In 2009, The James B. McClatchy Foundation (then known as The Central Valley Foundation), began awarding grants to K-12 school districts in the Central Valley with the primary purpose of advancing the academic achievement of the Valley’s English Learners. This program, known as the New Grant Initiative (NGI), funded more than ten districts to great success. Grant projects were generally based on professional development activities for teachers and administrators around best practices for educating English Learners.  At the conclusion of the initiative in 2018, The James B. McClatchy Foundation had awarded $7,938,988 in grant funding to 10 school districts that included 68 schools, 16,121 EL students, 1352 teachers and 94 administrators.