Published 03/2020
Since launching the fund in October of 2017 we have made more than $6.7 million in grants to support organizations helping individuals impacted by the fires, healing the long-term effects of trauma, and creating housing solutions for our community. Our 2019 report on the Resilience Fund encapsulates our grantmaking work through December 2019.
Published 03/2019
Since launching the fund in October of 2017 we have made more than $2.4 million in grants to support organizations helping individuals impacted by the fires, healing the long-term effects of trauma, and creating housing solutions for our community. Our 2018 report on the Resilience Fund encapsulates our grantmaking work from October 2017 through December 2018.
Grantee organizations include: Burbank Housing, California Human Development, Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Santa Rosa, Ceres Community Project, City of Santa Rosa, Community Action Partnership of Sonoma County, Grantmakers Concerned with Immigrants and Refugees, Healthcare Foundation Northern Sonoma County, Humane Society of Sonoma County, La Luz Center, Legal Aid of Sonoma County, Lomi Counseling Clinic, Lutheran Social Services of Northern California (ROC Sonoma County), On the Move (La Plaza), Pepperwood Foundation, Petaluma People Services Center, Redwood Empire Food Bank, Santa Rosa Community Health, SHARE Sonoma County, Sonoma County Sheriff’s Department, United Policyholders, United Way of the Wine Country, Volunteer Center Of Sonoma County.
A Long-Term Approach to Recovery: Our 6-month Progress Update
Published 04/2018
The Resilience Fund is the largest long-term recovery fund in Sonoma County. To identify where our support will be needed most, our grantmaking team engaged in a comprehensive community needs assessment, including meetings with hundreds of local nonprofit leaders, surveys to over 450 nonprofit organizations across Sonoma and Napa counties, and interviews with foundations in New Orleans, Houston, San Diego, and other areas impacted by disasters. Based on this work, the Foundation has identified three key areas of greatest need and will be investing in these areas starting in the summer of 2018.
Report 2018 Wildfire Response Survey, Sonoma and Napa Counties
Published 03/2018
Community Foundation Sonoma County and Napa Valley Community Foundation engaged the Center for Effective Philanthropy’s (CEP) Advisory Services to survey nonprofit organizations in Sonoma and Napa counties about the impact of, and their response to, the October 2017 Northern California wildfires. The goal was to learn about how local nonprofits have been affected, their immediate response services provided for fire survivors, the broader needs of the community, and any suggestions for recovery efforts.
Report: Listening Sessions
Published 02/2018
In February our programs team hosted 10 “Coffees with Karin” at locations around the county. Our goal was to meet with as many nonprofit organizations as possible to hear directly from them about the needs they were seeing in our community. Through these listening sessions, we met with 172 nonprofit leaders representing 123 organizations, and asked them to answer three questions:
Report: Stakeholder Interviews
Published 02/2018
In concert with our listening sessions, the foundation hosted in-depth interviews with 16 nonprofit, city, and county leaders in the community. We reached out to individuals who know CFSC well and could provide strategic feedback to us as we think through the best approaches for addressing community needs through the Resilience Fund.
Wendy Todd, an independent consultant, interviewed sixteen community leaders between January 19th and February 8th, 2018 to inform the development of the purpose, goals, and strategies of the Resilience Fund. Community leaders interviewed represented a variety of nonprofit and public agencies. This report summarizes themes that emerged. The interview discussions centered on the following key questions:
November 28, 2017 Resilience Convening
On November 28th we hosted a Resilience Convening for local philanthropic and nonprofit leaders to learn from one another and share needs and opportunities to inform our community recovery and rebuilding process.
Prior to the Resilience Convening, we conducted a survey of 15 local and regional funders who have created fire funds to begin to map the funding landscape for relief, recovery, and rebuilding. The event included presentations by local funders who have created funds in response to the fires and a breakout session for nonprofits to discuss emerging needs and opportunities.
The PowerPoint from the funder’s panel, funder survey results, and other documents from the convening are available for download below.
Resilience Convening Report: Values, Needs, and Opportunities
Funder’s Panel Presentation PowerPoint: Presentations by Tipping Point, Redwood Credit Union’s North Bay Fire Relief Fund, Community Foundation Sonoma County, Rebuild North Bay, UndocuFund, and United Way of the Wine Country.
Audio Recording of Funder’s Panel: Thanks to KRCB for recording the presentations and panel discussion.
Funder Survey Results: A full report of the survey we conducted in November 2017 of 15 funders who have created fire relief/recovery funds.
Not long after the 2016 elections, a group of black leaders and community members in Sonoma County came together to discuss how to uplift and support one another during what was a tumultuous time for many. Several people from the group continued meeting over the......
Three years before the North Bay’s October 2017 fires, Napa County was struck with a 6.0 earthquake, a disaster that led the county to quickly become more readily prepared for large scale emergencies. Numerous historic buildings suffered damage and nearly 200 people were injured in......
The California Indian Museum and Cultural Center (CIMCC) was founded in San Francisco’s Presidio district in 1996 and made the move to its current location in Santa Rosa in 2001. Funds from the Department of Education helped with purchasing a permanent home for the museum......
Prior to the 2017 fire disaster in Sonoma County, the core services offered through Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Santa Rosa focused primarily on homelessness and housing, emergency shelter, and street outreach work. The organization also offered immigration and naturalization services, which...
If there is a bright spot in the midst of the devastation our community has suffered, it is the incredible outpouring of generosity of people from across the country. To date, we’ve raised over $25 million for the Resilience Fund, and we continue to raise more every day. For a list of major contributors to the Resilience Fund, click here.
