2024 Community Grants Awardees
The Museum of Sonoma County (MSC) provides dedicated spaces for art and history, boasting a collection of more than 18,000 objects as well as a sculpture garden. The Museum operates a robust school tour program that reaches over 2,500 students annually. In 2023 MSC opened a permanent exhibition, Sonoma County Stories, with a goal to change the way the history of the region is seen, and to cultivate a sense of belonging among under-represented communities of Sonoma County. Grant funds will be used to support programming for Sonoma County Stories—in particular, the Storytellers School program, set to launch in 2024.
Raizes Collective was founded in 2015 to address the need for an organization led by people of color in Sonoma County to lift up marginalized residents. The Collective focuses on Latinx, immigrant and Indigenous youth, women, and farmworker families. Its mission is to empower and mobilize these communities through the arts, culture, leadership development and community education. Raizes serves roughly 800 youth and 300 artists of color each year. Grant funds will be used to support two programs: Cosecha Youth Empowerment, which engages youth in after-school activities and Uplifting Artists of Color, a program that supports artists by showcasing their work and giving them opportunities to exhibit or perform.
More first responders lose their lives to suicide than die in the line of duty. Their average life expectancy is 15 years lower than in the general population. They face a 70% divorce rate and increased risks of stroke, heart attack, and cancer. Such are the unintended consequences of a career marked by chronic exposure to traumatic stress. First Responders Resiliency, Inc. (FRRI) provides first responders (and their families) with the skills needed to become more resilient, both on duty and off. FRRI will use the grant funds to develop an online training program to extend the reach of its team.
Magnolia Project partners with middle and high schools to implement its two Pathway programs: Career Exploration and Apprenticeship. These semester-long programs aim to re-engage students in school, combat chronic absenteeism, and help students plan for life after high school. Through the programs, students build career readiness skills, gain hands-on work experience and connect with future employers. Grant funding will enable expansion of the middle school Career Exploration pathway to six schools in four more districts: Santa Rosa, Fort Ross, Monte Rio and Cazadero.
The Bird Rescue Center (BRC) has a twofold mission: to rescue, rehabilitate and release back to the wild, sick, injured or orphaned native wild birds, and to educate the public about the vital role these native birds play in maintaining a healthy environment. The BRC is open year round, 24/7, and is the only organization in Sonoma County treating all species of native wild birds, regardless of age, illness or injury. Thousands of birds are rehabilitated by BRC staff and volunteers annually. Grant funds will be used to continue providing natural protein sources for the birds in BRC’s care, a research-based protocol begun in 2020.
Elisha’s Pantry is dedicated to alleviating hunger in Sonoma County by providing nutritious food with kindness and respect for all. This interfaith nonprofit has provided fresh produce and staples to anyone in need. Beyond providing food, each month the pantry offers an essentials giveaway with a variety of toiletries, household items and clothes from which clients can choose. Once a year the pantry also holds a winter clothing giveaway. Grant funds will be used to purchase food and support the coordinator who manages food purchases, delivery and distribution providing sustainability at a time when the need is skyrocketing.
Our Village Closet (OVC) provides essentials, support, and community connections to those impacted by foster care. OVC was established by two foster moms who recognized an unmet need among local foster families and youth. Caregivers needed material goods, connection, and extra support. Foster youth needed essentials, the power of choice, and a chance to feel seen and heard. When OVC opened in 2021, it served 35 youth and caregivers each month, offering essentials and support at no cost. That number has grown to roughly 300. Grant funds will be used to increase OVC’s capacity, invest in technology, and expand its essentials inventory to support more eligible youth and caregivers.
2023 Community Grants Awardees
Alchemia supports artists who have intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDDs), including autism, cerebral palsy, Down syndrome, and cognitive delays. It enables these artists to share their voices through the visual, performing and creative arts. Alchemia’s main program in Santa Rosa serves 50 artists. The grant from Impact 100 Redwood Circle provides start-up funding for staff training and professional development and for developing a marketing strategic plan.
Play it Forward Music Foundation
Play It Forward Music Foundation (PIFMF), provides instruments, lessons, programs and performance opportunities to people with limited access. PIFMF has collected and provided hundreds of instruments to local schools and supports music students through private scholarships. The grant will help ensure the financial security of current PIFMF programs.
100 Black Men of Sonoma County
100 Black Men of Sonoma County was established in 1990 to address the need for young African American men to become actively, publicly involved in community issues. The all-volunteer group addresses issues related to education, health and wellness, economic development and leadership, with a focus on youth development. Its Money Matters program provides financial literacy training workshops for youth. The grant supports reinstating the in-person format of Money Matters after the pandemic.
Second Chance is a student services program of Santa Rosa Junior College that provides academic support and resources for formerly incarcerated individuals. The program envisions a community in which all such individuals receive the support they need to pursue their educational goals and re-enter society as productive, caring members. Second Chance currently serves 110 students and is growing rapidly. Space has been secured on campus to serve as a center for the program. Grant funds will support the purchase of furniture, fixtures, and equipment needed to outfit the Second Chance center.
Audubon Canyon Ranch (ACR) is a conservation nonprofit whose mission is to connect science, nature, and people. The organization stewards 5,000 acres of land on four North Bay preserves. As the region’s primary provider of training in prescribed fire, ACR’s Fire Forward program advances the North Bay Area’s ability to use good fire to reduce risk from wildfires. Its approach to building a skilled, inclusive firefighter/firelighter community is cutting-edge and a model of fire management for the Western US. A grant will support the program manager position and enable ACR to continue and expand its work to reduce wildfire risk and improve and restore ecosystem health.
Since 1976, Sonoma Land Trust (SLT) has acquired and protected over 57,000 acres of environmentally significant land in and around Sonoma County. SLT’s 2023-2028 strategic plan focuses on building a climate-resilient county, using nature-based solutions. Since the devastating 2017 Nuns Fire, SLT and its partners have implemented fuel reduction and prescribed burns. Building on this success, SLT will implement vegetation management and prescribed burning on its preserves in Knights Valley and on the coast. Funding will help cover SLT staff time for the project and help meet the matching fund requirement for a Coastal Conservancy grant.