S P O T L I G H T : L A N G U A G E A C C E S S C O M M U N I T Y G R A N T S
Introduction
Since 2012 , OCEIA has funded the Language Access Community Grants program as part of a strategic effort to partner with community-based organizations in order to advance language access rights . The grant program seeks to expand community knowledge and participation in Citywide efforts to improve language services .
Through the program , San Francisco organizations lead initiatives that increase local capacity to meet the language access needs of underserved immigrant communities in San Francisco .
Specifically , organizations focus on three areas :
1
2
3
Building community-based language access leadership through community outreach and education ;
Working collaboratively to assess , evaluate , and document language access needs in the community and ensure City departments are effectively communicating with and delivering services to residents who speak languages other than English ; and
Building community capacity to deliver community-based interpretation and translation services .
Grantees must demonstrate cultural and linguistic competence , a history of assisting and serving San Francisco communities , extensive knowledge of neighborhood services , issues and resources , and credibility and capacity to reach members of underserved Limited English Proficient ( LEP ) communities .
29