The Jewish Community Foundation of Los Angeles has announced $1 million in grants to five community nonprofits working to alleviate older adult poverty.

The funding – part of the foundation’s General Community Grants initiative – expands support for programs providing assistance to low-income older adults through access to food, health care, housing and supportive care.

Recipients of this year’s awards – which match the record-high amount granted in 2021 – are Los Angeles LGBT Center, Mexican American Opportunity Foundation, ONEgeneration, Partners in Care and St. Vincent Meals on Wheels.

The grants reflect the foundation’s commitment to equity. Funds are targeted to support diverse and impacted communities across Los Angeles.

General Community Grants support programs focused on high-priority social issues throughout Los Angeles. Over the past decade, the foundation has awarded approximately $4.5 million through the initiative. To identify the recipient nonprofits in the current cycle, as well as to leverage the impact of its grantmaking, the foundation consulted with leading funders and experts.

Foundation president and chief executive officer Marvin I. Schotland said that an alarming percentage of older adults in Los Angeles live in poverty, regularly having to choose between paying for rent, food or medication.

“Nearly one-third of senior Angelenos live at or below the poverty line, according to U.C. Berkeley Labor Center data,” Schotland added. “In communities of color, that percentage increases dramatically. With California’s senior population expected to double in 20 years, we are confronting a crisis as more older adults than ever live in poverty. The problem is compounded by the unaffordability of housing, healthcare and other basic needs. It is the responsibility of us all to protect vulnerable seniors. But specific to the foundation, Jewish tradition instructs us to respect and safeguard our elders, and I’m proud that our grants this year are addressing this pressing issue and providing the critical resources seniors need to remain healthy and housed, and age with dignity.”

“The investment by the Jewish Community Foundation will enable us to serve an additional 1,200 under-resourced seniors,” said Dr. Ciriaco Pinedo, president and CEO of the Mexican American Opportunity Foundation. “Through our person-centered approach, these vital community members will have access to benefits-enrollment assistance to alleviate their income insecurity.”

For information, visit jewishfoundationla.org.