AHF Commits $1 Million for Homeless and Workforce Housing Project
Large Cities Housing Fund

AHF has committed up to $1 million in a Program Related Investment in San Diego, sponsored by Community Solutions (CS) as part of its Large Cities Housing Fund which recently announced securing $135 million to close out the Fund. AHF’s commitment represents a targeted investment for San Diego. AHF was joined in this impact investment by partner BQuest Foundation which also committed up to $1 million for a San Diego project. We hope to announce more news of this project soon.

 

MISSION SUPPORT GRANTEE SPOTLIGHTS

 

Celebrating All Our Grantees / Diversity of Services to Community

Nonprofits play a crucial role in our community by addressing a wide range of societal needs that are often underserved or unmet by government or industry. Through Alliance’s various funding programs, we aim to support as much diversity of service and population in San Diego as we can with our available resources. We support and celebrate organizations doing good work in the following areas:

• Basic needs (essential services like food, clothing, housing and access to healthcare)
• Community development
• Social justice
• Pilot programs (guaranteed basic income)
• Job creation (Community Health Workers)
• Economic impact
• Public awareness (behavioral and mental health)
• Crisis management (recent San Diego floods, migrant support)

We always love to acknowledge and appreciate what nonprofits do for our community. And, National Nonprofit Day, which occurred earlier this month, is a great excuse to double down. Thank you to all our partners for your tireless efforts in the community including, advocating for change and contributing to the overall well-being of our communities.

National Immunization Awareness Month / Champions for Health

Aimed at improving community health and wellness, including access to care for all, and support for physicians through engaged volunteerism, immunizations are a long-standing part of the services Champions for Health provides. Recently:

Champions for Health presented two Immunization posters at the National Immunization Conference in Atlanta on Aug 12-14, 2024. One was about their mobile vaccination program to reach school children and seniors. The second was about their Healthy Babies San Diego Community Pilot Program that addresses disparities in infant immunization. This awareness campaign resulted in 24.4M in paid media impressions and reached 5,000 new parents in underserved communities, along with engaging 4,600 physicians.

Casino Night fundraiser, scheduled for September 28, will help raise money for Champion of Health’s Project Access San Diego and Immunization Program. Funds raised will support their long history of success, including serving 9,300+ uninsured patients through the provision of 29,000 free consultations and more than 2,000 free surgeries, totally $27 million in pro-bono medical services.

Celebrating Our Youth / Mid City CAN

Mid-City CAN is a community-based organization located in City Heights that focuses on improving transportation, developing youth into leaders, advocating for juvenile justice, getting residents engaged, and building community power. Among all its work, we are highlighting two programs this month:

The Youth Opportunity Pass (YOP) program in San Diego, facilitated by Mid-City CAN and supported by SANDAG and the County of San Diego, continues to be an essential initiative providing free public transportation to youth aged 18 and under. This program allows young people to use the PRONTO app or card to access unlimited rides on MTS buses, trolleys, and North County Transit District services like the Coaster and Sprinter.

Initiated in 2022, the program has been extended through June 30, 2026, reflecting its success and high demand. As of May 2024, the program has provided more than 11 million rides countywide since its launch, highlighting its impact on improving transportation equity and reducing financial burdens on families. The initiative has also been recognized for helping youth access education, work, and recreational activities, contributing to a more connected and equitable community.

Recently, their Youth Council hosted a free Artivism Exhibition on August 10 to celebrate the creativity and talent of youth. The youth filmed, took photos, recorded audio, edited, and produced the installation to screen their short films.

National Senior Citizens Day (Aug 21) / Serving Seniors and Advocacy Efforts

Serving Seniors provides nutrition, housing, health and social services, along with enrichment activities and advocacy to approximately 9,500 older adult clients annually, 20% of whom are homeless.

As an advocate for housing assistance for older adults, Serving Seniors communicates often with civic leaders including the San Diego County Board of Supervisors and San Diego City Council to establish pilot programs providing shallow rental subsidies to qualified older adults to establish the viability of this approach.

Such a pilot launched in early 2023 and has now been extended by San Diego County Department of Homeless Solutions and Equitable Communities’ program. The new program will support 160 older adults by providing at-risk San Diego County residents over 55-years-old with a $500 monthly rental subsidy for 18 months. The money will go directly to participants’ landlords.

The shallow rental subsidy approach prevents homelessness instead of chasing solutions after the fact. This approach provides a more humane solution – and it saves money. Cost saving estimates provided by County staff for emergency shelter operating costs including services range between $2,500 to $6,000 per month depending on the type of services offered.

 

FUNDING OPPORTUNITY

County Funding Opportunity / Equity Impact Grant – 2nd Round (Applications due August 23)

The County of San Diego is piloting a new Equity Impact Grant (EIG) program in partnership with The Nonprofit Institute at the University of San Diego (NPI) to address community feedback about the challenges that small, grassroots organizations led by people of color experience when applying for government contracts and philanthropic funding.

Each cycle, the EIG program will support 10 qualified San Diego-based social impact organizations/initiatives with $100,000 in general operating support grants.  Throughout the year-long grant period, NPI will provide tailored coaching and resources such as workshops on leadership, nonprofit governance, organizational resiliency and more. This second cycle of EIG applications closes August 23.

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