make their voices heard, gain a role in policy decisions and affect institutions that influence their futures and those of their families. By supporting civic engagement in Los Angeles County, CCF is ensuring that everyone has a voice to call for policy changes that improve their personal and communities’ wellbeing.
Balita Filipino News
Citizenship Campaign One Pager
Citizenship Campaign One Pager
By John E. Kobara for The Huffington Post Tags: citizenship, civic engagement
Over 300,000 Asian Immigrants in L.A. County Currently Eligible to Naturalize and Become a U.S. Citizen Eligible immigrants strongly urged to take the first step now to have a chance of becoming a U.S. citizen before November election LOS ANGELES – Asian Americans Advancing Justice-Los Angeles (Advancing Justice-LA), in close partnership with community-based organizations and local government, announced an unprecedented campaign to encourage and increase the number of Asian American immigrants applying for U.S. citizenship. Community based organizations serving the Asian American community will receive additional funding and support to process citizenship applications. In addition, Asian ethnic media will be invited to join the effort as official campaign partners, to promote the benefits of citizenship. In Los Angeles County, over 300,000 Asian American immigrants are currently legal permanent residents who are eligible to naturalize and become U.S. citizens. “The United States was founded by immigrants and continues to thrive because of the contributions of immigrants,” said Stewart Kwoh, President and Executive Director of Asian Americans Advancing Justice – LA. “For many Asian Americans, the risk of leaving their native countries in pursuit of better opportunities outweighed all their fears of the unknown. Today, we are launching ‘Endless Possibilities. Citizenship Now!’ in seven Asian languages, drawing on an unprecedented partnership between nonprofits, government, and media, with the purpose of reminding immigrants that citizenship is a pathway to the many benefits and opportunities many hoped to achieve for themselves and their families by coming to America.” “More than 1 million people in Los Angeles County speak an Asian language and their main source of information is ethnic and in-language media. We are asking that our Asian-language media step forward to be a part of this campaign, alongside our nonprofit partners, government agencies, and elected officials who are leveraging their collective voice to raise awareness about the opportunities and resources available to anyone who is eligible and interested in becoming a United States citizen,” said Nasim Khansari, Citizenship Project Director for Asian Americans Advancing Justice – LA. “Not only are media critical to informing our communities about what they need to know, but media can also empower our community to achieve what they may not know is possible.” “Endless Possibilities. Citizenship Now!” is a coordinated effort of more than 10 nonprofit organizations serving multi-ethnic communities as well as government agencies and the offices of elected officials. The first partnership event is a free citizenship workshop taking place on Sunday, April 10th at the Long Beach Convention Center. For an appointment, call the Advancing Justice-LA helpline: English 888-349-9695 Mandarin/Cantonese 800-520-2356 Khmer 800-867-3126 Korean 800-867-3640 Tagalog 855-300-2552 Thai 800-914-9583 Vietnamese 800-267-7395 All who are interested in citizenship assistance or legal services are encouraged to call the toll-free helpline service. Callers can reach helpline staff between 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. When unable to speak with a live helpline staff, callers are encouraged to leave a voicemail message including their name and contact information. Calls will be returned within one business day. The campaign is made possible through funding and support from the California Community Foundation in an effort to break down the myths and barriers preventing more L.A. County residents from applying. “Endless Possibilities. Citizenship Now!” is a coordinated campaign operating in conjunction with ¡Protégete!…¡Ciudadanía Ya!, a campaign taking place in Spanish-language media and is led by a strong coalition that includes Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, Los Angeles County Supervisor Hilda Solis, Asian Americans Advancing Justice – Los Angeles and several other nonprofit organizations. CONTACT: Randy Bunnao, 213-241-0227 rbunnao@advancingjustice-la.org Lisa Thong, 310-289-5526 lisa.thong@iwgroupinc.com
By John E. Kobara for The Huffington Post
Major L.A. immigrant rights organizations, leading Spanish-language media and the City and County have joined forces today to promote citizenship.
California Black Media
Despite a strong desire to be active in their communities, many L.A. County residents are not involved because they don’t know what they can do...
Los Angeles Times