PBS SoCal in Costa Mesa received a three-year, $1.7 million grant from the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation to produce documentaries about real-life issues faced by foster youth in Southern California.
The region has one of the largest foster youth populations in the country, according to PBS SoCal.
The content developed for the “Southern California Foster Youth Initiative” will be shared with audiences on-air and online, as well as via screenings, panel discussions and social media campaigns.
“Core to our mission is using the power of public media to help the community solve its most challenging problems,” PBS SoCal President and Chief Executive Andy Russell said in a statement. “The idea to create this movement and to give voice to our community’s foster youth and their caretakers was borne out of many conversations with our community partners.”
The Agoura Hills-based Conrad N. Hilton Foundation, created by Hilton Hotels founder Conrad Hilton, has awarded more than $1.4 billion in grants since its inception in 1944, including $107 million worldwide last year.
