HomeMy WebLinkAboutApplications_Diversity Coalition ApplicationDiversity, Equity and Inclusion
2022-2023 GRANT FUNDING FOR HIGH IMPACT DE&I PROJECTS
Pl e ase provi de al l re que ste d i nformati on be f ore submi tti ng your appl i cati on. Please be as spe cific as possible !
I f accommoda on or assistance is n eed ed in co mple ng this A pplica on, or if a paper ve rsion is prefe rre d, ple ase
contact (805) 781-7100 or D EI@slocity.org
Organization Name :*
Y e ar Establishe d:*
Fiscal Age nt, if diffe re nt than abov e :*
Tax ID #:*
Docume nt Ce rtifying Fe de ral Tax-Exe mpt status, if applicable
Name of Exe cutiv e Dire ctor (or highe st le ade rship position)
Approximate Annual Budge t:
M ajor Source s of Funding:
M ission State me nt:
Numbe r of paid staff (full- or part-time ):
Numbe r of v olunte e rs:
Name of Board Pre side nt or Chair:
Organizational Le ade rship Chart *
Name of Pe rson comple ting this Application:
PART 1: APPLICANT INFORMATION
The Diversity Coalition of San Luis Obispo
2011
n/a
822075135
Diversity Coalition Letter of Determination.pdf 249.94KB
Rita Casaverde
120,000
1200x supporting members - $25,000; City of Morro Bay, City of Arroyo Grande, City of Pismo - $15,000;
PG&E - $5,000; CFSLOC - $30,000 (pending);
The Coalition provides educational programs and resources to facilitate and advance the efforts of our
affiliated organizations in order to promote and advocate for diversity, equity, and inclusion.
2
8
Cornel Morton
DCSLOC Board of Directors (1).pdf 75.43KB
Greg Ellis
Organization M ailing Addre ss:*
Phone :*
E-mail:*
Brie fly de scribe your organization’s mission, primary activ itie s, and ope rating structure s.
De scribe the community(ie s) your organization supports.
Name of DE&I Proje ct *
City
Arroyo Grande
State / Province / Region
CA
Postal / Zip Code
93421
Country
USA
Street Address
P.O. Box 376
Address Line 2
(805) 270-3511
gregjohnellis@gmail.com
The Diversity Coalition of San Luis Obispo County's mission is to provide educational programs and
resources to facilitate and advance the efforts of our affiliated organizations in order to promote and
advocate for diversity, equity, and inclusion.
The Coalition primarily engages in the following educational programming:
School Speaker Program - We bring renowned diversity speakers to the classroom in three school districts
to share their unique and compelling experiences with thousands of students each year.
Fostering Understanding in Our Community - We connect the community with our outstanding speakers
and panelists through public presentations.
DEI Training - Many individuals, organizations and businesses would like to become allies of diversity,
aligning their organizational structures, policies, practices, personal knowledge and behaviors with their
belief in equality. There is a great need for a locally-based Diversity, Equity and Inclusion training to teach
this willing audience and leverage their enthusiasm into action, creating tangible changes in our
community. We are taking steps to develop an impactful, affordable, self-sustaining program that fills this
local need and expect to pilot the program within the next year.
Local Collaborative Leadership - We amplify the voices and experiences of our coalition by staying
involved with local diversity efforts, including our affiliated organizations, the Sheriff’s Office Unity
Committee, and the different DEI governmental efforts.
Our organization is led by an Executive Director, Rita Casaverde, who works with the board of directors to
determine organizational strategy and plan and implement programming. The board members take on
specific roles to support program implementation and expansion (see attached Organizational Structure
document).
Please be specif ic in the population and geographic area.
We will reach 4000 students who, on average, represent the following demographics:
Unduplicated Pupil Count of Free/Reduced-Price Meals, English Learners & Foster Youth: 47.6%
White: 47%; Latino: 47%; Black or African American: 1%; Asian: 2%; Other: 3%;
In addition, the 500 community members we reach represent the following:
White: 71%; Black or African American: 2%; Asian: 3%; Hispanic or Latino: 21%; Other: 3%;
Household Income: Median $59,628;
Educational Attainment - HS Graduate: 21%; Some college: 27%; Associate's degree: 10%; Bachelor's
degree: 20%; Graduate or prof. degree: 12%;
PART 2: PROJECT INFORMATION
Est. numbe r of pe ople se rv e d through this proje ct:*
Est. numbe r of SLO CITY RESIDENTS se rv e d through this proje ct *
Total Proje ct Cost:*
AM OUNT OF CITY FUNDING REQUESTED:*
De scribe your propose d proje ct or program.
Diversity Coalition Programming
4000
1333
120,000
30,000
De scribe the community the proje ct will support.
Specify w hat the requested f unds w ill be used f or, the need for this project, the number of people impacted. Include a project plan, if available.
We will divide a total request of $30,000 in grant funding between the following endeavors:
1. Organizational Development Priorities
The Diversity Coalition recently established a paid Executive Director position to lead organizational
growth, strategy and programming. Moving from a volunteer-only to a staffed organization requires new
systems, policies and practices to magnify our effectiveness. Our current focus is increasing program
impact, stabilizing funding and growing and strengthening our coalition. We believe that improving our
outreach through development of marketing materials (email, website, social media, boothing, print media
and mailing) will grow our coalition and increase our program participation rates.
We request $5,000 for this task ($3,000 for staffing organizational development as well as program
effectiveness and expansion, $2000 for outreach materials).
2. Program Priorities
The Sheriff’s Report on structural racism (see "equity gaps/community needs" question in the grant
application) is the most comprehensive and timely look at the local need for diversity. The report
concludes that education is a key action to affect change, confirming the Diversity Coalition’s emphasis on
educational programming for youth, the public, organizations and businesses. Our programs include:
School Speaker Program - Public School Students
Our School Speaker Program is free to schools and teachers and is meant to complement the amazing
work done by educators by bringing renowned diversity speakers to the classroom to share their unique
and compelling experiences. During the next year we will expand to one new school district (Paso Robles
Joint Unified School District) and will augment our speaker network with local speakers to reduce our
speaker costs, increase our impact, and showcase local diversity.
We request $15,000 to support speaker fees and directly sponsor 10 speakers, reaching 1000 students.
Fostering Understanding in Our Community - General Public
Building on our School Speaker program, we connect the community with our outstanding speakers and
panelists through public presentations. Speakers tell their stories and engage with audiences around their
personal experience of and triumph over discrimination, inspiring new thinking, tolerance, and
understanding in our audience. Over the next year we will increase the frequency of our presentations and
our reach, through marketing investments.
We request $2,500 to pay for staff time to organize 3 events, as well as offset event costs (venue rental,
printing, marketing).
DEI Training - Organizations, Businesses and Individuals
Many individuals, organizations and businesses would like to become allies of diversity, aligning their
organizational structures, policies, practices, personal knowledge and behaviors with their belief in
equality. There is a great need for a locally-based Diversity, Equity and Inclusion related training to teach
this willing audience and leverage their enthusiasm into action, creating tangible changes in our
community. This effort will also help grow and strengthen our coalition. We are taking steps to develop an
impactful, affordable, self-sustaining program that fills this local need and expect to pilot the program within
the next year.
We request $6,000 to support staff time to develop this program and host the pilot trainings, as well as
$1,500 for material costs, including curriculum, program promotion.
Local Collaborative Leadership
We amplify the voices and experiences of our coalition by staying involved with local diversity efforts,
including our affiliated organizations, the Sheriff’s Office Unity Committee, and the different DEI
governmental efforts. The projects we engage with prioritize the creation of opportunities for
disadvantaged populations, encourage institutions to foster pathways to leadership for people of color, DEI
grant funding, and the devotion of resources to celebrate diversity. One example of our collaborative is led
by the City of SLO, where our organization is collaborating with RACE Matters SLO, SLO Climate Coalition,
Ecologistics and EcoSLO. This collaborative has applied for a state grant that could result in the creation
of resilience hubs amongst other opportunities.
No funding is currently requested for this activity, but funding for organizational capacity building and
programming will support these efforts.
De scribe the e quity gaps and community ne e ds this proje ct will addre ss.
In the table below briefly list 2-3 methods of evaluation and indicators of success or
measurable outcomes.
M e thods of Ev aluation Indicators of Succe ss / M e asurable Outcome s
In the chart below, identify any partnerships/collaborations that are supporting this
project, and their roles.
Specify the population, location of services provided, and any other identif iers your proposed project w ill support.
