Great news! Nearly 200 schools in California received funding to support teacher home visits through the Nell Soto Parent-Teacher Involvement program, including schools in many of the communities in which PICO affiliates are working. PICO leaders and staff worked with their schools and districts to complete and file an application.

Click here to see the full list of grantees posted on the CDE web site

Second Round Opens:
For all those who were unable to complete the application in time for the first deadline, a second round of funding is now available. The new (and simplified) application was posted today on the CDE Web site:

Click here to download the application

The deadline for this second round of funding is June 4, 2007. Schools will receive the funds for use in the 2007-08 school year.

Schools with an API ranking of 1-5, based on the 2006 Base Scores, are eligible to apply for the grant awards, which range from $15,000-$35,000, depending on the number of students. It is very likely that schools that apply will receive funding, so encourage schools in your district to apply.

PICO California, in partnership with the Parent-Teacher Home Visit Project, will be doing outreach around the grant funding.

PICO California affiliates are taking advantage of an historic opportunity to expand healthcare coverage in our state. In January of this year, Arnold Schwarzenegger became the first governor in California history to express his commitment to achieving universal health coverage.

>Click here to read about PICO California’s plan to push for coverage for all Californians.

For more information on PICO California’s healthcare work, click here or call Kiren Rizvi at 916 447 7959 ext. 19.

Two Bay Area PICO California affiliates fight to create a model fee that will fund local trust funds in two counties. Peninsula Interfaith Action (PIA) and Contra Costa Interfaith Supporting Community Organizing (CCISCO) have begun an effort to change state law so that San Mateo and Contra Costa County, can create a $25 document transfer fee to fund local affordable housing projects. This pilot project if succesfully ratified is projected to raise over $6 million for affordable housing. Several PICO California affiliates have offered their support as they look forward to possibly using this idea to raise funds for their communities.