| Don Perkins Grant |
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Non-Profit Organizations Can Apply For Grant to Fund PR Program
2010 Grant Amount is $10,000
Application Deadline Extended to July 30, 2010
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.
PRSA-LA recognition
The Public Relations Society of America's Los Angeles Chapter (PRSA-LA) administers the program and annually presents the grant to representatives from the chosen nonprofit organization at the annual PRISM's industry awards banquet in the fall.
Online application
The deadline to apply for the grant is July 30, 2010. Applications can be easily downloaded. Fill it out and mail it to the PRSA-LA address listed postmarked by July 30.
Seeking judges
Judging of the applications occurs during the summer by a panel of senior public relations professionals who make a recommendation to the PRSA-LA board of directors. PRSA-LA members interested in serving on the judging panel should contact PRSA-LA at
or (818) 761-5575.
Grant rules
The endowment requires the non-profit organization's public relations program be conducted by one of the following:
1. A PRSA-LA member in good standing 2. Any counseling firm or agency that has at least one member holding current membership in PRSA-LA. If an organization's public relations representatives are not PRSA-LA members, a non-profit organization can still be considered for this grant. Under these circumstances, however, a PRSA-LA volunteer will be identified by PRSA-LA to provide oversight of the grant 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:
Grantees may include any tax-exempt organizations qualifying under IR code section 501(c) (3), except those of an exclusively religious nature. Applicants will be asked to provide a copy of their IRS tax-exempt qualifications letter, as well as a recent annual report and a copy of their articles of incorporation. Have any questions? Please contact Bob Wolff at . Mail applications before July 30 to Don Perkins Grant, PRSA-LA, 11271 Ventura Blvd., #514, Studio City, CA 91604.
2009 DON PERKINS GRANT RECIPIENT
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.
House of Ruth, Claremont - '08 Winner 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. Step Up On Second '07 Winner 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. Child Care Resource Center '06 winner 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. Familia Unida Living with Multiple Sclerosis '05 winner The 2005 grant was awarded to Familia Unida Living with Multiple Sclerosis . Since 1998, Familia Unida was the first bilingual Multiple Sclerosis non-profit providing programs and support services targeted to Latinos diagnosed with the debilitating disease. The organization has served over 13,000 multilingual and multicultural individuals in the greater Los Angeles area with the goal to enlighten, educate, and unite families affected by Multiple Sclerosis and other debilitating diseases in culturally diverse communities.
Familia Unida is the first non-profit to win the PRSA-LA Don Perkins Grant twice. They won previously in 2000. A judging committee comprising seven seasoned public relations professionals reviewed 38 outstanding proposals.
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