Funds will be used to raise awareness of services for survivors of hate crimes and incidents
The California State Library has awarded $8.1 million in grants to 62 ethnic media outlets and media collaboratives serving communities impacted by hate incidents and hate crimes.
A joint venture with the California Commission on Asian and Pacific Islander American Affairs, the grants aim to raise awareness of the Stop the Hate Program administered by the California Department of Social Services. The Stop the Hate Program helps survivors of hate incidents and hate crimes – and works to prevent those incidents from happening in the first place.
“It’s important that multilingual communities know we, as a state, are taking steps to address hate. Our investments in victim services and violence prevention programs say we see them and are prioritizing their needs. Partnerships with trusted ethnic media outlets help us get the word out about the new or expanded resources available,” said Assembly Budget Chair Phil Ting (D-San Francisco).
According to the 2022 Hate Crime in California Report released by California Attorney General Rob Bonta, crimes targeting victims because of their race or ethnicity, nationality, religion, sexual orientation, gender or a disability increased nearly 33% from 2020 to 2021 and then an additional 20% from 2021 to 2022. As recently as March 2023, three Black Santa Monica residents were brutally assaulted by a man yelling racial slurs.
“Ethnic media outlets serve millions of Californians, acting as a lifeline to the state’s diverse communities,” said California State Librarian Greg Lucas. “Strengthening them helps all communities better respond to hate incidents and crimes.”
Funding for this grant program is part of the Asian and Pacific Islander Equity Budget, a one-time investment of $166.5 million in critical resources and services that respond to the rise in hate incidents and hate crimes. The API Equity Budget included $110 million for the Stop the Hate Program and $15 million in grants for ethnic media outlets to conduct effective, innovative, and culturally competent outreach and education to Californians impacted by hate crimes and hate incidents.
This $8.1 million is the second round of funding in the Ethnic Media Grant Outreach Program. In May 2022, the State Library awarded nearly $6 million in the first round of grants to 50 ethnic media outlets and collaboratives.
Individual ethnic media outlets received up to $100,000 in funding for 12-month projects. Ethnic media collaboratives received up to $825,000 in funding for 18-month projects. The grants will fund specialized reporters, fellowships, and internships at ethnic media outlets, news briefings and roundtables, digital and social media content, community gatherings and partnerships with grassroots organizations. Grantees include media outlets and organizations serving California’s Asian American and Pacific Islander, Latino, Black, Native American, Arab, Slavic and LGBTQ+ communities.
To see the list of awardees for Round 2 of the Ethnic Media Grants, click on file below.