San Bruno Community Foundation gives $300K in grants

The competitive grant program reviewed applications through a volunteer board of community members and those with experience in the nonprofit sector, considering focus areas, budgeting, community benefits and organizational track records, the press release said.

Notable grant offerings included $25,000 to Community Overcoming Relationship Abuse — an organization that will provide San Bruno survivors of domestic violence 24-hour crisis intervention services — and $20,000 to the Mindful Life Project, which provides mental health support and social emotional programing at Belle Air and Allen Elementary Schools.

“A youth mental health crisis has been growing exponentially over the last decade, amplified by the COVID-19 pandemic, and the Mindful Life Project is dedicated to addressing that crisis by empowering underserved children, families, and educators through mindfulness-based social and emotional learning programming,” JG Larochette, Mindful Life Project’s executive director, said in the press release.

Other grant awardees include San Bruno Park School District’s Art in Action program, which will use $12,000 of grant money to provide students an outlet for creative expression, as well as $15,000 for the school district’s Music for Minors program.

Grant allocations are also designated for the San Bruno Lions Foundation, which works with San Bruno public schools, Mission Hospice and Home Care to offer grief counseling for seniors, and the San Bruno community gardens, among other organizations.

“This year’s 26 Community Grants will benefit a broad cross-section of those who live, work, and engage in San Bruno, from incoming ninth graders participating in Capuchino High School’s Summer Bridge program to downtown businesses highlighted in marketplace events coordinated by Renaissance Entrepreneurship Center to grieving seniors who seek support from bereavement counselors at Mission Hospice and Home Care Inc.,” foundation President Malissa Netane-Jones said in the press release.

The foundation is also offering $20,000 scholarships for graduating high school seniors who will enroll at a four-year college or university; $5,000 scholarships for graduating high school seniors who will enroll at a community college; and a $10,000 scholarship for community college students transferring to a four-year college or university.

Applicants must currently live in San Bruno or attend a high school or community college located in San Bruno. San Bruno students can apply for the Crestmoor Scholarship through an online application, which is posted at www.sbcf.org. The scholarship deadline is 5 p.m. Tuesday, March 5.