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A newsletter of the Napa Valley Community Foundation
December 2008
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Second in a series of three special
issues
Yesterday, we talked about how the economy is
impacting human services programs, and the clients
they serve. The bottom line: At the very moment
nonprofits are being called upon to provide more
assistance than ever, financial support of these
organizations is dwindling. In fact, our rough
estimates indicate there will be a $3 million to $5
million gap--annually for the next two years--between
the demand for safety net services and the revenue
needed to adequately provide them.
Our next question was: What can Napa Valley
Community Foundation do to help, given our fairly
limited resources?
After careful analysis of what nonprofits told us are the
most critical needs for families, we came up with a
focused plan to distribute nearly $285,000 for food,
shelter emergency assistance and mental health
services for vulnerable adults. We are collectively
calling these "Safety Net Grants," since these types of
programs are the lynchpin for households trying to
survive during tough economic times.
Below you'll find details on those grants.
Marla
Tofle
Director of Philanthropic Services
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Safety Net Grants
From the Strong Communities Fund
$140,750 to provide emergency assistance (such as
shelter, food, childcare, medicine, utilities,
transportation) to working families and seniors. We
are placing these resources at family centers around
the county, and a few others that work closely with
family centers.
- American Canyon Family Resource Center:
$10,000 in emergency assistance and general
support
- Calistoga Family Center: $20,500 in
emergency assistance and general support
- Community Resources for Children: $15,000 for
emergency childcare assistance
- Community Action Napa Valley: $10,000 in
general support for administration of county-wide
emergency aid programs like Season of Sharing
- Cope Family Center: $35,000 in emergency
assistance and general support
- ParentsCAN, Inc: $10,000 in emergency
assistance and general support
- Progress Foundation: $20,000 in emergency
assistance and general support
- Spirit of Unity in Napa, Inc.: $9,000 in emergency
assistance and general support for Puertas Abiertas
resource center
- St. Helena Family Resource Center: $11,250 in
emergency assistance and general support
$72,500 to help people stay in their current housing
situation and avoid homelessness. We are making
these grants to nonprofits that provide a host of
prevention and intervention services to families and
seniors facing eviction or foreclosure.
- Greater Napa Valley Fair Housing Center: $7,500
in general support
- Legal Aid of Napa Valley: $15,000 for housing
services
- Housing and Economic Rights Advocates and
Napa Valley Foreclosure Collaborative: $50,000
for foreclosure prevention and intervention
services
$35,000 to food programs. We are making these
grants to organizations that provide no-cost food or
meals to families and elderly residents.
- Community Action Napa Valley: $15,000 for Napa
Valley Food Bank
- First Presbyterian Church of Napa: $7,500 for The
Table program
- Salvation Army - Napa Corps: $10,000 for its
feeding program
- St. Helena Community Food Pantry: $2,500 in
general support
$20,000 for adult mental health services. We are
making this grant to the only organization in Napa
County that provides sliding-scale counseling to
adults, couples and seniors. While not traditionally
viewed as part of the "safety net," mental health is an
essential factor in whether a struggling household is
able to achieve stability.
- Family Service of Napa Valley: $20,000 in general
support
Held in reserve: an additional $15,000 is available by
application in 2009 for two or more safety net
nonprofits that wish to collaborate on projects that will
increase revenues or reduce expenses.
Tomorrow: How you can help
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