The Santa Clara County District Attorney\u2019s Office is seeking applications for its annual \u201cBend the Arc\u201d program, which provides grants to help battle racial discrimination in the county.<\/p>\n
Since the program\u2019s inception, the DA\u2019s office has successfully distributed more than $280,000 in grants to almost 60 local organizations increasing opportunities for everyone and making Santa Clara County better and more fair.<\/p>\n
Groups are eligible to receive up to $5,000 in grant funds to help them work against racial discrimination and disproportionality in Santa Clara County. District Attorney Jeff Rosen began offering the community grants in 2021. The application deadline is Aug. 14.<\/p>\n
\u201cAll of us have a responsibility to make our neighborhoods safe and welcoming,\u201d Rosen said in a statement. \u201cJoin us in our work to keep Santa Clara County a community that values diversity and demands fairness.\u201d<\/p>\n
Last year, the DA\u2019s Office awarded the Bay Area Tutoring Association a grant to provide academic support to foster and justice-impacted youth. Another recipient, the Silicon Valley Urban Debate League, used their award to fund a speech and debate program at Andrew P. Hill High School in San Jose.<\/p>\n
The program enrolled over 300 students, primarily low-income students of color, including many English language learners. Grant funding also supported Local Color\u2019s youth-led mural arts project in San Jose that combined creative expression with social justice education.<\/p>\n
An artist taught 20 students about the history of murals \u2013 including local murals of San Jose, color theory, shades and tones, composition, painting techniques, design processes, mural grid options, and more. The students then designed and completed a 5\u2019x9\u2019 mural that is now displayed in Sacred Heart Nativity School\u2019s main hallway.<\/p>\n
The grants come from the DA\u2019s Asset Forfeiture Fund, which is money seized from gangs, drug traffickers and criminal organizations. The DA\u2019s Office invests the funds back into the community to help repair the harm caused by those criminalsDA Rosen announced a series of 26 social justice reforms<\/a> in 2020, including the Racial Justice Grant Program.<\/p>\n All of the reforms are intended to address racial discrimination and promote fairness in the criminal justice system. The implementation of the reforms began in the wake of the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis.<\/p>\n