PCF Awards $603,000 in Capital Grants to 25 Organizations

Diana Wong, Branch Manager of the Bob Lucas Memorial Library in west Altadena, displays renderings for the library renovation and expansion project that PCF helped fund with a Capital Campaign Grant to the Altadena Library Foundation.

The Pasadena Community Foundation (PCF) is proud to announce the nonprofit recipients of its annual Capital Grants Program. This year, PCF awarded $603,000 to 25 deserving organizations that support a wide range of community services and initiatives.

“By funding vital equipment and facility improvements, our Capital Grants ensure that nonprofit organizations can maintain and enhance their daily operations and strengthen their future operations,” notes Jeannine Bogaard, PCF’s Director of Community Impact. “The strong applicant response to the program this year demonstrates that PCF is a key partner in addressing our community’s needs.”

PCF’s Capital Grants is the Foundation’s largest annual grant program, typically awarding more than a half million dollars. Each year, PCF oversees 11 grant programs, including Capital Grants. When added together, those programs disburse well over $2 million to Pasadena-area nonprofits each year. This year, PCF will grant $2.5 million by years’ end – See complete list of 2024 grantees.

Two $50,000 Capital Campaign Grants

PCF’s Capital Grants Program awards two special $50,000 grants to organizations undergoing projects that are transformative both for their mission and the community. This year, Altadena Library Foundation and Planned Parenthood Pasadena & San Gabriel Valley (PPPSGV) were selected.

The Altadena Library Foundation will use its PCF Capital Campaign Grant to support the renovation and expansion of the Bob Lucas Memorial Library. The project nearly doubles the library’s square footage by adding a dedicated Adult Literacy Center, expanding the children’s area, and creating an outdoor reading garden.

“With grant support from the Pasadena Community Foundation, this building project will help the Altadena Library District realize Bob Lucas’s vision,” says Mark Mariscal, board chair of the Altadena Library Foundation. “(Lucas) understood the enormous influence and power of the written word, and he hoped that by making books, literature, and literacy skills training more available, others would learn how personal freedom could be achieved through reading.”

PPPSGV will use its Capital Campaign Grant to help fund its new, comprehensive campus, which will bring the Pasadena-area medical service center and administrative headquarters to one location.

“For twenty years, it has been my dream to modernize our Planned Parenthood health center in Pasadena, creating a safe and welcoming space to see more patients, offer new services, and expand access to sexual and reproductive care and education,” says PPPSGV President & CEO Sheri Bonner. “I’m so proud we are realizing this dream for patients, staff, and our community of partners and supporters.”

Diverse Community Projects

PCF will disburse the remaining $503,000 to 23 organizations with funding up to $25,000 each. Projects include

  • Arroyos & Foothills Conservancy – Restoration of a cabin in Rubio Canyon, which serves as storage, events, and staff space.
  • Beacon Housing – Repairs of walkways and stairways at its affordable housing site Garfield Agape Court.
  • Club 21 Learning & Resource Center – Purchase of new photocopier, air conditioning unit, and classroom chairs.
  • LAist (formerly KPCC) – Enhancements to The Crawford Theater to expand accessibility and programming.
  • Pasadena Altadena Coalition of Transformational Leadership (PACTL) – Purchase of kitchen equipment for a social enterprise that supports Latino food vendors.
  • Pasadena Playhouse – Purchase of a backstage communications system.
  • Rose Bowl Aquatic Center – Purchase of a new pool cover to reduce energy costs and lane lines to enhance safety
Walkways repair for Beacon Housing apartments
Walkways repair for Beacon Housing apartments

Elizabeth House repainting project
Elizabeth House repainting project

Restoration of Rubio Canyon cabin
Restoration of Rubio Canyon cabin

Kitchen equipment for PACTL's Cocina de las Abuelas
Kitchen equipment for PACTL's Cocina de las Abuelas

California Native Plant Society education technology enhancements
California Native Plant Society education technology enhancements

New Ford Ranger truck for Altadena Mountain Rescue Team
New Ford Ranger truck for Altadena Mountain Rescue Team

Bob Lucas Memorial Library renovation and expansion
Bob Lucas Memorial Library renovation and expansion

Kitchen equipment for nutrition classes at Learning Works
Kitchen equipment for nutrition classes at Learning Works

New playground for the Institute for the Redesign of Learning
New playground for the Institute for the Redesign of Learning

New pool cover and lane lines for Rose Bowl Aquatics Center
New pool cover and lane lines for Rose Bowl Aquatics Center

Complete List of 2024 Capital Grantees

$50,000 Capital Campaign Grants
Altadena Library Foundation
Planned Parenthood of Pasadena & San Gabriel Valley

Capital Grants
Altadena Mountain Rescue
Armory Center for the Arts
Arroyos & Foothills Conservancy
Beacon Housing
California Native Plant Society San Gabriel Mountain Chapter
Casa
Club 21 Learning & Resource Center
D’Veal Family & Youth Services
Elizabeth House
Foothill Unity Center
Friends In Deed
HEAR Center
Institute for the Redesign of Learning
LAist (formerly KPCC)
Learning Works
Pasadena Altadena Coalition of Transformative Leaders
Pasadena Conservatory of Music
Pasadena Humane
Pasadena Playhouse
Rose Bowl Aquatics Center
Shepherd’s Door Domestic Violence Resource Center
The Unusual Suspects Theatre Company
Western Justice Center Foundation