Nine Community-Based Organizations to Receive More Than $1 Million
LOS ANGELES – In an effort to mitigate the long-term and daily effects of systemic racism, L.A. Care Health Plan has announced grants totaling $1,125,000 to nine community-based organizations that are run by Black, Latino, Southeast Asian and Indigenous leaders. This is the second round of Equity and Resilience Initiative grants that aims to address the continued social, emotional and economic distress of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The equity and resilience grants are important in helping to level the playing field for nonprofit organizations led by people of color, which suffer from chronic under-investment,” said John Baackes, L.A. Care CEO. “These organizations operate in the communities where our members live, and their work is helping to reduce health and social inequities.”
Each awardee will receive a grant of up to $125,000 to use for things like rent, equipment, IT support and infrastructure upgrades. Each will also receive nearly $20,000 worth of coaching and technical assistance from a culturally competent consulting firm with expertise in nonprofit organization assessment and management. The work these organizations do ultimately helps to improve health outcomes in marginalized community and as a result meets L.A. Care’s goal of advancing health equity.
The nine Equity & Resilience Initiative II awardees support activities such as:
- Transitional housing and supportive services
- Navigation assistance for relief programs, offering rental assistance and access to food
- COVID-19 vaccinations, targeting immigrant and indigenous communities
- Food and PPE distribution in communities impacted by gangs
- Civic engagement and arts programming for incarcerated youth
- STEAM education for Black and Latino youth
- Employment and leadership training and referral services
The nine awardees and the areas they serve are:
- A Step to Freedom, Compton, Inglewood, Watts, Gardena, Hawthorne
- Comunidades Indigenas en Liderazgo (CIELO), Hollywood, Wilshire, Central L.A., Glendale
- Creative Acts, Hollywood, Wilshire, Central L.A., Glendale
- Homies Unidos, Hollywood, Wilshire, Central L.A., Glendale
- Inclusive Action for the City, East L.A., Whittier, Highland Park
- Khmer Girls in Action, Long Beach
- Southeast Asian Community Alliance (SEACA), Hollywood, Wilshire, Central L.A., Glendale
- STEM to the Future, Los Angeles County
- The Community Action League (TCAL), Antelope Valley
The Equity & Resilience Initiative II will support these organizations for 24 months.