First Congregational Church of Pasadena is pleased to offer Outreach Grants up to $25,000 for projects or activities aligned with the congregation’s mission, vision, and core values that benefit children and youth, underserved in access to resources to meet needs, in Pasadena and/or immediately adjoining communities.

Areas of priority for grants benefiting children and youth are the historically and currently underserved and marginalized communities, hunger and homelessness, peace and justice, care for the environment, and advancing economic justice.

Applications for grants are considered in the Fall and must be received on or before the deadline date of September 1, 2024 at 5:00 pm.

OUTREACH MAJOR GRANT APPLICATION

More information may be found in our FAQs.

Questions may be addressed to the Outreach Grants Committee at fccpasadenagrants@gmail.com or with a message left with the church office at (626) 795-0696.

2023 OUTREACH GRANTS – $100,000 AWARDED

artWorks – to purchase equipment and supplies to begin a ceramics program that will be part of the on-site middle school program, a youth class for Learning Works and community students, and a community class for intergenerational learning. Learning Works, a charter school for at-risk, disenfranchised, and in-crisis middle and high school youth and young adults in the Pasadena, created artWorks, a partnership with Armory Center for the Arts, to create opportunities for middle and high school youth to participate in the arts. Ceramics is very therapeutic and a perfect class for youth affected with trauma. 

ArtCenter – for the Designing Dreams Initiative (DDI), led by Roosevelt Brown, in PUSD middle and high schools, consisting of two-part workshops on design’s role in everyday life, the attainability of careers in design, and the training and experiences that resources like ArtCenter and similar schools can provide. In addition, Sneaker Science workshops offer the opportunity to develop new creative skills and hands-on experience as real footwear designers. The Designing Dreams Initiative will help its participants to develop skills such as critical thinking, experimentation, innovation, problem solving, participants through accomplishment, creative self-expression, and respectful cooperation with peers.

Club 21 – in support of general operations and to enhance their educational pathway of programs for individuals with Down syndrome, their families, educators and medical providers and assist Club 21 in expanding this pathway from birth into adulthood. Club 21 enables families to advocate for and maximize the opportunities and services that are available to their child and provides training and resources on a path to lifelong learning, independence/interdependence, communities of belonging, meaningful employment, and live self-determined and fulfilling lives.

Door of Hope – to expand their Homeless Prevention Program designed to ensure that families keep their homes and maintain healthy relationships with their landlords to minimize the risk of future eviction by negotiating back rent payment, halting eviction proceedings, and offering two months rental assistance. In addition, supportive services are offered to families that include case management, financial counseling, and job and career services.

Families Forward Learning Center – in support of their Early Childhood Education and Two-Generation Learning programs. Along with activities and curriculum for children up to 5 years old, Families Forward provides parent education and support, case management, mental health care, and related activities designed to provide parents with the skills and strategies to meet their children’s emotional and developmental needs while building families’ resiliency and wellbeing.

Five Acres – to support the Short-Term Residential Therapeutic Program (STRTP) providing intensive residential treatment for children ages 6-18 who require in-patient care to treat emotional and behavioral health issues related to abuse, neglect, and mental illness. In addition, the grant will help fund care for children ages 6-14, who have just been removed from their families or who have had sudden foster placement disruption, in the Temporary Shelter Care (TSC) program.

Friends In Deed – to expand Friends In Deed’s Street Outreach and Housing Program to provide immediate temporary housing assistance to families in need by providing safe and clean motel rooms while their teams work to identify longer-term solutions to the family’s housing crisis and connections to additional resources.

HEAR Center – to support their Free Hearing Screening Program primarily serving children ages 0-5 at Head Start programs and other sites that serve children from low-income families in Pasadena and immediately adjoining communities. The HEAR Center was founded in 1954 by Ciwa Griffiths, a teacher of the deaf who developed the Auditory Approach: helping hearing-impaired children gain the gift of speech through early identification of hearing loss, amplification with hearing aids, and training in learning to listen and speak. She advocated that there are varying degrees of hearing loss and that the evaluation of hearing ability at an early age is critical to the life of these children. Her approach, initially scoffed at, is now standard practice in the United States and the HEAR Center’s testing and therapy programs are internationally recognized.

