Last year, we shared how four trusted organizations in Sacramento’s Del Paso Heights and North Sacramento neighborhoods received flexible grants through the Sacramento Region Community Foundation’s role in the League of California Community Foundations‘ Resilience, Capacity Building, and Community Engagement Grant Program.
We promised to share how they used the funds to strengthen their work. Here’s what happened.
Mutual Assistance Network invested in its people. Forty-five staff participated in a wellness event, reviewed the organization’s handbook and safety practices, and completed trauma-informed training together. Sixteen staff built their skills in documentation and managed care systems. A new Social Media Committee launched. Staff coaching and quality assurance tools were developed.
A team getting stronger, more aligned, and more ready to sustain what they’ve been doing across three community centers in Del Paso Heights — this is the kind of internal work that makes every other part of its work possible.
Stanford Settlement Neighborhood Center used the funds to keep a consistent social worker presence in its Teen Center, five days per week. That steady staffing allowed for case management and mentorship for roughly 25 teens, and crisis intervention for five young people who needed it. When youth arrive at the center, they now have someone there who knows them.
Neighborhood Wellness Foundation deepened the facilitation capacity behind its Healing Circles and Parent Cafés, training staff across eight locations. It also partnered with Golden 1 Credit Union and the Sacramento District Attorney’s Office to host an expungement clinic, helping community members clear their records. Staff also built practical skills in data documentation, expanding their work due to the strengthened skills of their staff and volunteers.
Roberts Family Development Center (RFDC) brought in an expert for a full organizational systems assessment and came out with something concrete: an internal roadmap that aligns the organization’s programs, outcomes, and evaluation. They also explored a new data and case management platform. This kind of internal alignment work may not be the most glamorous activity, but RFDC is now better positioned to track the difference it makes and tell that story to funders and partners.
Each organization built something different because each one knew what it needed. That’s the point of flexible funding, and it’s why the trust we all place in community-rooted organizations matters so much.
We’re grateful to the League of California Community Foundations, to our partners and donors through the Foundation’s Impact Fund, and most of all to the leaders and staff at these four organizations who used this support with such care and intention.
Make Your Impact
Support efforts like this with a gift to the Impact Fund. You can also join the Impact Collaborative, a network of people who care about this community and want to make a difference alongside others who feel the same.