El Centro de Amistad Receives $50,000 Grant from the S. Mark Taper Foundation
SAN FERNANDO, CA, January 31, 2020 –El Centro de Amistad (ECDA), a San Fernando mental health agency, received a $50,000 grant from S. Mark Taper Foundation, which is a private family foundation dedicated to enhancing the quality of people’s lives by supporting nonprofit organizations and their work in our communities.
ECDA is committed to increasing the number of clients it serves, their engagement and the services it provides. The grant will support the agency’s strategic plan and administrative infrastructure goals by identifying areas in San Fernando Valley with the greatest need and any populations who are being overlooked to expand services in the community.
“With support from the S. Mark Taper Foundation, we are able to strengthen our organizational capacity,” said Tamika Farr, ECDA executive director. “Grants like these help us to empower underserviced youth and families to become self-sufficient and create supportive, family environments in the San Fernando Valley.”
The agency will assess what facilities it will need long-term and where those facilities should be located. “Because real estate prices are so high in Los Angeles, this can be a challenge for us as a nonprofit,” said Farr. Currently, ECDA is developing a comprehensive long-term real estate plan that includes identifying what financial resources they will need to ensure they have the space to provide high quality services for clients.
In addition, ECDA ensures that clinicians and other staff are the right match for the skill set each job requires. They have an excellent staff retention rates, and provide staff wellness activities to encourage self-care. To strengthen its administrative infrastructure, the S. Mark Taper Foundation grant will support the agency’s plan to analyze its compensation, benefits and perks to remain competitive with similar organizations in the area.
Throughout its 43 years in this community, El Centro de Amistad has served more than 110,000 individuals, empowering the lives of children, families and individuals for a better tomorrow. With support from its multilingual and cross-cultural staff, they serve 1,500 children, adults and families annually. The agency’s goals are to reduce risk factors that lead to violence, school failure, gang affiliation, and child abuse. When treating adults, the goals are to curb debilitating behaviors, assist in enhancing self-sufficiency, and resolve issues that are barriers to employment.
Visit www.ecda.org to learn more about ECDA’s services and programs.
