Kaiser Permanente has provided 15 nonprofit organizations serving the Watts community with more than $1 million in community health grants and technical assistance aimed at improving the health and well-being of residents.
Kaiser Permanente has a long history of supporting the Watts community. Since 1967, the Kaiser Permanente Watts Counseling and Learning Center has provided counseling, educational therapy, preschool education and other services to the residents of Watts and surrounding areas.
In February, Kaiser Permanente celebrated the opening of the newly expanded Watts Counseling and Learning Center with a new Watts Medical Office built on the same campus to serve members closer to home. These new facilities demonstrate Kaiser Permanente’s ongoing commitment to serving the Watts community.
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The Watts grant initiative builds upon Kaiser Permanente’s legacy of deep community engagement and investment in the Watts community. The simplified grant-awarding process enabled organizations that have not been able to secure grants in the past to gain access to much-needed funding.
“At Kaiser Permanente, we believe health starts in the community,” said John Yamamoto, vice president of Community Health and Government Relations. “In addition to our investment in healthcare services and education, these grants are intended to strengthen community organizations that provide vital services and help build a healthier community.”
In partnership with Community Partners, a Los Angeles based nonprofit focused on supporting the capacity of smaller nonprofits to serve their communities, Kaiser Permanente co-designed a community-centered, equity-focused grant initiative that will enable the 15 funded nonprofits to continue their important work to improve the health, well-being and quality-of-life in Watts.
This will also address long standing health inequities impacting residents living in Watts and surrounding communities. The funds will allow these organizations to do what they do best, which is to deliver on their missions to meet ongoing and emergent social health needs.
Said James Breedlove, executive director of Bridge Builders Foundation, funded under the initiative: “Unfortunately, in many communities of color, the desire to participate exceeds the existing capacity. The support from Kaiser Permanente allows us to commit to expanding our programs and services to additional students. The ability to expose and inspire Black and LatinX youth to people and places they would not otherwise have access to increases their sense of belonging, agency, and resilience. We thank Kaiser Permanente for their commitment to under-resourced communities.”
The following is a list of organizations funded under this initiative that provide essential social services to residents:
$50,000 grant: Think Watts Foundation, Bridge Builders Foundation, The Reverence Project, The AMAAD Institute, Sisters of Watts, Women of Watts and Beyond, Watts Community Core, Watts360 Foundation, Friends At Mafundi, Chosen Angels Inc.,
The AC Care Alliance, Watts/Century Latino Organization and Watts Gang Task Force.
$10,000 grant: East Side Riders Bike Club and Boys 2 Gentlemen.
“Thanks to the generous $50,000 grant from Kaiser Permanente, Watts/Century Latino Organization will be able to both put on new programming to help the residents of Watts and build capacity within the organization to support said programming,” said Autumn Ybarra, executive director. “Though Latino in name, we serve all residents and with the help of Kaiser Permanente, we hope to bridge the divides that cause unrest and unease here in Watts while serving the needs of all the people who live here.”
Trevino Cochran, regional director of AC Care Alliance Advanced Illness Care Program, noted: “With the help of The Watts Impact Grant from Kaiser Permanente, we can continue supporting participants living in the Watts and surrounding communities. We can empower and give hope to individuals who are historically underserved, uninformed and unaware of the power of their voice.”
And Rita Cofield, interim executive director of Friends At Mafundi noted: “Overall, our grant will help sustain and enrich the cultural fabric of Watts, fostering a sense of pride and unity among its residents and returning the Watts Happening Cultural Center to one of the most prominent cultural arts centers in Los Angeles – a gathering place and outlet for healthy expression for local artists, writers, musicians, filmmakers, poets and community organizations to be led by artists for artists.”
More information about Kaiser Permanente Community Health in Southern California is available here.