Hillsides – for expenses related to client services and supplies in their comprehensive Youth Moving On Program for transition-aged youth 16-25 who are aging out of foster care and/or probation or are disconnected from work, school, and community connections. There are about 400 youth in the program, roughly half are homeless,75% are unemployed, and most share histories of significant trauma or Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), and poverty. The program addresses urgent needs while helping students develop life skills to enable self-sufficiency, independence and well-being.

Planned Parenthood Pasadena and San Gabriel Valley – In support of their Peer Advocates program in which high school students: 1) receive intensive health education and advocacy training and provide health information and resources to hundreds of their peers; 2) conduct a sexual health survey of their classmates, gathering key data around health outcomes for local youth; and 3) create and implement an annual community impact project guided by their research and survey results. The Peer Advocates program has been in existence for almost a decade.

Villa Esperanza Services – to enhance the therapeutic services provided by the Occupational Therapy Clinic and Hjelte-Phillips Speech and Language Center at the Villa Esperanza School by providing funds toward the purchase of equipment such as a multilevel playhouse, octagonal tumblers, weighted balls, games, vocational equipment, craft items, and gardening equipment.

2022 OUTREACH GRANTS – $100,093 AWARDED

AbilityFirst – to support staff and supplies for the after-school program at the Lawrence L. Frank Center in Pasadena, that serves about 55 children and youth who have autism spectrum disorders, Down syndrome, cerebral palsy, and other intellectual/developmental disabilities, most of whom cannot attend traditional after school programs because of their age or particular needs. 

Amigos de los Rios – For a new outdoor nature-based classroom at Octavia E. Butler Magnet in Pasadena, addressing the health of students, academic performance and physical fitness challenges that can be overcome with time spent safely in nature. The school is part of the “Mountains to Sea” Emerald Necklace network of multi-benefit green schools, parks, trails, river greenways, and nature restoration areas.

Door of Hope –In support of the Transitional Housing Program at 2 shelters in Pasadena, for 12-14 families, with funding for a Case Manager and 3 members of the Children and Youth team. Transitional Housing Program provides safe shelter, 3 meals a day, case management, job search support, financial education, therapy, children’s programming, youth mentoring, and housing search support.  

Families Forward Learning Center – to help cover Early Childhood Education and Two-Generation Learning expenses, part of a three-part program that also includes Mental Health and Wellbeing. Along with activities and curriculum for children up to 5 years old, Families Forward provides parent education and support, case management, mental health care, and related activities designed to provide parents with the skills and strategies to meet their children’s emotional and developmental needs while building families’ resiliency and wellbeing. Participation in the program is free and 100% of those served are low income. 

Five Acres – to support 70 children in the Short-Term Residential Therapeutic Program (STRTP) providing intensive residential treatment for children ages 6-18 who require in-patient care to treat emotional and behavioral health issues related to abuse, neglect, and mental illness. In addition, the grant will help fund care for 300-350 children ages 6-14, who have just been removed from their families or who have had sudden foster placement disruption, in the Temporary Shelter Care (TSC) program. 

Hillsides – for client services and supplies in their comprehensive Youth Moving On Program for about 400 youth transition-aged youth 16-25 who are aging out of foster care and/or probation or are disconnected from work, school, and community connections. The program addresses urgent needs while helping students develop life skills to enable self-sufficiency, independence and well-being. 

Villa Esperanza Services – for a media center with iPads, a mobile charging cart, and apps along with new books for the library at Villa Esperanza School. The school provides comprehensive educational program and specialized support services for 75 children and youth, ages 5-22 with moderate to severe intellectual/developmental disabilities. 

Young & Healthy – to help fund a Project Coordinator in the development of a Critical Incident Debriefing Protocol to help local schools, nonprofit agencies, community groups, and first responders to immediately address and mitigate the negative effects of violence, traumatic events and toxic stress upon children and families. The goal is to establish a “Handle with Care” program that enables law enforcement agencies and first responders to communicate directly with schools when they encounter a child at a traumatic scene, so that trauma-sensitive support can be provided to children, families, and caregivers right away. 