The Diversity Coalition’s objective is to serve the entire county and be based here in the City of San Luis
Obispo. Some of our partners include RACE Matters, NAACP San Luis Obispo, GALA Pride and Diversity
Center, Stand Strong, Bend the Arc, 5 Cities Hope, Congregation Beth David, JCC Federation, Tranz
Central Coast, San Luis Obispo Police, Peace Academy San Luis Obispo, and Restorative Partners. We
offer Community Outreach meetings with world-renowned speakers regularly and have had several
hundreds of community members attend each of our most recent programs, which have been held via
Zoom during the COVID-19 pandemic. In terms of direct educational programs, we currently provide
programs to San Luis Coastal, Lucia Mar Unified, and Paso Robles Joint Unified School District middle
school and high school students. Our goal is to expand our program service delivery to encompass all
school districts in the county.
The lack of compelling and inclusive Diversity education in our community impacts the safety and wellbeing
of SLO County residents, manifesting covertly (through systemic racism and microaggressions) and overtly
(as hate crimes). In 2021 the SLO Sheriff’s Office released a report about systemic racism. The report,
endorsed by local equity organizations including the Diversity Coalition, studied local demographics to
identify examples of systemic racism. It found overrepresentation of white people in positions of privilege
(business ownership, political office, etc) and overrepresentation of people of color in positions of
inequality (educational attainment, income, homelessness, incarceration). For instance, 100% of the SLO
County District Attorneys since 1979, 100% of recent SLO City mayors, 100% of SLO Sheriffs since 1864,
and 100% of Cal Poly presidents since the university’s founding have been white. The background and
lived experiences of people in these influential positions affect the policies and practices of their
institutions, perpetuating opportunities for whites and intentional or unintentional bias against people of
color. In contrast, people of color tend to have lower earnings (25% less than white households), higher
rates of school expulsion, incarceration and homelessness disproportionate to SLO county’s demographic
makeup. These inequities result from structural bias in our economic, social and political systems. While
overtly racist acts are generally condemned, hidden systemic discrimination occupies a blind spot in
popular consciousness and the impact directly harms human health, happiness and safety.
The need in SLO County to address systemic inequities does not only come from within, but also from how
we compare among our peers. A 2020 CA Attorney General report ranked SLO County as #1 in hate
crimes per capita against Asians, more than twice as prevalent as in any other county in the state. And in
2021, SLO County ranked #1 on the Central Coast for hate crimes with a total of 12 vs. only 5 in more
populous Santa Barbara County.
Example : # of BIPOC serving on public boards, committees
Total supporting members for Diversity Coalition
Example: 10% increase by end of 2021
1500 (25% increase over mid-2022 membership)
Example : # of BIPOC serving on public boards, committees
Number of students reached with School Speakers
Example: 10% increase by end of 2021
3600 (increase of 1/3rd by over 2021-22 school
year)
Example : # of BIPOC serving on public boards, committees
Number of Fostering Understanding Events
Example: 10% increase by end of 2021
6 reaching 300 audience members (increase of
200% over 2021-2022)
Example : # of BIPOC serving on public boards, committees
Number of organizations that receive DEI training
pilot program
Example: 10% increase by end of 2021
2
Name of Partne r Activ ity/Se rv ice The y Prov ide for This Proje ct
Prov ide the time line for this propose d proje ct.
De scribe your plan for sustainability be yond the City’s one -ye ar award funding, if applicable .
Using the table below, please provide a broadly-itemized budget for your project,
including the source of any matching funds.
Ite m De scription *Total Cost *Amount Prov ide d by
City Funds *
Amount of Othe r
Funds and Source of
Funding *
1
Example: ABC Business
San Luis Coast Unified, Lucia Mar, and Paso
Robles Joint Unfied School District
Example: Free Use of Space f or Weekend Classes
Partners to host diversity speakers in classrooms
Example: ABC Business
INSIDE OUT WISDOM + ACTION PROJECT
Example: Free Use of Space f or Weekend Classes
Provides DEI facilitator training and curriculum
Example: ABC Business Example: Free Use of Space f or Weekend Classes
Example: ABC Business Example: Free Use of Space f or Weekend Classes
Example: ABC Business Example: Free Use of Space f or Weekend Classes
Example: ABC Business Example: Free Use of Space f or Weekend Classes
Sept 2022 - June 2023
+ host 20 School Speakers in three school districts (average of one speaker every two weeks)
+ host 6 Fostering Understanding community forums (average of one per two months)
Sept 2022 - Feb 2023
+ develop DEI training (buy curriculum, train two staff, develop program content and promotional materials)
+ develop outreach materials for the Diversity Coalition to increase membership engagement (update
website, social media, print materials, mailing campaign, boothing materials)
Mar - July 2023
+ pilot two DEI trainings (recruit two organizations, host trainings, conduct evaluation followups)
+ conduct outreach at community events to grow Diversity Coalition membership and increase
engagement, volunteer recruitment, and public visibility of educational resources and events
All of the efforts of this grant are financially self-sustaining while compounding the impact of our mission.
