- Arts for Action was one of the groups supported by a grant in 2010 from the Social Justice Fund of Ventura County. File photo by Frank X. Moraga/Amigos805.com.
Fund has supported such groups as Arts for Action, El Centrito
A glass of wine, soothing music from a trio of young jazz performers and a silent auction — and all for a good cause.
Those are some of the activities planned when the Social Justice Fund of Ventura County holds its second annual Community Gathering from 2 to 5 p.m. Sunday, May 1 at the Four Friends Gallery, 1408 Thousand Oaks Blvd., Thousand Oaks.
With the motto “Creating Change, Not Charity,” the Social Justice Fund of Ventura County is a social change grant-making and educational organization. Since 2007, it has awarded more than $200,000 in grants to progressive groups in the community that are seeking to address social, economic and environmental injustice in Ventura County, the Camarillo-based fund reported. It is hosted by the Ventura County Community Foundation.
“We invest in community organizing — the process of bringing people together and helping them develop their voices, realize their power and collectively act to create real change in their lives and communities. This is an investment in the human spirit — the rousing, can-do attitude for which Americans are famous,” the organization reported.
The Social Justice Fund of Ventura County will begin posting its requests for proposals by mid-May, with the grant deadline in July. Grants from its “Giving Circle” of community donors range from $500 to $10,000 and cover a one-year period beginning in November each year.
Grant recipients in 2010 included:
> $10,000 to The Abundant Table for the Rooted Futures project.
> $4,900 to support Arts for Action
> $10,000 to support the One Step Adelante program of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Ventura County, Inc.
> $9,053 to the Coalition for Sustainable Transportation (COAST)
> $6,047 to the El Centrito Family Learning Centers for the Padres Promotores Education Project.
> $10,000 for Organizacion en California de Líderes Campesinas
To support its grant-making effort, the fund launched its Community Gathering celebration last year.
The silent art auction drew a crowd at the 2010 Social Justice Fund of Ventura County Community Gathering. File photo by Frank X. Moraga/Amigos805.com
The reception this year will include the presentation of the winners of its youth ARTsLAM! Contest, a performance by the jazz group “The Gentlemen,” silent and live auctions, a chance to view the exhibits at the gallery and a presentation by high school students from One Step A La Vez who will talk about what social justice means to them.
There is a $50 requested donation per person. For reservations, call 805.988.0196, ext. 101 or click here
For more information on the Social Justice Fund of Ventura County, visit www.socialjusticefundvc.org