It is expensive living in Sonoma County. The high cost of living makes it challenging for low-income residents to cover their basic human needs—a situation made all the worse by the compounding effects of the wildfires, floods, and coronavirus pandemic. Too often, families are forced to choose between paying their rent or medical bills, buying food or gas to get to work.
In crises such as these, straightforward, real-time assistance with food, shelter, transportation, or medical expenses can prevent families from losing a job, falling into homelessness, or facing another day without food.
Overview
Community Foundation Sonoma County’s Julia L. Grant Fund for Basic Human Needs grant program provides a unique funding opportunity for nonprofit organizations already working with vulnerable populations and in need of funding for critical safety net services.
Funds may be used to provide immediate and direct assistance to secure shelter, emergency food, transportation, and support for urgent medical and dental expenses to people in acute need. Examples of previous safety net services funded through this program include support for rental assistance, emergency financial assistance for precariously housed individuals, provision of emergency food, diapers, and hygiene items, emergency funding for medical co-pays, etc.
Timeline
The Julia L. Grant Basic Human Needs Grant Program takes place in the spring with grant awards announced in early summer.
2021 Grants
| Organization | Grant Purpose |
|---|---|
| Buckelew Programs | to provide direct, urgent, basic need and safety net services to Sonoma County residents who live with severe and persistent mental illness |
| California Parenting Institute (CPI) | to provide food, medical, transportation, clothing, diapers, and other safety net support services to families in Sonoma County through Basic Needs program |
| Ceres Community Project | to support Healing Meals for Healthy Communities |
| COTS (Committee on the Shelterless) | to support the Mary Isaak Center |
| Council on Aging Services for Seniors | to support the Drive-up/Pick-up meal program which has become invaluable in reaching food-insecure seniors during the COVID crisis |
| Covia Foundation | to support the Market Day senior program by providing access to fresh produce, critical information, and referrals |
| FISH of the Santa Rosa Area Inc. | for purchase and distribution of food to families in Santa Rosa |
| Food For Thought | to provide healthy groceries to seriously ill, food-insecure homeless people across Sonoma County through the Bags of Love Program |
| Friends in Sonoma Helping | to provide rental assistance to clients in Sonoma Valley |
| Healdsburg Shared Ministries | to provide healthy food to food insecure residents of Healdsburg and Geyserville |
| On The Move | to support the critical needs of transition aged youth in VOICES Sonoma |
| Petaluma People Services Center | to meet the expanding need of older adults for Home Delivered Meals |
| Reach for Home | to support basic human needs through the Community Health and Wellness Mobile Unit |
| River to Coast Children's Services | to provide food, diapers, short-term shelter, health and safety supplies for west Sonoma County families in need and who have children living in the home |
| Sebastopol Area Senior Center | to provide nutritious meals to older adults in West Sonoma County through the Sebastopol Senior Meals To-Go! program |
| Shared Housing and Resource Exchange California DBA SHARE Sonoma County | to restabilize clients by addressing their basic human needs |
| Side by Side | to provide basic human needs to Side by Side's Sonoma Community Counseling and YouThrive clients |
| Sonoma Overnight Support | to provide food, housing support, healthcare, and other resources to the growing number of individuals and families who are facing housing and food insecurity |
| Sonoma State University | to provide emergency micro-grants to Seawolf Scholars and DREAM Center students through the Critical Needs Fund |
| St. Vincent De Paul Society of Sonoma County | to support Braking Bread the St. Vincent de Paul Sonoma County food truck that delivers meals to homeless people |
| The Living Room | to support the Outreach Program to provide homeless or at risk of becoming homeless individuals with essential goods and services |
| TLC Child & Family Services | to support the THP Resource Center for transition age youth experiencing homelessness or transitioning out of systems of care |
| Verity-Compassion Safety Support A California Corporation | to assist survivors of sexual violence and human trafficking with basic needs such as food, emergency shelter, transportation and clothing |
| Vintage House Senior Multipurpose Center of Sonoma Valley | to support the Soups On! and Suppers On! weekly meal programs to address food insecurity and social isolation among Sonoma Valley seniors |
| Wayfinder Family Services, dba Lilliput Families | to provide for basic needs of children/youth who have entered into emergency care with relatives |
| West County Community Services | to provide twice weekly lunches to low income seniors in the lower Russian River area |
| Women's Recovery Services - A Unique Place | to provide immediate basic human needs for mothers with substance dependence and their children |
| YWCA of Sonoma County | to provide basic needs assistance and support to individuals and families impacted by domestic violence |
This grant program is by invitation only. For more information, please contact:
