SANTA ANA : Coalition Receives Grant of $75,000
Santa Ana 2000, a community coalition made up of business people and school and city officials, has been awarded a $75,000 grant from the Danforth Foundation, a national education philanthropic organization.
The coalition began meeting two years ago in an attempt to use its combined resources to try and tackle some of Santa Ana’s worst problems, including gangs, drugs, a high student-dropout rate and inadequate child care.
The grant, one of seven awarded nationally, will enable the group to hire an early childhood education coordinator, a youth employment and training project coordinator and a part-time Santa Ana 2000 project coordinator.
Santa Ana 2000 partners will also pay for a portion of the salaries and benefits for the positions, said Sid Gardner, coalition consultant.
“There were almost 1,000 applicants, so we are pleased and proud to have been chosen,” Gardner said. “I think they recognized that there aren’t many coalitions in the country that bring together all the agencies to work on the problems of students.”
An installment of $40,000 has already been awarded to Santa Ana 2000; the second installment of $35,000 will arrive May 31.
The coalition consists of representatives from the school district, the city of Santa Ana, Rancho Santiago College, the Greater Santa Ana Chamber of Commerce and the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
