Three Bay Area Sites Awarded $400,000 in Grants for Financial Opportunity Centers 

Bay Area Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) is pleased to announce $400,000 in grants will be disbursed to three community organizations as part of its federal Social Innovation Fund award to establish and expand Financial Opportunity Centers. The grants are expected to help more than 600 local families - in Oakland, Richmond, and San Jose - find jobs, reduce debt, increase financial skills and build up savings or other financial assets.

Grantees include: Merritt Community College (Oakland), Rubicon Programs Inc. (Richmond), and Sacred Heart Community Service (San Jose). They were selected through a national RFP process and are among 47 nonprofits in 10 metropolitan areas who will be implementing work through LISC’s Social Innovation Fund grant to help low-income residents secure their financial future. The Corporation for National and Community Service, which administers the Fund, awarded national LISC $4.2 million, matched with private funding for a total of $8.4 million in LISC Social Innovation Fund related grants.

“LISC Financial Opportunity Centers help families get jobs and other key financial supports they need to achieve more financial stability, whether it is financial training, savings support, or even receiving government benefits like food stamps or health care for their children," said Bay Area LISC Executive Director Stephanie Forbes.

Bay Area LISC's SIF Grantees Express Enthusiasm for Award
 
 

“The Social Innovation Fund grant is a natural progression of our work as a Community Action Agency and provides an opportunity for us to integrate our work around public benefits, financial literacy, and employment services, and perhaps more importantly, help people experiencing poverty in Santa Clara County become economically self-sufficient.”  -Lydia Guel, Director of Self Sufficiency Services at Sacred Heart Community Service. 

"At Merritt College, we care about helping our students and their families, especially during these challenging economic times. The Social Innovation Fund Award from LISC is providing a critical opportunity for Merritt College to improve its Student Services and launch the Merritt Opportunity Center, which will help us provide students with high quality employment services and access to benefits and financial coaching that they need in order to succeed." -Eric Gravenberg, Vice President of        Student Services at Merritt Community College. 
 

"With this investment from LISC, we can now serve people more deeply, over a longer period.  We will be able to have an even more positive and lasting impact -- supporting the people we serve in achieving long-term financial independence," -Jane Fischberg, President and Executive Director of Rubicon Programs.

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