15-Year Partnership between H.N. and Frances C. Berger Foundation and News Channel 3 has Awarded Millions of Dollars in Grants and Television Airtime
After 15 years of presenting $25,000 to a nonprofit organization each month, the H.N. and Frances C. Berger Foundation ended 2023 with an accumulation of awarding more than $4.6 million in Coachella Valley Spotlight grants. The partnership between the foundation and the Palm Springs television group Gulf California Broadcast Company (owner of KESQ News Channel 3 and affiliated stations) has provided funding and media exposure to a diverse selection of charitable groups in the Coachella Valley since December 2008.
Each year, grant recipients of the Coachella Valley Spotlight were selected from a pool of applicants by the News Channel 3 Advisory Board, which included members of the community and representatives from the H.N. and Frances C. Berger Foundation. Along with the funds, each pre-selected 501(c)3 nonprofit organization was featured on News Channel 3’s “Eye on the Desert,” a daily segment that features news and entertainment from around the area. The selected charities also received television public service announcements (PSAs) and were showcased on kesq.com during a designated month.
“Funding and exposure are essential to nonprofit organizations,” said Catharine Reed, Vice President of Charitable Programs for the H.N. and Frances C. Berger Foundation. “The Coachella Valley Spotlight partnership with News Channel 3 has supported both of these needs, and we’re proud of the accomplishments over 15 years.”
Since its inception, the Coachella Valley Spotlight has benefited children, seniors, military, veterans, homeless, people in drug and alcohol recovery, people with special needs, animals, workforce development, education, health assistance, social services, and arts programs in the area of about 500,000 full-time and part-time residents.
“The recipients of the Coachella Valley Spotlight awards have wonderful stories,” said Jerry Upham, General Manager of Gulf California Broadcast Company, which owns and operates KESQ News Channel 3 and KPSP CBS Local 2. “We hope that over the last 15 years, these stories have inspired and helped people, and we are looking forward to future collaborations with the Berger Foundation that will continue to benefit Coachella Valley nonprofits.”
Information about past recipients can be found on the Coachella Valley Spotlight page of www.kesq.com. The H.N. and Frances C. Berger Foundation is a private foundation that generously supports educational and other charitable projects. For more information visit www.hnberger.org.