Temporary Changes to Our Southern California Grantmaking
We are temporarily redirecting our Southern California grantmaking.
1. We are suspending applications for new projects so that we can assist the Southern California community more quickly. Rather, by invitation only, we will accept abbreviated applications by May 1 for COVID-19 emergency relief efforts. We will conduct a shortened review process and award grants that we expect to total approximately $2 million in June 2020.
We plan to return to our regular grant application process for our November 1 deadline. We recognize that some of you have started, or even finished, your May 1 applications under our regular system. We will hold them for review with our other November 1 applications for our June 2021 cycle. Also, our Staff plans regular consultations starting July 1 on our usual schedule.
2. We have made grants of $500,000 each to the City of Los Angeles’ L.A. Emergency COVID-19 Crisis Fund and the Los Angeles County Office of Education’s COVID-19 Education Response through the California Community Foundation.
3. We are revising the terms of grants with funds remaining so that organizations can flexibly respond to the populations they serve. These total up to $3 million for local relief efforts. We are pleased that first responders, social service organizations, and schools are among these grantees. For example, the Los Angeles Fire Department is using $260,000 for N-95 masks and other equipment for first responders and victims.
4. Those full proposals in our Southern California grant program submitted earlier this year will be considered at our regularly scheduled June Board meeting. We thank those applicants for their time these past several weeks as we have conducted virtual site visits.
No Change to Our Medical Research and Science and Engineering Grantmaking
We will continue our regular schedule for research grants with applications due May 1 and November 1. While we will balance our special Southern California COVID-19 grants with our research grants, we do believe now more than ever the scientific research community must continue to explore high risk, high impact issues.