SANTA ANA : Latino Group, Schools Win Federal Grants

Federal grants totaling more than $1 million will go to a Latino rights group and the local school district for telecommunications and information projects.

The grants from the U.S. Commerce Department’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration were announced in Washington. They require matching funds, a department spokeswoman said.

The Santa Ana Unified School District won $664,000 toward a $1.3-million project to connect computers at 52 sites, from schools to City Hall, and bring the Internet to an estimated 50,000 lower-income children with limited English-speaking skills.

Hermandad Mexicana Nacional Legal Center was awarded $390,000 for a $781,000 project that involves a mobile kiosk that would provide information by computer on job opportunities and job training.

The Commerce Department received 1,800 grant applications for $36 million. Typically, only one institution in a city receives a grant, Commerce spokeswoman Paige Darden said. “Santa Ana did good,” she said.