Michael Colglazier, Disneyland Resort President; Vicki Booth, Ueberroth Family Foundation President and O.C. Community Foundation Chair; Kris Thordarson, Community Service Programs Board President; Hether Benjamin, Community Service Programs Youth Development Programs Director, and Mark Merhab, Angels Baseball Foundation Chairman
ACT Anaheim Announces $2 Million in Support for 14 Local Nonprofits
Second Year of Program Expands Services for At-Risk Anaheim Youth
Anaheim, Calif., June 23, 2015 – Accelerate Change Together for Anaheim (ACT Anaheim), announced $2 million in funding to benefit 14 Orange County nonprofits addressing gaps in services for underserved Anaheim youth. The awards come in the second year of a three-year program.
ACT Anaheim was launched by Disneyland Resort Angels Baseball and the Anaheim Ducks which together committed $3 million to benefit Anaheim youth over three years starting in 2014. The Orange County Community Foundation (OCCF) serves as managing partner and is also an investor in the grant initiative. OCCF brought additional funders to the table in the program’s inaugural year in 2014, including the Ueberroth Family Foundation the Swayne Family Foundation Donnie Crevier and the Tarsadia Foundation. ACT’s second year saw a surge in support from throughout Orange County with new funders including Bank of America Pimco Foundation J. Stanley and Mary W. Johnson Family Foundation, Weingart Foundation Wells Fargo Foundation William and Nancy Thompson Foundation, Opus Bank and Samuel Anderson Family Foundation Fund. In addition, the proceeds of the annual Anaheim State of the City event were directed to benefit ACT. Together these funders have invested $1.8 million for 2015 ACT grants.
Additional funding support came in 2015 from the James Irvine Foundation which is adding $200,000 in capacity-building support for this year’s awardees, bringing the total grants and awards to $2 million for ACT II, an increase of $500,000 from the inaugural program in 2014.
“ACT Anaheim is a groundbreaking collaboration of leaders from the business, community and nonprofit sectors who are committed to serving vulnerable youth and families in Anaheim,” said Shelley Hoss, president of the Orange County Community Foundation. “By engaging a growing base of funders, we have already exceeded the initial three-year, $3 million goal set by the founding partners by delivering a cumulative $3.5 million in ACT’s first two years. This program is driving true impact and building a foundation for lasting change in Anaheim.”
2015 ACT grantees were selected based on their ability to address the specific needs outlined in the 2012 Anaheim Youth Services Assessment ACT II funding supports programs that aim to help youth:
- Be college and career ready
- Be positively engaged in the community
- Have healthy lifestyles
- Parents and other adults have positive relationships with them
Statement on behalf of Disneyland Resort, Anaheim Ducks and Angels Baseball: “As ACT Anaheim continues to evolve, it has been fulfilling to see the ongoing collaboration and progress among the nonprofit organizations and the growing support from funders. We look forward to seeing the long-term impact ACT Anaheim has on the city of Anaheim and its youth.”
About ACT Anaheim
Launched in November 2013, Accelerate Change Together (ACT) Anaheim is an initiative managed by the Orange County Community Foundation dedicated to meeting the needs of youth in Anaheim. With inaugural funding from the Disneyland Resort, Angels Baseball, the Anaheim Ducks and the Orange County Community Foundation, ACT Anaheim aims to provide a targeted philanthropic response to the challenges of serving youth in California’s 10th largest city. To learn more, go to www.oc-cf.org/ACTAnaheim For information on how to become an ACT funding partner email Todd Hanson at thanson@oc-cf.org.
