Angel City Sports, Saving Innocence, The Ulmer Institute, & With Love Market & Cafe to Receive Grants Totaling $250,000
A local giving circle comprised of women from Westside communities recently completed their fifth giving cycle, which Founder, Mindy Freedman said is its “greatest yet.” The SAM Initiative gave their first grants in 2014 and since has inspired over 1 Million dollars in giving to the community.
The SAM Initiative, [which represents a group of westside individuals who pool their financial resources and experience to fund and support programs that promote social change], announced at their annual awards dinner that Angel City Sports, Saving Innocence, The Ulmer Institute, and With Love Market & Cafe will be the recipients of this year’s grants totaling $250,000.
The SAM Initiative selected these organizations because they address some of the most critical issues facing the greater Los Angeles community including, sex trafficking of children, the daily tragedies of urban violence, exclusion of the physically disabled, and creating economic opportunities for underserved populations. RoShaun Ulmer-Windham, Director of Community Outreach for The Ulmer Institute commented, “The Ulmer Institute is so very grateful to the SAM Initiative. With school shootings occurring practically every week, these funds will forward our mission in training youth to be mentally and emotionally healthy by providing preemptive trauma training to help build resilient citizens and thus better communities.”
The mission of The SAM Initiative [SAM] is to serve as a catalyst to improve the lives of women, children and families in Los Angeles through expanded and engaged philanthropy. The Founder of the SAM Initiative, Mindy Freedman, stated: “The awards dinner is an inspiring celebration that acknowledges the extraordinary endeavors of each organization and the efforts of our members to identify and respond to the needs in our community. Our collaborative process of engaged philanthropy provides our members a tremendous sense of pride in their giving. We believe that we can have a far more meaningful impact together than we can alone.” As noted by the Founder of Saving Innocence, “The crime of human trafficking continues to grow in Los Angeles… We are grateful for our partnership with The SAM Initiative and their huge heart to effect positive change in our community.”
The 2018 SAM Initiative grants will be distributed as follows:
- Angel City Sports will receive a grant of $28,000 to advance its adaptive sports program that offers support to children, adults, and veterans with physical disabilities.
- Saving Innocence will receive a grant of $70,000 to rescue and restore child victims of sex trafficking through strategic partnerships with local law enforcement, social service providers, and schools.
- The Ulmer Institute will receive a grant of $42,000 to train and educate 500 youth in South Central Los Angeles to respond to urban psychological trauma.
- With Love Market & Cafe will receive a grant of $100,000 to provide employment, empowerment, and education to the local residents of South LA with their grocery market, cafe and free community programs.
As The SAM Initiative approaches its sixth giving cycle, it will continue building lasting relationships within the community that will have a meaningful impact.
