Pfaffinger Foundation Awards $265,000 Grant

The Pfaffinger Foundation has awarded CRCD a one-year $265,000 grant to help low-income young adults connect to school and work in the Vernon-Central neighborhood of South Los Angeles, where 21% of young people aged 16-24 are unemployed and 45% of those aged 18-24 do not have high school diplomas.

With the Foundation’s support, CRCD is serving as lead agency and fiscal sponsor to launch the Vernon-Central Workforce Development Network.  The Network is a neighborhood-based collaborative providing workforce development for out-of-school and out-of-work young people age 17-25.  The Network serves young people without high school diplomas who are gang-affiliated, court-involved, and/or homeless.

CRCD, All Peoples Christian Center, and the Los Angeles Conservation Corps are providing career pathways in construction, computers, and environmental conservation, while CDTech is providing project evaluation and educational support.  CRCD employs the Network Director, Noemi Soto, to promote collaboration among Network partners, enhance services for young people, and maximize resources. 

“The grant award for the Vernon-Central Workforce Development Network represents a major initiative for the Pfaffinger Foundation this year,” says Mary Tower, President of the Foundation.  “In the midst of an economic crisis nationwide, our Board made a strategic decision to help young people become self-sufficient at a time when help is needed more than ever.”  The Pfaffinger Foundation was established in 1936 by Frank Pfaffinger, a German immigrant who was for many years the business manager of the Los Angeles Times.

For more information, please contact Noemi Soto, CRCD, at (213) 743-6196.