Solana Beach to select Community Grant Program recipients

The Solana Beach City Council will decide later this month which local nonprofits receive funding through the city’s Community Grant Program.

The city allocated $25,000 to fund the program, which includes $15,000 from EDCO as part of its franchise agreement. That money will be divided among multiple applicants, most of which requested the maximum $5,000 that can be awarded to each organization.

Applicants included the Assistance League of Rancho San Dieguito, which wants to use the grant to purchase shoes for 75 children from low-income families.

“By providing proper school shoes, this helps children arrive in the classroom better prepared to learn,” Kathy O’Leary, president of the organization, said during the three-minute presentations that each applicant gave to the council.

The Boys & Girls Clubs of San Dieguito, another applicant, applied for the funding to put toward the low-income students it serves through its La Colonia Clubhouse and Harper Teen Center.

“We know the impact of this year is going to be enduring, and learning loss is going to be a continued preventive area,” said Heather Karpel, grants manager of the clubs.

Pathways to Citizenship wants to use the funds for outreach, education and legal immigration services to Solana Beach youth who are eligible for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) protections and work authorization.

“We’d like to reach out to all young people in Solana Beach who may be eligible for DACA and help them apply,” said Sonya Williams, its executive director.

Other organizations seeking grants include BikeWalk Solana, Casa De Amistad, Community Resource Center, Disconnect Collective, Jaliscience Folkloric Academy, Nature Collective and North Coast Repertory Theatre.

Solana Beach City Manager Greg Wade said that the City Council will determine how to divide the funding during its next meeting on June 23.

“This was the fun day,” Solana Beach Mayor Lesa Heebner said. “The next council meeting will be the hard one when we have to make some tough decisions, because these are all very worthy applications.”