The Erie Community Foundation will use $1 million in federal stimulus money to develop job-training programs for nearly 100 local nonprofit organizations.

The announcement of the grant -- part of a $46 million stimulus distribution -- came Wednesday. The day before, a census report confirmed what too many in the community already knew: Nearly one in four Erie residents is living in poverty.

The federal government draws that line at an annual income of $10,400. According to the census report, 24.2 percent of Erie residents lived on less in 2008.

Citing the greatest need for emergency services seen in its 36-year history, The Community Foundation for the National Capital Region announced today that its Neighbors in Need Fund is awarding $714,300 in new grants to safety net organizations that serve vulnerable residents throughout the metropolitan Washington region.

The Community Foundation is the largest funder of nonprofit organizations in the Washington region.

The grants, awarded on a competitive basis, will help 37 charities including food banks, homeless shelters, and clothing, meal, and foreclosure-prevention programs meet the Washington, DC region`s escalating demand for basic human services.

Funds from this grant will cover most of the construction material and labor costs necessary to renovate existing space in our building into a new training classroom, said Ted Van Name, president and CEO of Goodwill of Delaware and Delaware County. We urgently need more classroom space and this grant from the Delaware Community Foundation will make that possible, added Van Name.

The Delaware Community Foundation manages charitable funds for individuals, families, businesses and organizations, and distributes income from the funds as grants to humanitarian, educational, health and cultural entities throughout Delaware.

For 88 years, Goodwill of Delaware and Delaware Countys mission has been to improve the quality of life for individuals with barriers to employment through vocational services and work opportunities and has been supported by proceeds from retail sales and donations. Last year alone, Goodwill of Delaware and Delaware County provided over 6,900 services to individuals throughout the region.

The Kern Community Foundation released an important new study today, looking at the "Status of Women and Girls" in Kern County.

The full report can be read online, but warning: it's not for the faint of heart. As the report said, the most pressing issues faced by women and girls in Kern County are "domestic violence, substance abuse and self esteem."

Silicon Valley Community Foundation has awarded more than $800,000 in grants to help the regional planning efforts to improve the California community.

Among the goals that the foundation hopes to achieve with the funding is to reduce the community’s traffic and air pollution, create affordable housing units and mixed use developments close to transportation. According to the foundation, the San Francisco Bay area could see an increase of 2 million residents looking for jobs and housing.

Goodwill Industries of Central Michigan's Heartland was the recipient of a $4999 grant from the Jackson Community Foundation. These funds were combined with a grant from the Battle Creek based Nonprofit Alliance and used to purchase a back-up register and generate a comprehensive retail reporting system.

GICMH has retail stores in the following locations: Battle Creek, Marshall, Coldwater, Jackson, Mason, Lansing, DeWitt, Charlotte, Hastings, and additional donation centers in Okemos and Eaton Rapids, Chelsea, and at the Northwest Refuse site in Jackson. Revenues from these retail operations are invested back into the organization to help people gain good jobs and become independent, tax-paying members of their communities.

Another round of emergency grants for food and shelter programs in Santa Clara County was announced today by the Silicon Valley Community Foundation.

The foundation will award about $500,000 in grants to 23 nonprofit organizations serving residents in need. In early May, the foundation awarded $1 million in emergency grants for food and shelter programs.

"As the county's unemployment has risen, more people than ever before are turning to food pantries and temporary shelters," Rebecca Salner, a media relations officer from the Silicon Valley Community Foundation, said of the emergency grants.

The State of Black Oregon was published today by the Urban League of Portland for the first time in 17 years. The report contains a stark inventory of statistics that show a persistent gap in living standards between black and white Oregonians – a gap that is growing wider as a result of the current economic downturn.

"During the last eight years, the poverty gap in America and in this state has continued to grow," says Marcus C. Mundy, president and CEO of the Urban League of Portland. "If there's a poverty gap for Americans generally, the African-American poverty gap widens to chasm proportions. This flies in the face of the ideals our country stands for, and simply should not be acceptable here in Oregon or anywhere else."

This report was funded by: Oregon Community Foundation (Northwest Area Oregon Fund of the Oregon Community Foundation), Northwest Health Foundation (Kaiser Permanente Fund at the Northwest Health Foundation), Oregon Community Foundation, (Janette G. Drew Fund of the Oregon Community Foundation), and the City of Portland, Office of Neighborhood Involvement, Diversity and Civic Leadership Program.

The statewide WealthSpring Fund, affiliated with the Nebraska Community Foundation, is seeking grant applications from nonprofit organizations doing work that aligns closely with its mission to increase Nebraska womens economic self-sufficiency.

The WealthSpring Fund collaborates with local organizations and supports projects and programs that help women with entrepreneurship training, banking skills, budget and financial management, financial literacy, education and training needed for employment or advancement, and work-related child care needs.

Nonprofit organizations that provide these types of services to women in their communities are encouraged to apply for up to $3,000 each.

The Akron Community Foundation is throwing a financial lifeline to Akron's art community.

It has approved quarterly grants totaling $1,666,085. That includes 31 community fund grants totaling $474,000, with $421,000 for arts and culture programs.

The foundation reports that it is assisting struggling arts groups with grants for operational needs during the economic downturn.

The foundation also set aside funds for those in need of food assistance. It approved $25,000 to establish the Food Pantry Capacity Fund. The effort will help Summit County food pantries buy the equipment they need to store and distribute fresh food.

''A vital part of Akron Community Foundation's mission is to respond to needs in the community as they arise,'' said foundation President and CEO John T. Petures Jr. in a prepared statement. ''The Food Pantry Capacity Fund does exactly that and, together, we will better position area food pantries to serve individuals and families who need it most.''

The foundation also granted 232 grants totaling $1,192,085 from 79 designated and donor-advised funds.

The Akron Community Foundation was founded in 1955.