Grants Available for Improvement Projects

More than $16 million in county grants are available for public and nonprofit agencies to build recreation centers for at-risk youth or senior citizens, prevent graffiti, plant trees, and buy or restore natural lands, rivers and trails.

The competitive grants are funded by two Proposition A bond measures, approved by voters in 1992 and 1996, to improve parks and recreational facilities and buy open space. The county will sponsor a workshop Oct. 8 and 9 to teach people how to apply. The application deadline is Dec. 1.

Projects financed by Proposition A money in the past include tree-planting and graffiti abatement at North Hollywood High School and park improvements in Pacoima, said Curt Robertson, administrator of the Los Angeles County Regional Park and Open Space District.

The grants must be used to pay for capital improvements, such as buying or restoring buildings, not for funding programs, Robertson said. In the case of graffiti prevention, for example, the money could be used to install tiles or paint a mural over a wall that is frequently vandalized, but not to fund a program to remove graffiti.

“We do murals and mosaics and trees and vines planted up against the wall,” said Julia Chambers, a supervisor for the Hollywood Beautification Team, a nonprofit agency that used Proposition A money to prevent graffiti and plant trees this year at 15 San Fernando Valley schools. The group has been awarded more than $1 million in Proposition A funds over the past three years, she said, allowing it to expand services beyond its Hollywood base.

“Now we are able to go into the unincorporated areas. It encourages us to go deeper into the Valley” and other areas, Chambers said. “It’s been phenomenal in allowing us to go further.”

The county grants will be awarded in the following categories: at-risk youth facilities, graffiti prevention, natural land restoration, rivers and streams, senior centers, trail acquisition and urban tree-planting.

For information or to request an application manual, call Maria Soriano at the county Regional Park and Open Space District at (213) 738-2981.