Grant Abstracts 2012   Advancement Project Los Angeles, CA $250,000 – 1 year June 2012 Advancement Project is partnering with academic researchers, the Los Angeles County Probation Department, the Children’s Defense Fund, and other stakeholders to examine the experiences of youth before, during and after their time in the probation system and the extent to which probation involved youth and their families also have contact with additional government agencies.  The aim is to better understand the experience of children who become involved in Los Angeles’ juvenile justice system and identify needed improvements to data collection and tracking, as well as opportunities for prevention, early intervention and rehabilitation.  Data collection will occur in 2012 and the study is projected to be completed by December 2013.  From the results of the study, a network of stakeholders convened by the Advancement Project, with the support of Children’s Defense Fund, will jointly develop a list of specific outcomes that will guide Probation’s practices to improve and streamline its internal service delivery, coordination with other County departments, and transition of youth back to the community.  A final report with recommendations on a set of outcomes will be issued.   Chrysalis Center Santa Monica, CA $200,000 – capital June 2012 Each year, across all of its sites, Chrysalis provides extensive employment resources including case management, job-readiness training, transitional employment opportunities, and job retention services, to over 3,500 homeless and low-income individuals with a desire to find work and improve their lives.  The downtown center on Skid Row, which provides services to 300-400 clients each day, is significantly over capacity.  The project will expand and renovate the downtown facility, nearly doubling program space.  Chrysalis has negotiated a long term lease for the storefront between its current program site and administrative and transitional jobs program offices.  Construction will be completed by August 2012.  One contiguous space will be created to include a computer lab, an additional classroom, offices, and an expanded lobby.  At least 2,750 people will participate in Chrysalis’ job readiness and employment programs and clients will improve their computer and customer services skills.   College Bound - Dollars for Achievers Cerritos, CA $150,000 – 2 years June 2012 In this era of rapid technological advancement, inadequate preparation and a lack of interest in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM), particularly among underrepresented groups, is resulting in a dearth of knowledge and skills required to drive innovation and strengthen our global competitiveness.  However, the pool of qualified college applicants with interest and experience in STEM is insufficient.  To address this issue, College Bound provides supplemental, out-of-school activities for students in grades 4-12 to prepare them for college, while engaging students in STEM subjects.  College Bound will enhance its Saturday School, project-based curriculum for 7th grade (Renewable Energy Systems) and 8th grade (Communications Technology) to increase students’ interest in STEM subjects and their proficiency in algebra.  College Bound employs credentialed teachers with subject-matter expertise; engages African-American males who are particularly disengaged from the educational process; requires parent involvement; assesses students’ progress over time; and provides academic and college advising.  During the two-year project, 240 students and over 300 parents will be served.   East Valley Community Health Center, Inc. West Covina, CA $250,000 – capital June 2012 To expand access to primary care for low-income and uninsured patients, East Valley plans to renovate a 24,000-square-foot facility for which it has secured a long-term lease to replace its current 9,300-square-foot Pomona clinic.  Construction will begin in fall 2012 and the new clinic will open in July 2013.  The number of individuals receiving comprehensive health and mental health services will increase by over 5,000 to 12,800 within the first two years of operation.   Enterprise Community Partners Los Angeles, CA $200,000 – 2 years June 2012 Los Angeles leads the nation in homelessness.  As an affordable housing intermediary with a commitment to permanent supportive housing (PSH) in Los Angeles, and as a United Way/LA Chamber of Commerce Home for Good signatory, Enterprise will work to develop and provide affordable housing solutions for those struggling with and emerging from homelessness.  As a provider of the capital and tools needed to create affordable housing, Enterprise will build the capacity of (l) traditional affordable housing developers not oriented to or familiar with housing for homeless populations and (2) transitional housing operators that require programmatic and technical support in converting facilities and programs to PSH.  Staff and consultants will offer technical assistance, provide capacity building grants, develop financial tools and foster the policy support needed to create between 200 and 300 new PSH units in Los Angeles over the next two years.   