Sonoma Valley Nonprofit News
The Rotary Club of Sonoma Valley has opened its 2023 fall community grants cycle for local education and nonprofit organizations. “Last year, our club awarded almost $80,000 in grants to local groups, including the Sonoma Valley High School Wellness Center, Grupo Folklorico Quetzalen, Sonoma Valley Youth Soccer, Cancer Support Sonoma, the Sonoma Ecology Center, Sonoma Overnight Support, and Homeless Action Sonoma,” said Jim Carruthers, club president. “We’ve been serving Sonoma Valley continuously since 1946, doing what we can to make our community a little bit better for the people who live, work, or visit here.” Applications are due by October 31, 2023 at SonomaValleyRotary.org. The grants are meant to be very accessible to local organizations who deliver direct services to the Sonoma Valley, said Shanis Nelson, the club’s grants committee chair.
Impact100 Sonoma has its own grant news. In 2024, the funding organization will again offer multiple Impetus Grants of up to $25,000 to nonprofit organizations. In honor of its 15th anniversary, the group will also award a multi-year Encore Grant, which will give one 2024 Impetus Grant recipient a second grant of the same amount in early 2025. “Valley nonprofits have told us that a known second year of funding can give them the flexibility to pursue mission-related proposals and long-term projects,” said Kathy Bloch, Grants oversight co-chair. “It also can also make it easier for them to secure grants from other funders.” This will mark the fourth year in a row that Impact100 Sonoma will award multiple Impetus Grants. Last year, the group awarded a record $337,400 to 16 nonprofits serving Sonoma Valley. That strategy of disbursing funds widely, as opposed to offering fewer large grants, was initiated during the COVID-19 pandemic and is now established as an ongoing format. “The Impetus Grant model has encouraged participation by a broader cross-section of applicants, including those that are newer or smaller,” said Dana Simpson-Stokes, Grants oversight co-chair. “One third of our 2023 grant recipients, for example, received Impact100 Sonoma funding for the first time. Nearly half of our applicants requested grants of less than $25,000, and six of them received funding. Clearly, this approach is a good fit for our community.” Application period opens November 1 at Impact100sonoma.org.
The 2024 Sonoma Treasure Artist of the Year nomination period is open through October 31 at Sonomacity.org. The award celebrates outstanding achievements in the performing, visual, or literary arts, and extends to artists working throughout Sonoma Valley. Last two winners: Pat Meier Johnson, in 2022, and 2023 honoree Jaime Love.
