The Daily Breeze (http://www.dailybreeze.com)
AltaSea, the marine research campus being built at San Pedro’s outer harbor, has received a $100,000 award for its STEM program.
The 2017 award, announced Tuesday, was given by the Goldhirsh Foundation, which included AltaSea in its annual My LA2050 Grants Challenge, a $1 million competition in support of creative ideas that will shape the future of Los Angeles.
AltaSea will provide middle school students with ocean-based learning including:
• Lessons on sustainable methods for aquaculture
• An introduction to the local ocean ecosystem
• Technology-enabled ocean exploration
• Blue technologies
“AltaSea is an exciting initiative at the Port of Los Angeles,” said Goldhirsh Foundation President Tara Roth. “The organization is harnessing the port’s value as an economic driver and a front door to one of our greatest, yet unexplored assets — the ocean.”
Covenant House California also will receive $100,000. In partnership with a barber in Long Beach, the organization will open the Precise Barber College to train traditional students as well as homeless youth. The enterprise will help students become certified barbers, learn about entrepreneurship and give back to their community via a street outreach team that offers free haircuts to homeless youth.
AltaSea and Covenant House California were among 12 organizations tapped for the grants, which range from $25,000 to $100,000.
“We are energized by the diversity of proposals selected for grants this year,” Roth said. “From San Pedro to Lancaster, these organizations are authentic to the communities they serve. They tap into the collective consciousness of Angelenos to solve local challenges in a way that is impactful and creative.”
Among the other recipients were:
• Surf Bus Foundation ($100,000): Partnering with the Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks, Surf Bus connects low-income, at-risk youth in the city with the ocean by providing transportation, bathing suits, wet suits, surfboards, boogie boards, food and ocean safety education.
• Sierra Club Foundation ($100,000): The organization will develop a campaign to help the city transition to a “100 percent” clean energy platform. Part of the effort will engage residents in the city’s clean energy future, track and evaluate the city’s mechanisms for spurring clean energy solutions, educate the public and use social media to engage in a dialogue.