NBC4 Southern California / KNBC and Telemundo 52 Los Angeles / KVEA in partnership with the NBCUniversal Foundation announced this month the launch of “Project Innovation,” a competitive grant challenge.

The challenge will award up to $225,000 in grants to a maximum of eight nonprofit organizations in Los Angeles, Orange, San Bernardino, Riverside and Ventura counties that are “leveraging technology to solve everyday problems in the areas of civic engagement, advanced skills development and STEM/STEAM youth programming,” according to the release.

Grant applications opened earlier this month and close on February 2. The stations will announce the Project Innovation grant winners in March.

“Project Innovation provides an opportunity for organizations to receive funding for programs that are addressing community needs through innovation and technology solutions,” Steve Carlston, president and general manager of NBC4, in a statement. “The new grant program will help strengthen and prepare our neighborhoods for a brighter tomorrow.”

Qualified 501(c)(3) organizations can visit NBCLA.com/ProjectInnovation and Telemundo52.com/comunidad to officially apply for the Project Innovation grant challenge and access more information on eligibility requirements.

“We are pleased to partner with the NBCUniversal Foundation to provide community-based organizations in Southern California with an opportunity to compete for funding that will help further our impact in the communities we serve,” Celia Chavez, president and general manager at Telemundo 52 Los Angeles, said in a statement.

Presented by the NBCUniversal Foundation and NBCUniversal Owned Television Stations, a division of NBCUniversal, NBC- and Telemundo-owned stations in 11 markets, including Los Angeles, will collectively award approximately $5 million in grants over a period of two years to local organizations that are embracing technology and innovation to develop real-life solutions for their communities.

NBCUniversal-owned stations in each of the participating regions may select up to eight organizations in their communities as Project Innovation grant winners.

For more information about Project Innovation, please visit NBCLA here and Telemundo 52 here.

Asia Morris is a Long Beach native covering arts and culture for the Long Beach Post. You can reach her @hugelandmass on Twitter and Instagram and at [email protected].