ParsaCommunityFoundation

 

 

REDWOOD CITY (April 16, 2010) – PARSA Community Foundation has announced $200,000 in grants to 21 nonprofit organizations focused on civic engagement, leadership development and arts and culture. The nonprofit groups are the recipients of PARSA CF’s 2010 Norooz Grant Cycle. The awardees range from a major Shahnameh exhibition which celebrates Ferdosi’s millennial birthday to a fellowship program that cultivates relief and development professionals.

PARSA CF’s Norooz grantees include: Roshan Cultural Heritage Institute at University of Maryland, Link Media Inc. for their Bridge to Iran series, Persian and Iranian-American Studies Initiative at San Jose State University, San Mateo Public Library, and Partner Pictures and Promises Films for Iran related documentaries.

“The Persian nonprofit sector is in the middle of a foundational transformation” Said Noosheen Hashemi, chairman of the board at PARSA Community Foundation.  “We are evolving rapidly from problem taggers to problem solvers, from change seekers to change makers.  This shift jumped off the pages of the 28 applications submitted for Norooz.  We applaud and congratulate all the organizations that are thinking big, looking forward and collaborating for organized action."

Since its inception in 2006, PARSA CF has awarded a total of $1,280,000 in grants to nonprofits as diverse as Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA), Cambridge University, CHILD: Youth Ambassador of Hope, Tiburon International Film Festival, Golestan Kids, San Francisco State University, NIAC, and various student groups.  More than half of this amount has been awarded through a competitive process which encourages applicants to consider the reach and long-term impact of their proposals. 

PARSA Community Foundation is the first Persian community foundation in the United States and the leading Persian philanthropic institution practicing strategic philanthropy and promoting social entrepreneurship worldwide.  Managing the largest independent endowment fund dedicated to Persian philanthropy, PARSA CF provides tax-advantaged vehicles to donors and grants to nonprofit organizations. Grants are awarded through semi-annual competitive grant cycles and are reviewed by an independent grant advisory committee. The organization is a nonpartisan, nonreligious and nonprofit 501(c)(3) entity.  For more information, please visit www.parsacf.org.

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Media contact:  Nasser Manesh, PARSA Community Foundation, (650)367-9105 or nasser@parsacf.org.