By building our outreach capacity we not only link our members and community with valuable events,
training and resources, we also enable them to support our organization financially. With a supporting
membership of 1500 (our goal for this grant), we will generate stabilizing support to fund our organization’s
basic operations.
The development costs of the DEI training program are one-time expenses for curriculum and facilitator
training. The training program will be developed with the goal of becoming self-sustaining through a fee-
for-service and/or recommended donations financial model that will cover the operational costs of staffing,
venue fees, food, materials, insurance and any other overhead to run the program.
Overall, the DCSLOC has established a long history of fundraising success, beginning in 2011, developing
partnerships with local businesses, individuals and grantors, including PG&E, the Cities of Arroyo Grande,
Pismo, San Luis Obispo and Morro Bay. We also retain a grant writer who will pursue all funding necessary
to develop these programs and cover any gaps in funding once they are established.
PART 3: PROJECT COST / BUDGET
Organizational Development -
Staffing
20,000.00$3,000.00$17,000.00$
2
3
4
5
6
*During application review , you may be asked for f urther f inancial information or f or proof of any matching f unds
De scribe the plan for promoting this proje ct within the City of San Luis Obispo.
How will you highlight the City's support of your proje ct?
By signi ng thi s applicaon, I ce rfy that the i nformaon containe d w i thin is true and corre ct to the be st of my
know l e dge . I agre e to comply w i th the re quire me nts of the Ci ty of the San Lui s Obispo.
Name of Pe rson comple ting this Application:*
Signature *
Title :*
Date :*
Organizational Development -
Outreach Materials
5,000.00$2,000.00$3,000.00$
School Speaker Program 50,000.00$15,000.00$35,000.00$
Fostering Understanding
Program
10,000.00$2,500.00$7,500.00$
DEI Training Program -
Staffing
20,000.00$6,000.00$14,000.00$
DEI Training Program -
Materials
5,000.00$1,500.00$3,500.00$
PART 4: AWARENESS AND VISIBILITY
We promote our programmings in the following ways:
School Speaker Program - We use our existing connections within the schools to provide information about
the program to school teachers, meet with them individually to support classroom integration and
scheduling, and coordinate by email. We aim to reach about 1000 students in the San Luis Coastal Unified
School district.
Fostering Understanding, our speaker series, is promoted through print fliers, emailings, and on social
media--we have extensive reach through our Coalition affiliates.
DEI Trainings will be promoted to our members first during the pilot phase, and then broadcast as an
opportunity for the wider community as we refine the program and increase capacity.
Logo on Website
Posts on Instagram (1900 followers) and Facebook (1600 followers)
Including SLO City Logo on all promotional materials created with the project funding (including outreach
materials and DEI training materials)
Mention in newsletter
Mention in media interviews
PART 5: CERTIFICATION
Greg Ellis
Grant Manager
8/26/2022
The Diversity Coalition of San Luis Obispo County | Board of Directors
August 16th, 2022
Cornel N. Morton -President
Cornel N. Morton, Ph.D. is Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo Vice President for Student Affairs,
Emeritus. He has served as a consultant to public and private organizations in areas including
diversity awareness, student success, inclusivity, strategic planning, team building and conflict
mediation.
His community service includes membership on the French Hospital Community Board,
Board Member of the Martin Luther King Jr. Scholarship Committee and Life Long Learners of
the Central Coast Advisory Board. Cornel lives in San Luis Obispo County.
Jean DeCosta -Secretary
Jean DeCosta, Ph.D., retired from Cal Poly, Dean of Students, Emeritus. Jean’s
background is as an educator, administrator, organizational consultant and trainer. Jean has
provided consulting to public and private organizations in the areas of conflict resolution,
communication, strategic problem solving, and team development. Jean has worked in private
practice as a clinical therapist and trained as a conflict mediator. Jean holds a doctorate in
Organizational Systems, an M.S. in Education, and was a licensed clinical Marriage, Family
Therapist. Jean lives in SLO county.
Jane Rowland -Treasurer
Jane Rowland is a Registered Nurse with 41 years of professional experience in health
care. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from University of California, San Francisco,
and a Masters in Nursing from UCLA. She has worked in various settings including direct
patient care, education, and administration. In all her endeavors she strove to incorporate
effective means of interacting with patients, family, and staff by recognizing each person’s
individual needs, and being respectful of the diversity of needs presented by different
populations.
Jane’s volunteer activities include work with Life Long Learners of the Central Coast and
the American Heart Association. She is a past president of the American Heart Association San
Luis Obispo division, and represented that organization on the California Affiliate board of the
AHA. She lives in Nipomo with her husband and rescue dog.
Michael Boyer -Founding Director, Past-President & Membership Chair
Michael has been a business and community leader in San Luis Obispo County for over
20 years with continued business involvement in Epic Entertainment, Doc Burnstein's, and
Pismo Beach Homes.
Michael is the CEO of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Mid Central Coast, which serves
thousands of children who need us most from Orcutt to San Miguel. Serving kids every day in
Atascadero, Guadalupe, Paso Robles, Santa Maria, and Shandon to three priority outcomes:
Academic Success, Good Character & Citizenship, and Healthy Lifestyles.
Michael is committed to the community through his board involvement as the Chair of
Stand Strong, a Director at Arroyo Grande Community Hospital Foundation, a past Director at
Big Brothers Big Sisters, a Director at The Rotary Club of Pismo Beach, a past Director at San
Luis Obispo YMCA, a Director at Diversity Coalition & a past Director at St. Patrick School
Board. Michael lives in Arroyo Grande, CA.
1
The Diversity Coalition of San Luis Obispo County | Board of Directors
August 16th, 2022
Kathleen Minck -Education Chair and Director
Kathleen taught at the Lucia Mar school district for 32 years. Promoting tolerance for
diversity and teaching about our different cultural experiences were always passions of hers.
She sat on her district’s Wellness Committee and was her school’s Bully Prevention
Coordinator. CTA (Cal. Teachers Association) awarded her their Peace and Justice Human
Rights award for the work she did at her school and throughout her district, partnering with the
Canadian organization, Free the Children, and Heifer International, among others. She
continued her passion in her travels as well, helping to build a school in Kenya, and studying
health and education concerns with Witness for Peace and SOA Watch in Venezuela and Cuba.
As an advocate for unions, she was her school’s LMUTA union rep and sat on their board, and
was the Human Rights contact person for CTA’s local service center. She was also elected to
CTA’s State Council, sitting on the Civil Rights in Education committee, and to the NEA National
Assembly.
Kathleen retired from teaching in 2015 and currently volunteers for Wilshire Hospice,
Teddy Bear Foundation at Cottage Hospital, and Human Rights Watch. She resides in Arroyo
Grande.
Kendra Paulding -Marketing Chair and Director
Kendra Paulding, a Cal Poly SLO graduate, has a Bachelor of Science degree in
Business Finance. Formerly a financial advisor at Morgan Stanley, Kendra now manages the
office at Paulding Law with her husband, Jimmy Paulding. She lives in Arroyo Grande.
Joe Whitaker -Director
Joe Whitaker, a retired businessman, is a former senior marketing executive at Mattel
Toys, Columbia Pictures and Lorimar Productions. During his career, he also acted as an
independent marketing consultant to small and mid-size children’s product and entertainment
firms.
Joe is also a long-time member of SLO SCORE, the local chapter of the national
SCORE small business counseling service. He has resided in Cypress Ridge since 2006.
Rita Casaverde -Executive Director
Rita Casaverde was born and raised in Lima, Peru and moved to California in 2012. In
Peru, Rita received the Green Youth award by the United Nations. This award recognized her
conservation work with communities in the Andes of Peru where she helped protect an endemic
forest and multiple watersheds.
After moving to California, Rita had the opportunity to build a career in the Tech industry
as a Product Manager, but after eight years working for local tech companies, she decided to
join the office of Congressman Salud Carbajal to streamline her passions. In 2020, Rita and
other community leaders helped found SLO County UndocuSupport with the goal of financially
supporting immigrant families during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Rita joined the Diversity Coalition as Executive Director in 2022.
2