|
2007 Grant Program
The Foundation awarded grants totaling $12,500 to the following public interest
organizations:
- The Los Angeles Center for Law and Justice (LACLJ) received funding
to provide family law services to low-income South Asian clients who are
survivors of domestic violence.
Specializing in family, housing, immigration and government benefits law, LACLJ provides free, high-quality legal services
to low-income residents of the Eastside of Los Angeles.
Through the Foundation's grant, LACLJ has been able to expand beyond its primary
service area of East Los Angeles and provide support to South Asian clients and
service providers throughout Los Angeles County. By conducting outreach to
organizations such as the South Asian Network (SAN) and its domestic violence unit,
AWAZ, LACLJ's Supervising Family Law Attorney Suma Mathai has been able to reach
and represent numerous South Asian domestic violence survivors on issues ranging
from obtaining restraining orders to interstate child custody jurisdiction issues.
- The South Asian Network (SAN) received funding to support its creation
of a Workers' Rights Project which conducts outreach, community education, case
management, worker organizing, and leadership development. Among its successful
endeavors, SAN's Workers' Rights Project conducted a Workers' Rights Townhall on
November 5, 2007 in Artesia focusing on the topics of immigration and worker rights,
including wage and hour laws. SAN also successfully advocated on behalf of
workers for unpaid wages and unfair reduction in wages. SAN currently represents
workers in workplace discrimination cases, wage and hour issues, worker compensation
cases, and other cases. SAN prepared and distributed a workers' rights pamphlet
that focuses on wage and hour laws.
- The Islamic Shura Council of Southern California received continued
funding to conduct a hate crime education campaign
and to continue its very successful “Know Your Rights” workshops and town hall
meetings to prevent unjust persecution. The Islamic Shura Council
of Southern California has previously partnered
with staff attorneys from the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Southern
California to present "Know Your Rights" seminars to South Asian Muslim communities
to help people learn about their civil rights in dealing
with the government. With the hate crime campaign, the Council plan to conduct workshops
to educate the community as to what constitutes a hate crime and to empower the
community to report hate crimes.
2006 Grant Program
The Foundation awarded grants totaling $12,000 to the following public interest organizations:
- Los Angeles-based Asian Pacific Women’s Center, a nonprofit organization
dedicated to the development of affordable housing for women and children who are
survivors of domestic violence, received funding for its transitional housing program
that includes culturally sensitive and multilingual counseling.
- The California Sikh Council, an organization devoted to issues
important to the Sikh American community, received funds for their project targeting
bullying and hate violence through education for school officials and law enforcement
agencies.
- Los Angeles Center for Law and Justice received funding to provide
family law services for South and Southeast Asian survivors of domestic violence.
- The South Asian Help and Referral Agency (SAHARA) received funding
in support of the services it provides survivors of domestic violence.
- The Islamic Shura Council of Southern California received continued
funding to conduct their very successful “Know Your Rights” workshops and town hall
meetings to prevent unjust persecution.
- Satrang, a social, political, cultural and support organization
that provides a safe space to empower South Asian LGBTIQs (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual,
Transgenders, Intersex, Questioning) in Southern California, received a grant for
education and outreach regarding legal issues that affect the LGBTIQ community.
Click here for 2005 Grant Recipients
For more information, download the Foundation press release
About the Foundation:
The South Asian Bar Association of Southern California Public Interest Foundation was founded in 2003 to organize, support and promote public interest activities and projects for the benefit of the South Asian community and the Southern California community at large. The Foundation, a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization and the charitable arm of the South Asian Bar Association of Southern California, has held numerous events to raise awareness of public interest legal issues unique to the South Asian community in addition to serving a fundraising purpose. The Foundation is actively seeking volunteers and donations. If you have any suggestions or questions, you can reach the Foundation at:
|
