The City of Beverly Hills has begun accepting applications for its Community Assistant Grant Fund (CAGF) to be awarded for the 2022-23 fiscal year. Through CAGF, the city partners with local organizations that provide services for the community’s most vulnerable populations, such as seniors, disabled and homeless, to maintain a social service safety net–a priority outlined in the city’s General Plan. Agencies that are crucial to the health and welfare of the community are encouraged to apply by the Feb. 1, 2022 deadline.
The grants are administered by the Human Services Division, and all applicants are reviewed by the Human Relations Commission and the Charitable Solicitations Commission. The City Council determines the final allocation of funding.
“The Commission is looking forward to continuing the mission of the CAGF and reviewing applicants who provide such important services that benefit our immediate community and beyond,” Human Relations Commission Chair Ori Blumenfeld told the Courier. “This past year we received the most applications ever, and I expect that next year we will surpass that record and be blessed with even more applications to review for funding. The Commission is grateful to the city for its unwavering support and continuous funding year after year of these worthwhile causes.”
For 2021-22, 22 organizations received grant funding for services helping seniors, homelessness, physical and mental health, culture and more. The 22 existing grant recipients include the Collins and Katz Family YMCA, OUR HOUSE Grief Support Center, Safe Parking LA, Affordable Living for the Aging, All Saints’ Homeless Assistance Program, Bet Tzedek Legal Services, Beverly Hills Active Adult Club, Beverly Hills Cardiopulmoary Resusication, Beverly Hills Education Foundation, Chiron Center, Inc., ETTA, Jewish Family Service Los Angeles, Jewish Free Loan Association, The Miracle Project, The Maple Counseling Center, People Assisting The Homeless, Saban Community Clinic, Step Up on Second, Theatre 40, Tower Cancer Research Foundation, the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts and the Westside Food Bank.
Applications will be considered based on the following criteria: organization provides a unique service that addresses an unmet need of the community and does not duplicate other providers or programs; organization does not rely solely on community assistance funding to remain viable and the services would cost more to the city if the city provided them directly; organization provides services that support the city’s commitment to the provision of a social service safety net that addresses the health and welfare of community members; organization provides regional services that enable the city to meet its regional obligation to help ameliorate social issues.
This year, the city will once again be accepting applications for cultural grants. These applications must still meet the first two above criteria, but they also must be existing Beverly Hills organizations that have demonstrated a history of providing outstanding cultural events that respond to the needs of the community.
The applicant must be, or partner with a 501c.3 organization. The applicant must return a completed application to humanservices@beverlyhills.org or by mail postmarked no later than Feb. 1, 2022, at 5 p.m. to the Beverly Hills Human Services Division.
For more information or to download an application, visit www.beverlyhills.org/cagf. To learn more about past recipients, visit: www.beverlyhills.org/humanservices.
