Strategy & Budget

 

2024 Strategic Direction

Our goal this year is to continue strengthening our long-term commitment to our partners and communities by prioritizing multi-year grant increases, just as we did last year. This two-year project focuses on increasing the grant amount for many general operating grants as well as the allocation of multi-year grants across our portfolio. Additionally, as part of our ongoing efforts to learn and advance our mission, we are sharing more about how our programs and practices align with our values, including our commitment to racial equity. Over the course of the year, we will continue this work with more updates to follow.

Past Years' Reports

This year, we regularly heard from grantee partners about the urgent housing crisis, especially the growing displacement of families who are priced out of their homes and communities. Many communities are seeing rapid growth in requests for services, particularly across Santa Cruz and Monterey counties and the San Joaquin Valley, all places where wages tend to be lower amid an escalating cost of living for families. In spite of serious threats such as public charge and changing eligibility for benefits, grantee partners have provided critical services to families around the region. In addition to our core portfolio, we made several grants to emerging and exciting work in the San Joaquin Valley that focuses on strengthening the capacity of local organizations. The strong leadership and investment by local funders in that region has been inspiring; we are excited to participate and learn. We also continued to fund efforts to ensure a fair and accurate count for the 2020 Census and have sustained our housing advocacy grantmaking at the state and local levels. In the coming year, we will explore how to more fully incorporate community voice to ensure that those most affected by poverty and policies are at the center of the work.

2019 Grant Data

Grants Paid
308

Unique Grantees
274

Payment Range
$7,500 - $500,000

Average Grant Payment
$74,266

Grant Payments
$22,874,000

Payments