Congratulations to the following recipients:
|
Organization
|
Program
Name |
Description of Planned Activities
|
Funding
Amount |
|
Youth and Teen Outreach Programs
|
Provide low-income youth in Anaheim’s highest-need areas with the ability to participate in YMCA Summer Camp and Youth & Government programs, where they will attend two weekend leadership camps, weekly leadership training and travel to Sacramento to join 2,000 other teens at the Capitol.
|
$93,750
|
|
|
Beyond School Walls, Workplace Mentoring
|
Delivers life-changing programs for vulnerable youth by matching them with mentors who provide academic, social and behavioral support. In addition to their core program, this year’s ACT grant will also support their Beyond School Walls Workplace Mentoring program being conducted in partnership with Anaheim Union High School District.
|
$200,000
|
|
|
EMPOWER program
|
Provides transportation to the Club for at-risk Anaheim youth; provides referrals to intervention programs, and incorporates college and career readiness programming.
|
$125,000
|
|
|
Youth Engagement Initiative
|
As the lead agency for two Family Resource Centers – Anaheim Harbor and Family Oasis – this organization’s Youth Engagement Initiative provides a full array of programs including parent education, family enrichment, after-school homework clubs, computer workshops, domestic violence counseling, support groups and legal assistance.
|
$100,000
|
|
|
Anaheim Gang
Reduction Intervention Partnership (GRIP) |
Works in partnership with the Anaheim Police Department’s Gang Reduction Intervention Partnership (GRIP) to provide case management of youth at risk for gang involvement, truancy, school dropout and juvenile delinquency.
|
$175,000
|
| Girls Incorporated of Orange County |
Anaheim’s FUTURE Collaborative (Fulfilling Underserved Teens’ Unique Requirements through Empowerment)
|
Conducted in partnership with the Orange County Department of Education’s ACCESS program and the City of Anaheim, this program aims to prevent teen pregnancy and reduce gang membership, bullying and violence by helping at‐risk youth set and achieve goals and build trusting relationships with peers and mentors.
|
$200,000 |
| GOALS |
GOALS for Anaheim
|
Support will provide youth satellite modules in distressed neighborhoods to extend the reach of mentoring programs for at-risk youth and will also expand the Cadets Summer of Service project.
|
$175,000 |
| Muckenthaler Cultural Center Foundation |
ACT Arts Program
|
Teens from the Boys & Girls Clubs of Anaheim and libraries in two areas of Anaheim (Central and West) will participate in visual and digital art classes based on exhibitions at the MUZEO and the Muckenthaler. These classes will be tied to field trips to college design programs and careers in digital design.
|
$50,000 |
| Network Anaheim |
Network Anaheim
|
A collaboration including the Anaheim City School District, Anaheim Union High School District, Anaheim Family YMCA, Western Youth Services, and the City of Anaheim to improve the well-being of children and families in Anaheim by transforming the way services are delivered to our most vulnerable residents.
|
$75,000 |
| OC Human Relations |
BRIDGES
|
The BRIDGES Program concentrates on four Anaheim high schools and middle schools in the highest-need areas of Anaheim to integrate Restorative Justice as an alternative to traditional discipline systems.
|
$50,000 |
| Orange County Congregation Community Organization |
Anaheim Civic Youth Participation Program
|
This program aims to build and empower a diverse and active network of youth in Anaheim by providing development opportunities in the areas of leadership, civic education and civic engagement practices.
|
$57,000 |
| Taller San Jose |
Meeting the Needs of Older Youth and Strengthening Families in Anaheim
|
Will expand services to distressed neighborhoods in Anaheim by recruiting and training local youth with skills for expanding their employment and post‐secondary education opportunities. Their Medical Careers and Construction training programs will be offered for the first time through their new location in Anaheim, opening in September 2015.
|
$200,000 |
| Tiger Woods Foundation |
STEM Career Exploration and College Access
|
Through intensive summer programs, Anaheim youth will identify personal career goals, improve school performance, gain STEM job skills, become college ready, and successfully apply to college, supported throughout the process by a network of trained educators, nonprofits, local businesses, mentors and their parents.
|
$100,000 |
| Western Youth Services |
Outreach & Engagement for Mental Health Services
|
Will build on its successful collaboration with Anaheim Achieves, the Anaheim Family YMCA and Anaheim schools. Their ACT grant will fund critical mental health programs which build protective factors and reduce risks for youth through teen circle support groups, education workshops, individual support and case management, and parent education classes.
|
$200,000 |
| TOTAL GRANTED | $1,800,750.00 |
###