Jewish Community Foundation of Los Angeles Announces Annual Community Grants; $116,000 Awarded to 12 Organizations.

LOS ANGELES -- The Jewish Community Foundation of Los Angeles (The Foundation) today announced it awarded 12 new grants to community organizations to support a wide range of programs, including mental health services for high-risk families, dental care for low-income individuals and services for foster care youth.

"We are proud of The Foundation's longstanding tradition of seeding and sustaining social services and health care initiatives throughout Los Angeles," said Marvin I. Schotland, president and chief executive officer. "There are vast pockets of need that cannot possibly be met at this time by the public sector. Support by our organization to the greater community is more critical -- and immensely gratifying -- than ever and remains a vital part of our mandate."

As the recipient of a two-year grant for $20,000, the Westside Children's Center coordinates the Westside Infant Family Network initiative and is one of six agencies working together to reach at-risk families with children three years or younger. According to Richard Cohen, executive director of the Westside Children's Center, the collaborative effort aims to address the mental health needs of the primary caregiver in order to help ensure responsive parenting and the development of secure family attachments.

"The Foundation's grant is not only important to us as organizations, but to the community," Cohen explained. "There is a tremendous shortage of culturally relevant mental health services for families with very young children. When there are mental health issues that affect children and families, that's when we want to intervene so kids can get the start they need for long-term success."

The Los Angeles Free Clinic, which provides health and human services to the uninsured and working poor, also received a grant. The Clinic, which expects about 3,500 children and adults to make more than 9,000 visits for dental services in 2006, was awarded $10,000 for its dental program.

"There are about three million people without health insurance in Los Angeles and many people without dental insurance. It's wonderful that the Jewish Community Foundation was able to recognize the importance of dental care as part of overall well-being, as well as understand the complex needs of this community," said Abbe Land, co-chief executive officer.

The Foundation also awarded $10,000 to New Ways to Work (NWW) to implement its state-wide Youth Transition Action Team initiative in Los Angeles to prepare foster youth for independence at age 18. Nearly 4,000 foster youth are expected to leave foster care over the next four years in Los Angeles. NWW is partnering with other organizations to provide a range of experiences, including occupational and career training, for foster youth starting at age 12 so that they can deal with the changes that will occur when they reach adulthood.

"We are delighted with the grant as it allows us to increase our efforts to create effective transitions for foster youth by integrating and leveraging existing resources to better serve this population," said Steve Trippe, president and executive director of New Ways to Work.

Additional Awards

Other awards include:

--Children's Institute, $10,000 -- For 60 abused and neglected children to attend bi-weekly meetings that involve play therapy, tutoring and homework assistance, and individual counseling to help them overcome past adverse experiences and build trustworthy relationships with their fathers.

--Downtown Women's Center, $10,000 -- For salary support and a newsletter development training session to enhance the design and distribution of a client-prepared community newsletter and other enrichment activities, including computer instruction, resume writing and job search assistance.

--Inner-City Arts, $10,000 -- For a hands-on arts-based learning program aimed at improving literacy among fourth-, fifth- and sixth-graders in the Los Angeles Unified School District.

--LA's BEST, $6,500 -- For an annual talent show that allows students participating in the organization's after-school enrichment program to creatively express their thoughts about violence in their neighborhoods.

--L.A. Family Housing, $7,000 -- For transitional housing placement and support services for approximately 150 families to prepare them for independent living.

--National Multiple Sclerosis Society, Southern California Chapter, $7,500 -- For the development, printing and distribution of three issues of a bi-lingual newsletter as part of the Latino outreach project.

--Natural Resources Defense Council, $5,000 -- To help develop educational outreach materials and launch a program to certify landscapers and pest control professionals who use safer and non- or least toxic control measures.

--Shelter Partnership Inc., $10,000 -- To distribute donated goods to approximately 200 agencies that serve approximately 100,000 homeless individuals in Los Angeles County.

--Trevor Project Inc., $10,000 -- For a suicide prevention hotline and educational programs that promote tolerance for gay and questioning teens.

About The Foundation

Established in 1954, the Jewish Community Foundation is the largest manager of charitable assets and the leader in planned giving solutions for Greater Los Angeles Jewish philanthropists. The Foundation currently manages assets of more than $590 million and according to the National Foundation Center, ranks among the ten largest Los Angeles foundations (based on assets). In 2005, The Foundation and its 1,000-plus donors distributed $58 million in grants to more than 1,300 organizations with programs that span the range of philanthropic giving.