The California Community Foundation has announced grants totaling $3.4 million to nonprofit organizations working to address the needs of Los Angeles County's most underserved residents.

The foundation's third round of grants in 2014 will support efforts to improve access to and quality of services in the areas of the arts ($265,000), education ($375,000), health care ($450,000), and housing and economic development ($175,000) — including assisting families and individuals in economically disadvantaged neighborhoods and supporting job creation, microlending, and financial literacy training.

Grants also were awarded in support of the foundation's key initiatives, including $845,000 through the Los Angeles Scholars Investment Fund, which provides scholarships and college preparation and completion services to increase the number of low-income students who graduate with postsecondary degrees; $540,432 to the El Monte Community Building Initiative, which works to ensure that children and youth in the El Monte neighborhood grow up healthier and better prepared for school, college, and a career; and $510,000 through the More and Better Learning Time initiative, a partnership between CCF and the Ford Foundation that aims to provide public schools in neighborhoods of concentrated poverty with more afterschool, out-of-school, and anytime/anywhere learning opportunities.

"Our grantee and donor partners across the country recognize the diverse needs in Los Angeles County and are tirelessly working to make a positive difference," said California Community Foundation president and CEO Antonia Hernández. "We are pleased to collaborate with them to improve the lives of our region’s most vulnerable residents."