A new funding source to spark new solutions
The Sonoma Valley Catalyst Fund is offering Reimagine Grants of up to $100,000 to local organizations and nonprofits with an ambitious goal of sparking brand-new concepts and ideas to solve complex local issues.
With funding of up to $100,000 per project, each Reimagine Grant is designed to fill a gap in funding for Sonoma Valley groups that want to take risks, and test new solutions.
“Reimagine Grants are designed to shake up our thinking and encourage some risk-taking by our local problem solvers,“ says Catalyst Co-chair Katherine Fulton. “Reimagine Grants, along with our new initiative on Food Security, can truly help the community develop meaningful new approaches, and also to get unstuck from the ways we work now.
Reimagine Grants will help fund all phases of innovation from research and experimentation, to pilot programs and new partnerships, Fulton said.
Previous grants awarded by Catalyst that fit the Reimagine criteria include a pilot program at the Boys and Girls Club to offer mental health services in collaboration with Petaluma People Services, and also funding for the creation of the Sonoma Valley Health Collaborative to provide the first public vaccine clinics and coordinate the ongoing pandemic response.
“This is the heart of the mission of Catalyst,” says Fulton. “We aim to mobilize philanthropic support and innovative approaches to address urgent, emergent and chronic challenges to that no donor or organization can solve alone.”
The grant process itself is also new and unique. The first step for potential applicants is an initial conversation with the Catalyst grants team, to assess the concept for alignment with the Reimagine Grants purpose before creating a proposal. Potential applicants are asked to send an email for scheduling that initial step [email protected]. Additionally, the grants will be awarded on a rolling basis, with no deadline for submissions.
Catalyst has put a $100,000 limit per projects, but expects and encourages proposals for smaller grant amounts. Catalyst was launched in 2020 to help support local non-profits pivot quickly to serve their constituents during the Covid-19 crisis. Catalyst distributed more than $1.3 locally during the pandemic. More information on the grant programs is available at Sonomavalleycatalystfund.org