P. S. Arts Venice, CA $250,000 – 2 years June 2012 The TakePART (Public-school Arts Regional Team) initiative is a collaborative effort to create and sustain arts education programs across three neighboring school districts in the Centinela Valley region of Southern California.  TakePART – Visual Arts is the visual arts component of the overall initiative.  The goal is to provide visual arts instruction either in school or after school for approximately 4,685 K-5th grade students that increases their competitive advantage for higher education and professional opportunities and engages the entire community.  P. S. ARTS, serving as the facilitator of the collaborative and arts coordinator for the three school districts, works to reduce costs and maximize resources, including human resources.  An outside program evaluator will measure the impact of the program to determine if this approach significantly increases arts program feasibility and sustainability.   Public Counsel Law Center Los Angeles, CA $250,000 – 3 years June 2012 In December 2010, Public Counsel and its partners reached a settlement with Los Angeles County to reform conditions for youth with developmental disabilities in the juvenile halls, in placement (foster care, group homes, relative caregivers), and home with family under field supervision.  Public Counsel will work through December 2014 to ensure effective implementation of the settlement agreement.  The overall goal is that developmentally disabled youth in the juvenile justice system will be immediately and effectively identified; will not be detained longer than others because of the lack of available, appropriate community placements; and will be provided with appropriate services and effective supports to successfully transition back to the community and avoid recidivism and violence.  Implementation of the agreement will be monitored through visits to the halls, observation, interviews, and document and data review.  Public Counsel will address problems through written communication with the Chief of Probation and opposing counsel; meeting with them to mediate disputes and develop action plans; accessing the courts as needed; and providing advocacy to individual youth to obtain school or Regional Center services as needed.   Spark Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA $150,000 – 2 years June 2012 Los Angeles has one of the highest high-school dropout rates in the nation.  Spark LA addresses this problem in the middle-school years by re-engaging at-risk students from disadvantaged communities in their education through individualized apprenticeships in their chosen “dream jobs.”  Spark LA taps volunteer resources to create a hands-on apprenticeship experience for each student in a career of their choice at a real workplace.  In parallel with the apprenticeship experience, a Leadership Class at school helps students connect the applied learning from the apprenticeships with their classroom curriculum, demonstrating the importance of their academics and improving classroom motivation.  Spark LA’s goal is to create a total of 650 apprenticeship experiences for low-income Los Angeles students over the next two years.   University of California System Oakland, CA $100,000 – 2 years June 2012 COSMOS is an intensive four-week summer residential program for students with a demonstrated aptitude for academic and professional careers in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields.  Talented and motivated students completing grades 8-12 have the opportunity to work with UC faculty and scientists in state-of-the-art facilities while exploring advanced STEM topics beyond the courses usually offered in California high schools.  Through challenging curriculum that is both hands-on and lab intensive, COSMOS fosters its students’ interests, skills, and awareness of educational and career options in STEM fields.  Students apply to one of the four University of California COSMOS campuses – UC Davis, UC Irvine, UC San Diego and UC Santa Cruz.  The curriculum of each program builds on the teaching and research expertise of the faculty at the host campus.  With W. M. Keck Foundation support, a minimum of 36 low income students from Los Angeles will receive financial assistance enabling them to attend the program over the next two years.   Venice Arts Venice, CA $150,000 – 3 years June 2012 Venice Arts is expanding its Art Mentoring program, offered free-of-charge to low-income youths ages 6-18.  The program primarily reaches families in neighborhoods with high pockets of poverty on Los Angeles’ Westside, although youth from throughout the City may participate.  Currently enrolling 200 youth each year, project goals are to increase the number of youths served in Venice and at partner sites by 30% (to 260); and to prepare more youth for advanced learning and college through a new “Bridge” component, targeting two ends of the student population: middle-school students and their parents, for whom the Bridge offers a structured pathway into the Advanced Studies track; and a small subset of older teens who are recent high school graduates needing continued support as they transition to adulthood.