21st Century Solutions Award Winners Announced

The Second Annual 21st Century Solutions Program Awards Innovative Social Projects

SAN JOSE, CA- NBC Bay Area, in partnership with The NBCUniversal Foundation, today announced $100,000 in grants for three local non-profit organizations.

In its second year, the 21st Century Solutions grant program recognizes and supports innovative, high-impact initiatives in the areas of Civic Engagement, Education, Environment, Jobs and Economic Empowerment, Media Arts and Technology.

21st Century Solutions awards $1.2 million nationwide in the 10 markets served by the NBCUniversal Owned Television Stations. One winning organization and two runners-up are selected in each city. 
NBC Bay Area promoted the initiative locally and created a panel to review and select the final grant recipients.

“We’re excited to announce our three recipients that are reshaping how we address some of the Bay Area’s toughest challenges,” said Rich Cerussi, NBC Bay Area President and General Manager. “We had an outstanding group of applicants this year and we wish them all success in accomplishing their program goals.”

The Bay Area recipients include CreaTV San Jose, which will receive $50,000, and runners-up Silicon Valley Children’s Fund and Mission Graduates, which will receive $25,000 each. 

CreaTV San Jose has been awarded $50,000 for their Media Access Program (MAP) which helps primarily underserved youth learn through digital media projects. In 2011, CreaTV launched MAP placing $500,000 worth of digital media equipment in 17 San Jose schools. With the media equipment students learn how to produce videos, tell stories and become more confident individuals by sharing their perspectives with the community. In its first two-year cycle, the program has impacted more than 9,600 San Jose youth. This year MAP is looking to innovate further - adding ongoing curriculum support to the program to double or triple the outcomes by helping teachers use digital media in more lesson plans.

The Silicon Valley Children’s fund will receive $25,000 for their innovative program R.I.S.E. (Relationships Inspiring Scholar Excellence) developed to assist foster youth in adjusting to the academic demands of college by providing them with social and emotional support in addition to the scholarships needed  to achieve their personal and academic goals. R.I.S.E. is a new program that launched in the fall of 2013 at four community college campuses across the Bay Area.

Mission Graduates will receive $25,000 for their program Believing the College Dream (BTCD). BTCD focuses on building a culture of higher academic expectations among low income, immigrant and Latino families by engaging parents as advocates of their children’s educational process. The program provides English language development, literacy and math skills to parents so that they can serve as front-line support network of their children’s academic success.

Launched in 2012, the 21st Century Solutions program supports initiatives designed to address emerging and ongoing community challenges in new and creative ways. By focusing on social innovation, the program encourages non-profit organizations to drive forward bold new ideas to make our local communities stronger.

To see stories featuring last year’s grant recipients, please click here.

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