$2.59 Million Awarded to 20 Nonprofit Organizations to

Los Angeles, July 18, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The public-private partnership between L.A. County Probation, Liberty Hill Foundation and the California Community Foundation has awarded $2.59 million to 20 L.A. based nonprofits providing community-based youth development services. The initiative is called Ready to Rise: Expanding Opportunities for All L.A. County Youth.

“L.A. County Probation is proud of this partnership and our financial contribution to grow programs proven to successfully prevent youth from entering the juvenile justice system, while cutting the recidivism rates of those who have,” said Chief Deputy Probation Officer Sheila Mitchell who oversees Juvenile Operations for L.A. County, which includes juvenile halls, residential treatment camps and Deputy Probation Officers. “This continues Probation’s goal to be the nation’s leader in demonstrating how a community-based model focused on prevention and treatment decreases the number of youth incarcerated and improves the likelihood of youth to earn degrees, become employed and not enter the justice system as an adult.”

This collaboration will expand opportunities and resources for programs that keep youth out of the criminal justice system and help those in the system successfully transition back into the community.

“The traditional response to youth crime has included arrest, incarceration and probation. These approaches have not acknowledged the high needs of many of our youth, “said Antonia Hernández, President and CEO of the California Community Foundation. “Young people who have already experienced the debilitating effects of poverty and prejudice need a system that works upstream to focus on their unmet needs and develop them through a positive, whole child framework.”

Ready to Rise grantees will receive funding for a variety of program activities focused on arts, wellness, educational attainment, leadership, workforce development, mentorship, youth organizing and other engagement areas. These grantees share a focus on multiple aspects of youth development – academic, identity, socio-emotional, physical health, mental wellness and others – which will be integrated into their services.

The partnership is fostering a full spectrum of services—a whole child approach—while recognizing nonprofits can also benefit from training and support that will build their own programmatic and organizational effectiveness. All grantees of this program will receive capacity building support, including coaching and cohort-based training. Additionally, the services made available via this collaboration will be provided within the youths’ own communities thus making it easier for them to access.

“This is about building the nation’s largest youth development system starting with the organizations that serve our highest need youth, and ensuring these organizations have the means to secure their own futures in the process,” said Shane Murphy Goldsmith, President and CEO of the Liberty Hill Foundation. “With this new partnership, Los Angeles County stands together with youth and their families, on their terms, so that all youth have the chance to live up to their full potential.”

Following a rigorous and inclusive review process, that included community leaders with youth development backgrounds, nonprofits were awarded 1-year grants. Awards ranged from $50,000 to $150,000.

These grants will accelerate impact in targeted communities, mobilize resources and promote what works, all with the goal of transforming educational, personal and professional outcomes for young people, as well as vastly decreasing youth interactions with the justice system. As a cohort of organizations, grant recipients will represent a growing asset-based youth developmental system that unlocks opportunity for vulnerable young adults in L.A. County.
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Ready to Rise Grantees:

$2.59 Million Awarded to 20 Nonprofit Organizations to Provide Community-Based Youth Development Services

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