Grantees work to improve quality of life within federally designated Promise Zone

SAN DIEGO – With a goal of increasing access to economic growth and opportunity, the City of San Diego and California Coast Credit Union, the City’s official financial partner, have selected eight community-based organizations to receive $70,500 in grants. More than 30 organizations applied for financial assistance, which ranged from a minimum of $5,000 to a maximum of $10,000.

These grants are part of the San Diego Promise Zone Partner Financial Assistance program, a multi-year partnership with Cal Coast to support capacity building, community outreach and workforce development in the San Diego Promise Zone. Representing a significant investment in the future of the Promise Zone, the funding will also support the ongoing work of Promise Zone partners to assist individuals experiencing barriers to post-secondary education and employment.

“The city has a vision to create opportunity in every neighborhood while recognizing the strength, worth and promise of each person in San Diego,” said Christina Bibler, Director of the City’s Economic Development Department. “These eight organizations represent a small sample of the hard work done each day to generate positive change and momentum in the Promise Zone.”

The San Diego Promise Zone covers a 6.4-square-mile targeted area that spans East Village and Barrio Logan east to Encanto, and is home to the city’s most culturally rich and ethnically diverse neighborhoods and some of the city’s most under-resourced communities. The Promise Zone’s Strategic Plan calls for a pathway from promise to prosperity.

Promise Zone Partner Financial Assistance program grant recipients for 2023 include eight nonprofits and projects that were chosen for their experience in serving Promise Zone residents, the critical need that the proposed projects will address and overall project alignment with working group priorities. The selected groups are:

Access Youth Academy – Digital Connectivity: $7,500.
Alma Community Care – Parenting Seminar: $5,000.
Barrio Logan College Institute – College and Career Readiness Program: $10,000.
Circulate San Diego – Improving Mobility Choice in the San Diego Promise Zone: $10,000.
DREAMS+DUCATS – Creating Resilience, Empowerment, and Abundance in Money (CREAM): $9,000.
Sherman Heights Community Center – Food Access Program/Sherman Cocina: $10,000.
The Blue Heart Foundation – The Blue Heart Academy: $10,000.
The Urban Collaborative Project CDC – Capacity Building for Community Outreach and Engagement: $9,000.

“Cal Coast Credit Union is proud of our partnership with the City of San Diego and its efforts to improve the lives of residents and the success of businesses in the Promise Zone,” said Cal Coast president and CEO Todd Lane. “These grants will help the selected local nonprofit organizations continue their work supporting families and businesses in this historically under-resourced region. Beyond these grants, Cal Coast will continue our investment within the Promise Zone for years.”

“With the support of the San Diego Promise Zone’s Partner Financial Assistance grant, we are strengthening our commitment to fostering a healthier, flourishing community within the Promise Zone,” said Daniela Kelly, the Sherman Heights Community Center Executive Director. “This funding helps us enhance our current food program, which supports food access and healthy eating with programs and services focused on sustainable jobs, promoting economic growth, and offering pathways for career exploration and education.”

The City of San Diego’s commitment is to co-create an ecosystem of opportunity and investment through collaboration that addresses systemic racism and inequities to improve the quality of life of Promise Zone residents. The San Diego Promise Zone fosters partnerships with community-serving organizations, government agencies, and philanthropic, corporate and educational institutions with shared goals.

(City of San Diego Release) n