The Prebys Foundation announced Wednesday it is making $5.9 million in grants to 24 organizations to fund internships that prepare youths for careers that provide self-sustaining wages, financial stability, and social mobility.
The organizations receiving funding provide internships or apprenticeships for youth aged 16 to 26 in high-potential industries such as healthcare, information technology, STEM, creative fields, education, construction, and the environment.
“Paid internships help students gain essential experience, skills, and professional
connections, ultimately bridging the socio-economic gaps that too often leave them
behind,” said Grant Oliphant, CEO of the Prebys Foundation.
“Our collective goal is to help more young people find pathways to successful
careers and contribute to a brighter future for our community,” he said.
Prebys officials said the program is driven by data that shows learning while working is vital for students to succeed after they complete a degree or receive a credential.
“Paid internships stand out for their ability to yield significant benefits,” the foundation said. “Participants of paid internships often receive more job offers and command higher starting salaries compared to their peers in unpaid positions.”
The organizations receiving grants will serve youth from historically underinvested communities such as refugees, immigrants, justice-impacted, and unhoused. Here is the list of recipients:
- A Reason To Survive — $150,000
- Balboa Art Conservation Center — $200,000
- Black Tech Link — $100,000
- California Center for the Arts, Escondido — $200,000
- Casa Familiar — $325,000
- Cesar Chavez Clubs — $155,000
- Climate Science Alliance — $300,000
- DISCO RIOT — $150,000
- Garden 31 — $300,000
- Grossmont-Cuyamaca Community College District Auxiliary Organization — $200,000
- HomeAid San Diego — $100,000
- inewsource — $110,000
- Interfaith Community Services — $400,000
- J Craig Venter Institute — $300,000
- Kitchens for Good — $300,000
- La Jolla Institute for Immunology — $300,000
- National University — $350,000
- Our Genetic Legacy — $200,000
- San Diego Regional Fire Foundation — $200,000
- Somali Family Service of San Diego — $400,000
- The EcoLogik Institute — $275,000
- United Domestic Workers Resource Center — $300,000
- University of San Diego– $275,000
- Urban Restoration Counseling Center — $300,000
One of the organizations in the STEM field, the Ecologik Institute, said its grant will create “equitable opportunities for young leaders in our community” in STEM field.
“Despite it being 2024, there is still a lack of diversity in science, technology,
engineering, and mathematics fields. At the EcoLogik Institute, we know that
the only way we’re going to solve complex problems like climate change is to have
diverse voices leading at the scientific table — and this starts with our youth,” said
Samantha Wynns, executive director of EcoLogik.
The Prebys Foundation is the largest independent private foundation in San Diego County, It invests in groundbreaking institutions, ideas, and people to ensure more people in the region are financially secure, healthy, empowered, and connected.