One Small Grant to Root Cause Yoga to support seven classes for underserved individuals in line with our congregation’s mission and values - Children and Youth, the Educationally Underserved, Economic Justice (Women-owned businesses), Peace and Justice, the Environment, LGBT+ Community, Hunger and Homelessness.

2021 Outreach Grants - $127,914 AWARDED

AbilityFirst – for the after-school program at the Lawrence L. Frank Center in Pasadena, that serves about 50 children and youth who have autism spectrum disorders, Down syndrome, cerebral palsy, and other intellectual/developmental disabilities, most of whom cannot attend traditional after school programs because of their age or particular needs.

ArtCenter – for the ArtCenter IxD @ The App Academy at Pasadena High School that builds upon previous faculty residences at the school. The immediate goal is to equip students with advanced design knowledge and visual literacy that will enable creation of a more elegant and effective user experience as they develop apps and develop skills such as critical thinking, experimentation, innovation, problem solving, communication, and collaboration. The program will introduce students to leaders in the Interaction Design field, introduce them to ArtCenter’s Extension programs, promote college readiness, and help prepare students for creative and financially rewarding careers.

Boys & Girls Club – in support of their Project Learn program designed to expose children to skills and information needed for school success and school-Club-family partnerships to support youth academically. The children served are primarily low to moderate income, many from single-parent households and 76% qualify for free or reduced lunch at school.

Club 21 Learning and Resource Center – expanding their Educational Partnership Program to add a Transition track for families with a child with Down syndrome 16 years old and up needing to create a transition plan. Club 21 is also adding to its Club 21 Scholars program for Pasadena high school students, learning about how disability, race, education, and family systems impact the life of someone with a disability. The students also learn about the issues that impact families and educators who serve individuals with disabilities, and how issues of racial and social justice intersect with their own identities and those of the Club 21 community.

Five Acres – for their Residential Services Medical Assistance Fund that supports medical supplies, equipment and specialized services, that are not covered by Medi-Cal insurance or other sources. Five Acres is dedicated to the prevention and treatment of abuse, neglect and mental illness in foster children, those at risk for removal from their families, and their immediate family members. 

Flintridge Center – for support of their Youth of Promise after school lounge, part of a youth development program serving youth, primarily 11-18, at high-risk of justice involvement and provides alternatives to arrest and incarceration for youth who come into contact with law enforcement, along with family engagement programs to strengthen families of the youth, with the overarching goal of breaking the cycle of poverty and violence in the community.

Planned Parenthood Pasadena and San Gabriel Valley – for their Peer Advocates program where high school students receive intensive health education and college-level advocacy training and go on to provide sex education and health resources to hundreds of their peers, in addition to conducting a sexual health survey of their classmates and gathering key data around health outcomes for local youth.

Rose Bowl Aquatics Center – for the Water Safety/Learn-to-Swim Program that aims to provide third-grade students in elementary schools in Pasadena Unified School District (PUSD) with 15, 45-minute-long swim lesson. Paused during the pandemic, The Rose Bowl Aquatics Center is committed to restarting the Water Safety/Learn-to-Swim Program in the Winter/Spring semester of 2022 with the participation of 500 students. 

Villa Esperanza Services – for the Villa Esperanza School, which provides a comprehensive educational program and specialized support services for 86 children, ages 5-22 with moderate to severe intellectual/developmental disabilities. Grant funds may be used for expenses not covered by government contracts such as supplies, equipment, therapy materials, or other critical school expenses.

Young & Healthy – to help establish a Volunteer Income Tax Assistance site at the Young & Healthy office in Northwest Pasadena. The project promotes economic justice as it affects community health and wellbeing, helping families to file for an Earned Income Tax Credit for support of their children. The VITA site on the Young & Healthy campus will also serve as an introduction to the many other benefits offered by the organization.

Small Grants – to four families and one to Public Works’ Learning Works School for assistance during the pandemic.

