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Promise Neighborhoods — “a national initiative to end the cycle of intergenerational poverty” — are coming to Los Angeles, thanks to federal funding and a high-scoring application from a consortium of LA education nonprofits led by Youth Policy Institute.

The Promise Neighborhoods idea was popularized by Geoffrey Canada’s New York City effort (called the Harlem Children’s Zone), then picked up by the Obama Administration.  It features “cradle-to-grave” social services focused on a particular geographic area.

Late last year, the Los Angeles Promise Neighborhood was awarded $30 million by the US Department of Education.  According to the announcement letter (attached below), the LA effort will provide wraparound social services to families in Hollywood and Pacoima including efforts to change 19 neighborhood schools into neighborhood centers with extended hours and offerings for adults as well as children.  The award, expected to serve 18,000 youth per year, was just one of seven grants given this year and will be announced formally in upcoming weeks.