For Immediate Release: February 8, 202
[Sacramento, Calif.] — Grants totaling $5 million are available through the California State Library for ethnic media outlets serving communities historically vulnerable to hate crimes and incidents.
The purpose of the grants is to increase public awareness of the California Department of Social Services’ Stop the Hate Program. The Stop the Hate Program provides support and services to survivors of hate crimes and incidents and their families.
The grants can be used to pay for reporters, fellowships, and internships at ethnic media outlets, news briefings and roundtables, digital and social media content, community gatherings and partnerships with grassroots organizations and Community Based Organizations. Grant awards range from $40,000 to $400,000. Past grantees include media outlets and organizations serving California’s Asian American and Pacific Islander, Latino, Black, Native American and LGBTQ+ communities. Examples of projects being conducted by current grantees can be found on the State Library website.
“California’s diversity is our superpower,” said Greg Lucas, California’s State Librarian. “Helping local media outlets “Stop the Hate” strengthens all of our communities.”
According to the California Department of Justice’s 2021 Hate Crime in California Report, hate crime events increased 32.6% from 1,330 in 2020 to 1,763 in 2021. A total of $15 million in grants for ethnic media outlets was included in the Asian and Pacific Islander Equity Budget of 2021, a three-year investment of $166.5 million to fund critical resources and services in response to the sharp rise in hate incidents and hate crimes.
This is the second round of funding for ethnic media outlets. In May 2022, the California State Library awarded nearly $6 million in grants to 50 ethnic media outlets and collaboratives. A complete list of last year’s grantees can be found in the May 2022 press release.
The grants fund reporting, fellowships, and internships at ethnic media outlets as well as news briefings and roundtables, digital and social media content, community gatherings and partnerships with grassroots organizations and community-based organizations.
Grant awards in 2022 ranged from $40,000 to $400,000. Grantees included media outlets and organizations serving California’s Asian American and Pacific Islander, Latino, Black, Native American and LGBTQ+ communities.
For more information, visit the Ethnic Media Outreach Grants page on our website. Applications are due by 5:00 PM PST on Monday, March 14, 2023.