5 Nonprofits to Receive More than $600,000 in Grants
Five Coachella Valley nonprofit organizations will benefit from new grant awards that were approved on May 26 by the Desert Healthcare District & Foundation.
The funds, which total $676,867, will support a variety of local services and programs. They include healthcare scholarships, improving air quality, expanding telehealth services, and recuperative care for the unhoused.
“These awards represent the breadth of support the District provides to improve health access and outcomes across the Coachella Valley,” Interim CEO Donna Craig said. “Our May grantees demonstrated tremendous potential to enhance life for our residents, and we are proud to be a partner and resource for them.”
The grant recipients are:
Martha’s Village & Kitchen – $167,015. Grant 1572 supports valley-wide homeless recuperative housing and care for individuals transitioning from hospital discharge. Each year an estimated 2,400 to 2,500 unhoused individuals are discharged from the hospital, and many return to unsafe environments. This project aims to reduce the “hospital – street – hospital” cycle and improve health outcomes.
Dr. Reynaldo J. Carreon Foundation – $143,500. Grant 1584 helps fund scholarships for 25 upper-level or postgraduate students who are pursuing healthcare careers, including mental health. The students also will receive guidance through OneFuture Coachella Valley, which is longtime partner of the Desert Healthcare District & Foundation. The grant supports the District & Foundation’s objective to increase the number of primary care, specialty care, and behavioral health professionals.
Planned Parenthood of the Pacific Southwest – $23,433. Grant 1604 will fund Access Without Delay, an effort to expand telehealth services in the Coachella Valley. The funds will allow the organization to expand its telehealth team from four to six full-time clinicians by supporting partial salaries, benefits, and training for two clinicians. It also supports outreach and advertising efforts to increase awareness and utilization of services in the Coachella Valley.
Alianza Coachella Valley – $297,669. Grant 1605 will provide air filter intervention and respiratory evaluation for 50 households near the Salton Sea. The funds support implementation of the AIRE Initiative through the purchase of equipment and a data platform, as well as covering the partial salaries of a special projects manager, organizer, two part-time canvassers, communications manager, and Loma Linda University research personnel.
Braille Institute – $45,000. Grant 1609 focuses on telehealth services, strengthening low vision rehabilitation and vision loss groups. The grantee uses a model that aims to provide a comprehensive, culturally responsive approach that removes barriers to care — particularly for older, low-income, and Spanish-speaking populations. The grant funds the partial salaries of five low vision service personnel.
Photo courtesy of Braille Institute
