The H.N. and Frances C. Berger Foundation will award $300,000 in grants to twelve Coachella Valley area nonprofit organizations. Applications are due Monday, September 20, 2021 for the 2022 Coachella Valley Spotlight awards. Nonprofit 501(c)3 organizations and tax-exempt schools that serve people in the Coachella Valley are eligible to apply. Organizations that received the award between 2009-2020 are also eligible to reapply. Since the program began, nearly $4 million in grants have been awarded to about 150 local nonprofit organizations.
Recipients are selected by the News Channel 3 Community Advisory Board, which includes representatives from the H.N. and Frances C. Berger Foundation and members of the community. Twelve organizations are chosen from applications received by the deadline. Throughout 2022, each recipient is recognized in stories and interviews on News Channel 3’s Eye on the Desert, as well as in public service announcements, social media and on the station’s website, www.kesq.com.
“We look forward to this unique grant-making process every year. We usually receive about 100 applications, so selecting only twelve recipients is difficult, but when we see the grant funds in action, it is very rewarding,” said Catharine Reed, Vice President of Charitable Programs for the H.N. and Frances C. Berger Foundation. “There is so much good work happening in our area.”
Past recipients of the Coachella Valley Spotlight include charities that support children, seniors, veterans, the homeless, uninsured and underinsured residents, people living with debilitating medical conditions, animals, education, the arts, and more.
“Coachella Valley Spotlight recipients are providing our community with a variety of services,” said Jerry Upham, General Manager of Gulf California Broadcast Company, which owns and operates KESQ News Channel 3 and KPSP CBS Local 2. “We are excited to open the application period again for the 13th year so that more programs in the valley can benefit from $25,000 and the media exposure that comes with the award.”
Coachella Valley Spotlight applications are available at www.kesq.com; click on the Coachella Valley Spotlight logo on the home page. An online application and a video submission must be received by Noon on Monday, September 20, 2021. Recipients will be notified by December.
