San Jose, Ca– (July 13, 2022) – NBC Bay Area, Telemundo 48 and the Comcast NBCUniversal Foundation today announced that ten local nonprofits will receive a total of $315,000 in Project Innovations 2022 grants. The winning organizations feature programs that are addressing local community issues through innovative solutions in the areas of community engagement, culture of inclusion, next generation storytelling and youth education and empowerment.
“The ten organizations we have chosen to support are just some of the many groups that have used innovative approaches to address local issues and to improve the lives of people in our communities,” said Stacy Owen, President and General Manager of NBC Bay Area and Telemundo 48. “From providing STEM programming and tech support inside public housing to improving educational experiences in underserved schools and districts, these organizations inspire change and move our communities forward.”
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This is the fifth consecutive year that NBC Bay Area, Telemundo 48 and the Comcast NBCUniversal Foundation award Project Innovation grants to nonprofits in the Bay Area. Grant applications opened February 18 and closed on March 25. To select grant winners, the stations created and gathered community panels to review grant applications and select the final winners. Since 2018, NBC Bay Area, Telemundo 48 and the Comcast NBCUniversal Foundation have presented a total of $1,305,000 in Project Innovation grants to 46 of nonprofits in the Bay Area.
Local Project Innovation 2022 grant recipients include:
Local
KINGMAKERS OF OAKLAND – $50,000
King Makers of Oakland's mission is to dramatically improve educational experiences, outcomes, and life options for Black students and their families who have been historically underserved by their schools and districts. The Project Innovation grant will allow them to train student leaders to be proficient in narrative change, media production, distribution and event production as part of their KOO Media Academy program.
ACTA NON VERBA (ANV): YOUTH URBAN FARM PROJECT – $50,000
Acta Non Verba: Youth Urban Farm Project (ANV) elevates life in Oakland and beyond by challenging oppressive dynamics and environments through urban farming. Founded and led mainly by women of color, ANV creates a safe and creative outdoor space for children, youth, and families in East Oakland. Their Camp ANV program offers vital services in education, childcare, economic empowerment, and access to green, safe spaces and healthy food to a community sorely lacking in these areas.
URBAN ED ACADEMY – $40,000
Urban Ed Academy's mission is to build equity in education by increasing Black male teacher representation in San Francisco and Oakland. Nationally, only 2% of teachers are Black men. Urban Ed Academy received the Project Innovation grant for their Man the Bay four-year fellowship program that reduces the barriers to recruit, train, and support Black male educators.
BAY AREA VIDEO COALITION (BAVAC) – $ 35,000
BAVC Media inspires social change by empowering media makers to develop and share diverse stories through art, education, and technology. BAVAC’s Reel Stories program builds gender equity in the film industry by creating a pipeline of young women and non-binary people with the skills and confidence to bring their stories from script to screen through summer programs, afterschool activities, workshops, and mentorship.
JAMESTOWN COMMUNITY CENTER – $ 30,000
Jamestown Community Center accompanies youth and their families on their path to realize their full potential as powerful and healthy members of society. Their Youth Apprenticeship Program and the Youth In Charge programs provide culturally responsive Latinx teen and family strengthening services.
DEV MISSION – $30,000
Dev Mission trains underprivileged youth of color for careers in technology in order to build wealth and prosperity in San Francisco’s diverse communities. Dev Mission provides STEAM programming inside affordable housing developments for youth and young adults. Their Community Technology Associate Internship Program places graduates of Dev Mission’s Pre-Apprenticeship program in San Francisco affordable housing communities, where Dev Mission’s computer labs are located, and provides tech support, digital literacy training, and refurbished devices to residents.
NORTH BAY CHILDREN'S CENTER (NBCC) – $ 20,000
NBCC created the Garden of Eatin’® Program in 2004 in response to the growing childhood obesity epidemic. Through a comprehensive daily curriculum of gardening, nutrition, and physical fitness, in addition to several family engagement activities, Garden of Eatin’® is proven to help prevent the long-term health problems associated with unhealthy eating by incorporating nutrition and gardening into early childhood development and education.
KID SPARK EDUCATION – $20,000
Kid Spark Education’s STEM Equity Program is a mission-driven initiative designed to provide the elementary STEM program free of charge to schools and out-of-school programs serving children who are traditionally underserved or underrepresented in access to STEM education based on race, gender, and economic or geographic disadvantage.
MISSION BIT – $ 20,000
Mission bit builds professional pathways for under-resourced high school youth across the San Francisco Bay Area by making computer science more accessible through our free project-based courses. Mission Bit’s programs create a strong foundation for young people to enroll in post-secondary computer science coursework or coding bootcamps and explore careers in tech, creating a pipeline of homegrown talent well-prepared to enter the tech workforce.
MANDELA PARTNERS – $ 20,000
Founded in West Oakland, Mandela Partners was established to fill a gap that was created through deeply rooted inequities. They weave together several areas of work, using food as an anchor for generational wealth building: sourcing from sustainable family farmers, creating accessible and affordable healthy food access points, supporting local food business creation and expansion, and increasing capital for BIPOC food entrepreneurs.
Project Innovation 2022 grants were presented to eligible nonprofits in 11 participating markets including New York (WNBC, WNJU), Southern California (KNBC, KVEA), Chicago (WMAQ, WSNS), Philadelphia (WCAU, WWSI), Dallas-Fort Worth (KXAS, KXTX), Boston (WBTS, WNEU, necn), Hartford, CT (WVIT, WRDM), Washington, D.C. (WRC-TV, WZDC), Miami-Fort Lauderdale (WTVJ, WSCV), San Francisco Bay Area (KNTV, KSTS), and San Diego (KNSD, KUAN).
For a list of all Project Innovation 2022 winners, click here. Follow on social at @NBCUFoundation and #ProjectInnovation.
About NBC Bay Area / KNTV
Owned by NBCUniversal, NBC Bay Area / KNTV is the Bay Area’s investigative station located in the heart of Silicon Valley. The station is committed to providing continuous, in-depth journalism with unique personalities. Along with broadcasting NBC’s award-winning daytime, prime-time and late night programming, NBC Bay Area produces more than 32 hours of news programming each week. The station can be seen locally on Comcast 3 and 703 and over-the-air on 11. COZI TV, the station’s digital network, offers a full schedule of America’s most beloved and iconic television series, hit movies and original programming. COZI TV can be seen locally on Comcast 186 and over-the-air on 11.3.
About Telemundo Telemundo 48 / KSTS
Telemundo 48 / KSTS is Telemundo’s local television station serving the Spanish-speaking community throughout the Bay Area. Owned by NBCUniversal, the station is committed to providing viewers with breaking news and in-depth journalism with their award-winning team of reporters, offering the most up-to-date local news, weather, sports and entertainment headlines through a variety of platforms, including online at TelemundoAreadelaBahia.com and via mobile and social media channels.
About Comcast NBCUniversal Foundation
The Comcast NBCUniversal Foundation works to advance initiatives at the cross-section of societal needs and Comcast NBCUniversal’s priorities. The Foundation supports programs and organizations that strive to move communities forward. NBCUniversal is one of the world’s leading media and entertainment companies in the development, production, and marketing of entertainment, news, and information to a global audience. NBCUniversal owns and operates a valuable portfolio of news and entertainment television networks, a premier motion picture company, significant television production operations, a leading television stations group, world-renowned theme parks, and a suite of leading Internet-based businesses. NBCUniversal is owned by Comcast Corporation.
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