Presented by

Public Relations Society of America, Los Angeles Chapter (PRSA-LA)

Inviting Non-Profit Organizations to Apply for a Grant to Fund PR Programs

2012 Grant Amount is $10,000
Application Deadline Extended to Friday, September 14, 2012

About the Grant

For more than 20 years, non-profit organizations in Southern California have received grants to help defray costs related to their public relations activities, thanks to a Community Service Fund created by an endowment from the late Don Perkins, a long-time Los Angeles public relations practitioner and journalist.

The Public Relations Society of America's Los Angeles Chapter (PRSA-LA) administers the program and will present the annual grant to representatives from the chosen non-profit organization at the PRism Awards Show on November 7 at the Grand Ballroom and Hollywood & Highland.

Application

Click here to access the Application Form. The deadline to apply for the grant is September 14, 2012.

Judging

Judging of the applications is conducted by a panel of LA-based senior public relations professionals who are members of the PRSA-LA Chapter. The panel makes a recommendation to the PRSA-LA Board of Directors. PRSA-LA members interested in serving on the judging panel should contact Board Member and Committee Chairperson, Stephan Roth at or by calling 323-951-0059.

Grant Rules

The endowment requires that the applying charity be supported by a PRSA-LA member in good standing, or any counseling firm or agency that has at least one member holding current membership in PRSA, to conduct the public relations program. If an organization's public relations representatives are not PRSA-LA members, the non-profit organization may still apply and the grant committee will recruit a PRSA-LA member to volunteer to oversee the public relations program. The appointment of this individual will be made, if needed, after the grant has been awarded.

Grant funds may be used to pay for relevant public relations activities, including:

• News/photo releases about the organization specifically promoting the PR campaign

• Production of materials used for public relations purposes (e.g., PSAs, videos and press kit materials);

• An audit of public relations needs by a PRSA-LA practitioner;

• Counseling fees for PRSA-LA practitioners for execution of the PR campaign;

• Compensation for a PR intern or temporary professional employee hired to support the PR campaign under the direction of the PRSA-LA practitioner;

• Other appropriate expenses related to executing the PR campaign.

Non-profit organizations providing services or programs (except those of an exclusively religious nature such as churches and religious institutions) located throughout PRSA-LA's chapter area are welcome to apply.  This includes organizations registered as a 501(c)3 in the State of California that reside in these areas:  Los Angeles County, Santa Barbara County, Ventura County and Kern County.

Applicants will be asked to provide a copy of their IRS tax-exempt qualifications letter, as well as their most recent annual report and a copy of their articles of incorporation.

Direct questions and mail or email application and supporting materials to:

Stephan Roth

PRSA-LA, Don Perkins Grant Committee

11271 Ventura Blvd., No. 376

Studio City, California 91604

or by calling 323-951-0059

Application deadline is September 14, 2012. All applications and supporting documents must be received by this date.

2011 Winner: Los Angeles Center for Law and Justice

For 40 years, LACLJ has fought for the rights of families facing the greatest barriers to justice.  Located in Boyle Heights, LACLJ provides a range of free legal services, advocacy and education to low-income families in the most underserved areas of Los Angeles. LACLJ’s current programs focus on family and housing law, with a priority for victims of domestic violence and their children. Examples of our work include assisting victims of domestic violence in obtaining restraining orders and custody rights, helping tenants facing eviction to stay in their homes, and representing victims of crime who have cooperated with law enforcement to access immigration benefits. With special programs designed for teens, young parents and undocumented families with children, LACLJ is dedicated to providing culturally competent, bilingual and holistic services to empower clients to become agents of change.

LACLJ believes that justice should not be determined by wealth, citizenship, language, or age, and serves all of its clients with the dignity that they deserve.  The long-term results of our services are decreased homelessness, increased family stability, and safe, violence-free homes for children. To learn more about our work, visit www.laclj.org.

2010 Winner:  The Volunteers of the Burbank Animal Shelter

Since 1994 this non-profit animal service agency has been devoted to providing medical, social, behavioral and financial care for animals at risk.  The shelter is determined to eliminate animal homelessness in the Burbank community.   Their volunteers are committed to educating the community about the benefits of spay/neuter, proper pet care and pet adoption.  The volunteers have also set up a successful medial program, senior pet therapy program and kitten foster program. 

