Category: Stories

The Place Families Know They Can Turn

Posted on: Jul 30, 2026

As demand surged by 31 percent, Puertas Abiertas Community Resource Center remained a trusted first stop for Napa County's Latino and immigrant families. It was a year of change for Puertas Abiertas Community Resource Center: a leadership transition, a move into a new building, and — in the middle of it all — a wave…

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Looking Beyond the Crisis

Posted on: Jul 29, 2026

ParentsCAN knows that children can't thrive at school until their families have stability at home. Flexible funding helped ensure they never had to choose between today's needs and tomorrow's. A nine-year-old was getting into trouble at school — constant, escalating trouble — until a ParentsCAN advocate sat down with the family and learned the real…

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Keeping Coverage When the Rules Kept Changing

Posted on: Jul 29, 2026

As healthcare rules shifted and uncertainty spread, Community Health Initiative helped thousands of Napa County residents maintain coverage—and used Safety Net Fund support to build a stronger future. Every community depends on organizations that quietly help people through life's hardest moments. But what happens when those organizations face a crisis of their own? Last year,…

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We haven’t done this since 2003 (our new study on how Napa’s charitable sector has changed)

Posted on: Jul 16, 2026

Every so often, Napa Valley Community Foundation (NVCF) takes a careful look at the local nonprofit sector. The questions we ask are straightforward: What has changed? How is funding shifting? And where can the Foundation’s attention and resources make the greatest difference? We published the last comprehensive study of this kind in 2003 — two decades ago. Now,…

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Supporting Those Who Serve: The First Responders Fund 

Posted on: Jan 26, 2026

When troubles come to Napa County, our first responders show up without hesitation, giving everything they can to protect and support our community. Sometimes those troubles affect a single person or family, as is the case with a medical emergency or roadway accident; sometimes those troubles affect us all, which is true for natural disasters.…

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A Summer in Oxford, England Opens New Doors for Coppola Scholar Saniya Chandy

Posted on: Jan 14, 2026

For as long as she can remember, 16-year-old Saniya Chandy has been drawn to medicine—especially the kind of human-centered care that helped her family through a difficult period. After her parent suffered a chronic injury, she realized, “I want to help families and everyday people who are going through struggles. This is my passion, helping…

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We Were Ready: What Napa Valley Community Foundation Learned From a Near-Miss Food Security Emergency

Posted on: Dec 17, 2025

In late October, almost 11,000 Napa County residents braced for the possibility of losing their November CalFresh benefits during the federal government shutdown. Children, seniors, and working families who rely on these food subsidies faced real fear and uncertainty. At Napa Valley Community Foundation, we hoped for the best but prepared for the worst—as we…

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Meet Kent Rasmussen and Celia Ramsay

Posted on: Oct 24, 2025

In their 1885 Napa Victorian home, Kent Rasmussen and Celia Ramsay are surrounded by art, much of it collected at local charity auctions and events—including Nimbus Arts’ NIMBASH. A love of art is just one of the passions Kent and Celia have cultivated over their 40 years of marriage and entrepreneurship. Together, they built Rasmussen…

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