Dr. James E. Lyons, Sr., Elected to the Los Angeles United Methodist Urban Foundation Board of Governors

Dr. James E. Lyons, Sr., president of California State University, Dominguez Hills, has been elected to the Board of Governors of the Los Angeles United Methodist Urban Foundation. The foundation is one of only a few faith-based members of Southern California Association of Philanthropy who grant solely to faith-based and social justice agencies.

The Urban Foundation also serves as an intermediary for other Foundation and Government funds to faith-based agencies in these underserved areas. In addition to these grants, the Urban Foundation sponsors the Mildred Hutchinson Chair of Urban Ministry at Claremont School of Theology and has been involved in building 141 units of affordable housing in downtown Los Angeles, a block away from the Staples Center with its sister corporation the 1010 Development Corporation.

As part of its work during 2000, the Urban Foundation disbursed more than $250,000 in
grants in such areas as leadership development, after-school programs, Urban Ministry at Claremont School of Theology, administration to build affordable housing, tutoring and computer instruction, and scholarships to seminary students. Moreover, the Urban Foundation has been a partner in Los Angeles Urban Funders, working with community initiatives in the area and raising the issue of church involvement in community development projects.

The Urban Foundation was a gift in 1983 by the First United Methodist Church, Los Angeles to the faith-based community in the underserved areas of Los Angeles, Long Beach and San Fernando Valley.