The Volunteers of the Burbank Animal Shelter grant proposal was selected among all the applicants based on its merits, which included a clear public relations strategy with measurable goals and purpose, a time plan sufficient for achieving its objectives and its budget was deemed cost-effective. 

The PRSA-LA Don Perkins Grant will allow the Animal Shelter to refresh and improve the quality and effectiveness of its outdated Website, www.basv.org, to make it user-friendly which is a key driver of fundraising, increasing the volunteer corps and awareness for the organization. 

2009 Winner:  Grandparents As Parents

Grandparents As Parents (GAP) is a grassroots organization founded in 1987 in response to the rising tide of abandoned children created by the drug epidemic and other societal issues. The organization was launched by a dedicated clinical social worker who recognized the need for support services targeting kinship families, when her own family was impacted. GAP offers a successful diversion program that keeps children out of the foster care system by providing cost-free, community-based support programs that meet the physical and mental health and financial needs of these families while serving as an educational and informational resource for government institutions and officials on the needs of caregiver-headed families.

The Grandparents As Parents grant proposal demonstrated the necessity of a comprehensive public relations program as an integral part of an organization's strategic growth plan.  The Grandparents As Parents grant proposal also presented a compelling case for the need to provide a more formalized and consistent stakeholder outreach effort in order to support an expanding infrastructure, consequently allowing them to build further client capacity, a key component of their strategic growth plan.

To learn more about Grandparents As Parents, visit online at www.grandparentsasparents.org 

2008 Winner:  House of Ruth, Claremont

Established in 1977, House of Ruth grew out of the dissertation project of a Claremont Graduate University student who advertised a telephone “hotline” to provide information and referrals to victims of domestic abuse.  Operating from her kitchen table, she evoked an immediate and overwhelming response.  From that modest beginning, House of Ruth has emerged a significant provider of shelter, community education, and a range of supportive services for battered women in eastern Los Angeles County. Their scope of services is broad.  Trained personnel operate a 24-hour Hotline to provide crisis intervention, information, and referrals.

The House of Ruth grant proposal demonstrated the power of selling management on the importance of conducting public relations research.   Although few will disagree that the use of research, measurement and evaluation is essential to effective public relations practice, surveys of practitioners routinely show most don’t know as much about research as they might like, particularly in today’s world of results-oriented management. The House of Ruth grant proposal was focused on a strategic desire to create a measurable public relations effort to advance their organizational objectives.  Their plans for effective research including measurement and evaluation tools, including surveys and focus groups.  To learn more about House of Ruth, visit online at:  www.houseofruthinc.org.

2007 Winner:  Step Up On Second

One in five families are affected by mental illness each year.  Located in Santa Monica, Step Up on Second involves individuals with severe and persistent mental illness in developing opportunities to reintegrate into the community.  Step Up is dedicated to long-term support of people in recovery and their families, offering quality housing, educational, social and work experiences.  Their winning Don Perkins grant entry and public relations strategy is to increasing public understanding and acceptance of mental illness.  Their approach will be to dispel the myths and fears about the mentally ill living in the community and to reduce the stigma of mental illness.  They will use success stories centered around a few of their diverse members by putting a human face on the mentally ill individual.  They further desire to change community attitudes and misconceptions regarding community housing for persons with mental illness and provide a more welcoming environment for mentally ill individuals who reside in their neighborhoods.  The results will be to improve the public understanding of mental illness resulting in a shift in public awareness, increased funding and collaborative efforts with the community.

2006 Winner:  Child Care Resource Center

The 2006 $10,000 grant was awarded to San Fernando Valley-based Child Care Resource Center (CCRC) for its "Matter of Minutes" campaign.  The Matter of Minutes campaign is designed to protect children and save lives by reminding parents and caregivers about the danger of leaving kids unattended in automobiles.  The risks include heatstroke, abduction, carbon monoxide poisoning, hypothermia, physical injury and death.

The campaign was awarded the grant because the juding committee of seasoned public relations professionals reviewed the 35 entries and ultimately judged the top application because its goals are clear, its execution plan is sound and its budget was deemed cost-effective.

The Child Care Resource Center is a private, not-for-profit agency dedicated to the promotion of higher standards in child care and early education through the quality, support, development and education of children, parents, providers and the community.

2005 Winner:  Familia Unida Living with Multiple Sclerosis