Hearst Foundations award $6 million to nonprofits

The Hearst Foundations awarded more than $6 million in grants to 13 nonprofit organizations in California — including four in the Bay Area — in mid-December, the organization said last week.

Paul Dinovitz, the executive director of the William Randolph Hearst Foundation and the Hearst Foundation Inc., announced the grant recipients after the foundations’ quarterly board meeting Dec. 11.

Bay Area nonprofits specializing in literature and medicine, sustainable agriculture, family services and nursing education received grants of $50,000 to $150,000.

San Francisco nonprofit Center for Urban Education about Sustainable Agriculture received $100,000 to bolster its Foodwise Teen Program. The paid job training program allows high school students ages 14 to 18 to learn about sustainable food careers and get experience in gardens, kitchens and farmers’ markets.

The foundations awarded a $50,000 grant to California Humanities, which has offices in Oakland and Los Angeles, for its humanities-based development program for health care workers.

San Jose’s Grail Family Services received a $75,000 grant to support its Family Engagement Professional Development Program.

George Mark Children’s Home in San Leandro, where youths with chronic or rare illnesses receive treatment, was awarded $150,000 to support the expansion of its Nursing Education Program.

Four Los Angeles nonprofits were awarded $525,000 total: California Science Center received $300,000 to support its EndeavourLA Campaign to create the Samuel Oschin Air and Space Center; Get Lit-Words Ignite received $50,000 toward its school-based literary programs; Mount Saint Mary’s University received $100,000 to provide financial assistance for students enrolled in the bachelor of science nursing program; and Wayfinder Family Services received a $75,000 grant to support its workforce training and youth development programs.

Five Southern California nonprofits received grants ranging from $50,000 to $5 million, the foundation said. The Laguna Beach Playhouse received $50,000 to support its TheatreReach program; the Venice Family Clinic received $150,000 to support programming addressing the social, economic and environmental factors that influence health; the Sansum Diabetes Research Institute in Santa Barbara received $100,000 to support its Family for Life program; the American Martyrs School in Manhattan Beach received $75,000 to fund campus enhancements and technology improvements; and the Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla received $5 million to fund a model that accelerates medicine development.

The Hearst Foundations charity operates separately from Hearst Corp., which owns The Chronicle.