Meet the Community Organizations

The organizations highlighted below are those who have been in contact with PCCEC about the vision of facilitating a community research hub. We hope to continue to expand the database of organizations that are interested in conducting collaborative projects with faculty and students at The Claremont Colleges. Please fill out this Community Partnership Intake Form to be added to the Pomona College Community Engagement Center database and share any project ideas that you may have. Additionally, the contact information of some professors that have demonstrated interest in community-engaged/ real-world projects can be found on the Faculty Partners page.

God's Pantry

A non-profit organization located a 15 minute drive from the Claremont Colleges, God’s Pantry provides a multitude of services that span far beyond the responsibilities of a food pantry. These services include transitional housing support, workforce development, mental health counseling, food security, classes, and other re-entry navigation services to formerly incarcerated individuals within the community. The scope of their work within the community goes beyond these services as their presence in Pomona- and the many other locations where they provide food distribution services- has allowed them to create community initiatives and social enterprises where individuals in their programs can take care of their neighborhood and communities through new businesses. God’s Pantry’s executive director, has shown interest in a cost-benefit analysis to assess the effectiveness of the services provided within the organization; while the organization collects certain data points such as reoffense rates, educational and employment outcomes, and family reunification monthly for 6-months and then at the one year mark after the completion of the program they believe that there may be additional variables to keep track of to provide efficient data when applying for grants. As a non-profit that relies heavily on donations and government grants, the ability to place a monetary value on their services to the community would be of great help; this is an example of a project that could be taken on by Claremont students with a supervising faculty.

Community Partners 4 Innovation: Lopez Urban Farm

Community Partners 4 Innovation has worked in collaboration with the Pomona Unified School District to create an urban farm in the middle of Pomona named after civil rights leader Ignacio Lopez. Once an empty lot, this farm now supports the community by providing fresh produce for free to community members to alleviate food insecurity. Additionally, everyone is able to participate in the farming practices of planting, growing, and harvesting their own food and learning how to do so sustainably with resilience and social justice in mind. The farm is meant to support everyone's needs and even provides a farm training program for youth on the weekends. CP4I proposed a couple project ideas for Claremont College students to take on including updating the young farmers training curriculum, and creating an app for individuals and families to request the produce that they would like harvested from the farm to pick up on “take what you need, pay what you can” market days so that the farmers can harvest the right amount of produce for the community’s needs. Additionally, the farm can be used as an outdoor classroom for professors who may have creative project ideas that can benefit from hands-on experience in urban food systems and workshops with local community experts.

School of Arts and Enterprise

SAE is located just down the street from the Pomona College Community Engagement Center and provides tuition-free and audition-free art programs in fine art, dance, design, music, photography, and theater to middle and high school students throughout the community. While 60% of students are local to Pomona, students come from all throughout Southern California to attend this small charter school.

Project Resilience

To effectively support survivors of sexual exploitation, Project Resilience provides trauma-informed therapy services in addition to case management, client advocacy, and street outreach programs. The organization also facilitates group counseling sessions for a variety of needs related to trauma, violence and substance abuse and goes one step further by administering an anti-trafficking and prevention course for youth around the ages of 16-25.

Healed Women Heal

Founded on the principles of hope, empowerment, prevention and education, Healed Women Heal is a non-profit created to address the root causes of intimate partner violence and provide knowledge and support to avoid unhealthy relationships. They provide mentorship and self advocacy programs as well as resources that bridge social, financial, and mental health education gaps. Additionally, they provide programs specifically catered toward educating communities on the signs of unhealthy relationships and the cycle of violence as well as programs focused on healing from pre-existing trauma.

Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights

Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights (CHIRLA) provides legal immigration services, deportation defense, DACA and citizenship application resources and support as well as accessible “know your rights” workshops, emergency preparedness presentations, and advocacy for progressive immigration reform. They have pushed forward multiple campaigns with high priority on immigrant access to healthcare, education, labor rights, and political power.

Forward Progress

Forward Progress provides re-entry services such as tattoo removal, employment opportunities, and housing referrals to previously incarcerated individuals who face systemic barriers to reintegrating into society.

United American Indian Involvement

Through sensitive healthcare, clinical, and case management services, the UAII strives to provide resources and education programs to support American Indian and Alaska Native communities in the greater Los Angeles region.

San Gabriel Valley Conservation Corps

San Gabriel Valley Conservation Corps young adults ages 18-25 receive paid job training and resources to earn a high school degree through participating environmental community projects while also having access to professional services provided by the organization.

Pomona Economic Opportunity Center

The PEOC is a non-profit day labor organization whose mission is to provide an opportunity for day laborers to find safe work at a fair wage, to obtain new trades and skills that improve their employability and quality of life, and to improve overall conditions for all immigrant workers. The PEOC has a pre-existing relationship with students at the Claremont Colleges.