The Anaheim Community Foundation (ACF) announced the launch of a new fund last fall thanks to seed funding made available by the Samueli Foundation followed by a request for proposals from non-profit service agencies for the newly established Anaheim Community Impact Grant (ACIG). The purpose of the fund is to bolster and enhance the efforts of the City of Anaheim by bringing additional supportive services to seven established community hubs  found throughout the city.

“This new grant funding opportunity is like no other funding process we’ve been involved in. The opportunity to participate in this grant funding process of identifying the highest needs of our residents and pairing these with the resources available in the community has been a true cross-collaboration effort. The Anaheim Community Services Department team is very appreciative of the Anaheim Community Foundation for bridging this relationship with the Samueli Foundation to further our mission of meeting the needs of our community.” Joe Perez, City of Anaheim Community Services Superintendent.

            This is not the first investment made by the Samueli Foundation with the ACF. Last year the foundation made a commitment to Anaheim by supporting the ACF’s strategic plan by providing $200,000 in operational support; along with $25,000 in support of the Helping Hands grant program. In addition, given the proximity of the Anaheim Ducks and Honda Center, the Samueli Foundation was able to lean on its private sector resources and partner with the ACF on a shared office space concept, now called “The Hive”; home to 15 nonprofit organizations all serving the city of Anaheim.

“On behalf of the ACF Board of Directors, we thank the Samueli Foundation for being a preeminent partner in our collaborative impact,” said ACF Board Chair, Ed Munson. “Beyond financial resources, the Samueli Foundation also has brought guidance and expertise, which has deeply enriched ACF’s brand and our mission to build community through people, partnerships and pride.” 

            Resources and connections are just a few of the perks that come along with funding made by the Samueli Foundation. The biggest resource is their time! In May of last year, the foundation added to their team and hired Victoria Torres, Director of Community Impact, with the sole focus of serving Anaheim. A nonprofit capacity builder, and Anaheim native, Victoria quickly teamed up with John Guastaferro, Executive Director of the ACF, to see how she could further support the ACF and meet the needs of her hometown.

“There is no greater joy than being able to serve the community you grew up in. Building up The Hive and working with the nonprofits serving our schools and residents is just a piece of the puzzle. Learning about the goals of the city through the lens of the community foundation has been key to understanding how we as a funder can make a sustainable impact. That’s how the Anaheim Community Impact Grant was created,” Victoria Torres, Sameuli Foundation. 

The ACF and Samueli Foundation want to thank the 34 nonprofit agencies who submitted proposals last fall. The following 11 nonprofit agencies were selected for the ACIG 2020 funding cycle, totaling $150,000 dispersed throughout, to support programming at the 7 identified community hubs.

West Anaheim Youth Center – The Muckenthaler Cultural Center 

  • Currently the West Anaheim Youth Center receives a high volume of youth in the afternoon for after school programming and teen services. However, between the hours of 9am-2pm, the City desires to engage the growing population of seniors near the area. The Muck will begin offering weekly arts classes and programming to seniors in March and will run year-round.

Brookhurst Community Center – Pure Game and MomsOC

  • The intention for Brookhurst Community Center is to engage youth and families to better assist the needs that are arising in the area. Pure Game and MomsOC, will partner with the City’s S.T.A.R.S and Project Support Anaheim’s Youth (SAY) youth leadership program, to serve both existing and new families to the community center.  The concept is to engage youth through the fun sport of soccer (Pure Game) and follow up with educational workshops and trainings (MomsOC) to help support moms and dads in the community. 

Central Library – Child Creativity Lab

  • The library is excited to partner with a subject matter expert like Child Creativity Lab to enhance their S.T.E.A.M. (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math) programming by developing new curriculum to enhance their existing S.T.E.A.M. kits. Once completed, each kit will be accessible at the library for different grade levels and has the potential to be scaled up for use by other libraries in the city. 

Ponderosa Park Family Resource Center – Community Action Partnership of Orange County

  • CAP OC will offer their Economic Empowerment Program, “Your Money, Your Goals” (YMYG) to help empower and educate low-income individuals, families and teens to reach financial goals and improve their family stability.

Sunkist Library – The Muckenthaler Cultural Center, Public Law Center & Project S.A.Y.

  • The Muckenthaler will expand their arts and culture programming at Sunkist Library as well, starting in March; along with various information seminars hosted by Public Law Center. In addition, through the request for proposal process, the library was also connected to the community development team at Microsoft and have plans to bring monthly trainings on computer skills and technology to senior citizens, FREE of charge!  This unique and exciting program will help bridge the multi-generational gap by partnering youth from the City of Anaheim’s Project S.A.Y. Youth Leadership Program with senior citizens to educate and assist them in learning how to use new technology in their daily life.  Microsoft will provide the training and Project S.A.Y. youth will earn community service hours and a stipend for their time and effort.

Miraloma Park Family Resource Center – The Priority Center & O.M.I.D Institute

  • The Priority Center and O.M.I.D Institute are teaming up to provide mental health and case management services to the residents surrounding the Miraloma Park FRC. The Priority Center will be providing weekly educational workshops from their School Readiness program and serve as a referral provider to O.M.I.D Institute for counseling and supportive services to clients living in and around the Park Lane neighborhood that flanks the Miraloma Park FRC. 

Oak Canyon Nature Center (OCNC) – Inside the Outdoors

  • Did you know Anaheim has a nature center? In the far east portion of the city, tucked away in the hills of Anaheim, is a beautiful piece of land just waiting for everyone to enjoy. Inside the Outdoors aims to increase attendance at the OCNC throughout the year through their established partnerships with local schools through their subject matter expertise in providing curriculum-based educational experiences that will foster development.

All Community Hubs – Love Anaheim

  • In addition to the seven selected organizations, Love Anaheim was also selected as a funding recipient with the intention of providing volunteer support and coordination to all 7 community hubs. As a component of programming, each community hub is encouraged to create community service based projects and opportunities as an opportunity to give back to their community and involve external stakeholders to garner greater community support.

We look forward to the year of programming ahead!  Follow the Anaheim Community Foundation, Samueli Foundation, the City of Anaheim Community Services Department and all the grantees listed above for more updates and stories of impact throughout the year.