Foundation to Boost After School Programs Through Grants to Middle Schools

PALO ALTO – As the state of California gears up to fund after school programs through Proposition 49, the Lucile Packard Foundation for Children’s Health is stepping up to help 22 local middle schools apply for the funding.

The foundation’s board of directors has approved more than $1.1 million in grants to 11 nonprofit organizations that serve children in Santa Clara and San Mateo counties, the foundation announced today. Of the funding, $52,000 is for technical assistance and grant-writing support to help local schools apply for money available through Proposition 49.

The 2002 California ballot measure will provide $550 million for after school safety and education programs. Funding for the measure is expected to kick in this year.

“Quality after school programs are so important for children,” said Sharon Keating-Beauregard, vice president and director of community programs and grants at the foundation. “We are pleased that our grant to 22 Santa Clara County middle schools may help them secure $3.3 million in Proposition 49 after school dollars.”

The foundation, which makes grants twice each year, supports programs in two focus areas: protecting children ages 0-5 from injury, with an emphasis on preventing abuse and neglect; and promoting behavioral and emotional health in preteens, ages 9-13.

This cycle’s grants range from $52,000 to $168,000 over one to two years. Of the 11 grantees, four previously have received funding from the foundation.

Grants in Santa Clara County

Six of the grants, totaling $575,000, were awarded to organizations in Santa Clara County, which has a child population of about 440,000.

Asian Americans for Community Involvement: $120,000 over two years to provide a year-round, after-school program for preteens, ages 10 to 13, living at El Rancho Verde Preservation Apartments in east San Jose.

Grail Family Services: $168,000 over two years for Birth and Beyond, a support program for families with young children in east San Jose offering services ranging from parent education to early literacy.

O’Connor Hospital: $55,000 for Children at Risk of Neglect or Abuse, a program at the hospital’s Pediatric Center for Life clinic that, in an effort to reduce the risk of child maltreatment, counsels families with children ages 0 to 5 and refers them to support services in the community.

Monterey County Office of Education: $52,000 for the Region V Healthy Start and After School Partnership Program, to fund technical assistance and grant-writing support to help 22 middle schools in Santa Clara County secure $3.3 million in Proposition 49 funding.

Superior Court of California, County of Santa Clara: $100,000 for the Unified Family Court Child Protection Project, a collaboration between the court, attorneys and social workers to prevent child abuse and neglect in families in the judicial system.

The Unity Care Group: $80,000 to support HipHop 360, an after school creative arts curriculum, and WhyTry, an in-school program focusing on life skills. Both programs serve middle school students in the Alum Rock School District and preteens living in foster group homes in east San Jose.

Grants in San Mateo County

Four of the grants, totaling $420,000, were awarded to organizations in San Mateo County, which has a child population of about 165,000.

Redwood City: $150,000 over two years to expand services at Family Support Resource Centers to include families identified as at risk of abuse and neglect. The program is an element of the state-directed child welfare redesign, called Differential Response, which aims to improve how county child welfare agencies respond to child abuse reports.

Community Overcoming Relationship Abuse: $95,000 for the Family Violence Prevention and Intervention Program, which helps victims of domestic violence and their children find services to prevent future violence in their homes.

Peninsula Family YMCA: $100,000 for support of the Moonridge and Main Street Enrichment Programs, which are after-school and summer youth programs for preteens at public housing developments in Half Moon Bay.

Ravenswood Family Health Center: $75,000 over two years for the Child Abuse and Injury Prevention Program, a pre- and post-natal education curriculum for parents.

One grant was awarded to a program serving children in both San Mateo and Santa Clara counties.

Sports4Kids: $125,000 for its South Bay Expansion, which will bring a full-day sports program — taught from a youth development perspective — to 12 elementary schools in San Jose, Redwood City and East Palo Alto.

Funds for the grants program come from the foundation’s endowment and a partnership grant from The David and Lucile Packard Foundation. Since December 2000, the foundation has awarded 315 grants, totaling $27,267,106, to 164 different nonprofit organizations.

The foundation is a public charity whose mission is to “promote, protect and sustain the physical, mental, emotional and behavioral health of children.” For more information about the foundation’s community grantmaking program, call (650) 736-0676, or visit http://www.lpfch.org/grantmaking