2020 Outreach Grants - $72,000 AWARDED

Boys and Girls Club of Pasadena, in support of their “Project Learn" program designed to expose children to skills and information needed for school success, “Power Hour” structured homework, individual and small-group tutoring, high-yield learning activities, and school-Club-family partnerships to support youth academically. The children served are primarily low to moderate income, many from single-parent households and 85% qualify for free or reduced lunch at school. The Boys and Girls Club of Pasadena also received a grant in 2019. 

Peer Advocates, a peer support program and health education initiative through Planned Parenthood Pasadena and San Gabriel Valley that improves health outcomes and empowers educationally underserved youth in Pasadena, Altadena and the surrounding communities. Peer Advocates is a yearlong, student-driven seminar in which educators and staff experts provide intensive health education and college-level advocacy training to a cohort of local high school students. These students go on to provide sex education and health resources to hundreds of their peers, in addition to conducting a far-reaching sexual health survey of their classmates, gathering key data around health outcomes for local youth.

San Gabriel Valley LGBTQ Center, in support of its “Grow, Connect, Prepare” program. The San Gabriel Valley LGBTQ Center, originally known as the Pasadena Pride Center, seeks  to further develop and to grow awareness of its programs;  to add speech-to-text capability so that every attendee in its virtual meetings can connect; and to prepare a Peer Support Group Training Guide to equip its Peer Facilitators  so they are better connected to resources and can better serve the community, particularly those exhibiting signs of social isolation and loneliness.  The LGBTQ Center currently offers a weekly Youth Peer Support Group, “Connecting with Pride.”

Kid-Fit Preschool Health and Fitness Organization to be able to offer its program to low-income children at Tiny World Preschool l in Pasadena and, during the pandemic to a wider constituency online.

Young & Healthy to purchase essential elements of pandemic relief supplies to supplement those obtained through donation, for distribution to local families in need and severely impacted by COVID-19, as identified through the COVID testing process and their own in-house Case Management staff. Young & Healthy’s target population is comprised of the children of uninsured or underserved low-income families in Pasadena and its neighboring communities, ranging in age from infancy to young adulthood.

Thirty small grants to families struggling to cover basic expenses during the pandemic.

2019 Awarded Outreach Grants - $100,000 awarded

Armory Center for the Arts, for high-quality arts programming in Northwest Pasadena, Lamanda Park, and other diverse neighborhoods in Pasadena. Most of the young people who participate in the Armory's community-based programs attend Title I schools that have high percentages of students with special needs and/or learning disabilities; and offer little or no in-school arts programming. Support would help serve more than 1,000 children and teens through weekly 90-minute art courses and engage up to 2,000 Pasadena residents in 30 one-day intergenerational artmaking workshops.

Boys and Girls Club of Pasadena, in support of their “Project Learn" program designed to expose children to skills and information needed for school success, and school-Club-family partnerships to support youth academically. The children served are primarily low to moderate income, many from single-parent households and over 2/3 qualify for free or reduced lunch at school. 

Club 21 Learning and Resource Center, which works to provide students with Down syndrome, their parents and their teachers the skills needed for a successful inclusive learning environment and to be fully included in classrooms with their typical peers. 

Fifty Fifty Leadership, in support of their “Money 101” program for at young women (primarily, though some young men are also served) who are transitioning out of foster care and others who have traumatic and adverse situations such as homelessness, incarceration, and domestic violence, with the aim of providing skills and knowledge to be financially self-sufficient and to help avoid the risks of debt, mental ill-health, drugs, homelessness and crime.

Flintridge Center, in support of their “Youth of Promise" a youth development program serving youth exiting the justice system or at high-risk of justice involvement and their family engagement programs with the overarching goal of breaking the cycle of poverty and violence in the community.

Hillsides, to further their "Youth Moving On Culinary Apprenticeship Program" serving youth exiting the foster care or probationary system and providing transferable job and life-skill training, as well as continued mentorship and support necessary to overcome workforce barriers. Many of the children are homeless and 76% are unemployed.

Immigrant Family Support - five month’s direct support, with the Neighborhood Church on Orange Grove, to a woman and her four children who came from Honduras in the caravan at our border and resettled in Pasadena.

Jackson Elementary Dual Language STEM Science Camp on Catalina Island that made it possible for 15 fifth grade students to attend who otherwise would have had to skip the trip due to a lack of funding.