The California Endowment, a private health foundation that was created in 1996 after Blue Cross of California became a for-profit company, has given The Oakland Tribune and the Maynard Institute for Journalism Education a $340,000 grant.

According to the Trib, part of the grant will be used to renew a fellowship for reporter Scott Johnson.

Projects planned for the grant money include helping the Tribune “delve deeper into the impact of violence and trauma on Oakland residents.”

The newspaper and the Maynard Institute also plan to use some of the money to develop a website that helps news organizations in their reporting, as well as serving as a “clearing house” for therapists, counselors, activists, concerned citizens and elders to discuss issues and find services.

In addition, four community forums will be held in Oakland. The first, scheduled for April 2012, will focus on gun violence in Oakland.

“This grant will enable us to lead the way in developing a new, community-oriented strategy for the future on an international level,” Bay Area News Group President Mac Tully said in the Trib story.

Here’s a link to more about the California Endowment. The Maynard Foundation is named after the former owner of the Tribune, the late Robert Maynard. The foundation and newspaper have collaborated on several projects in the past.