The Community Foundation of the North State is kicking off its 25th year with the announcement of grants that are aimed at distributing at least $75,000 into North State communities.
Since 2000, the Community Foundation has been working to impact the region through collective philanthropy. The Foundation started with $300,000 and just seven funds and now stewards over 180 charitable funds and holds $38 million in assets. Combined with more than $64 million in grantmaking, this means that the Foundation has generated over $100 million in impact over the last two and a half decades.
“Every day we see the impact of philanthropic dollars in our community, but to look at the cumulative effect the Foundation has had is really humbling,” said Kerry Caranci, Chief Executive Officer for the Community Foundation. “These grants, scholarships, donor advised funds, and giving days really are creating positive change when it comes to our kids, animals, the environment, and the overall health and wellness of our community.”
The Foundation kicked off a year of grantmaking with grants to local organizations the Redding Piano Angels, Tehama Creatives, and Local Indians for Education from their Fund for the North State. The Fund for the North State (FFNS) is an endowed fund that makes annual grants to support urgent needs. The CFNS Board of Directors serves as a discretionary panel for FFNS grants. Donors who wish to participate in this endeavor may restrict their donation to support a specific county in our service region – Shasta, Siskiyou or Tehama.
Since inception of the Fund for the North State, it has provided over $100,000 to support urgent community needs, emergency response, and special initiatives, including:
- Cottonwood Community Park for flood damage repairs
- Siskiyou Arts Museum for the building fund
- Redding Cooperative Preschool for garden planter boxes
- Shasta Historical Society for ceiling renovation/repairs as a result of a burst pipe
- Mercy Foundation North for St. Elizabeth’s Hospital to purchase a new ambulance
- Friends of the Dunsmuir Library to replace/upgrade lighting in the library
- Siskiyou Media Council for FM radio licenses for emergency radio broadcasting
- Tulelake Basin Joint Unified School District to provide feminine hygiene kits for 7th graders
- KIXE to provide major sewer and water system repairs at broadcasting building
- Pathways to Housing for an additional refrigerator at the Hartman House facility
- Poor and the Homeless Tehama County Coalition to purchase home goods for eight transitional apartments in Corning (kitchenware, linens, etc.)
- Haven Humane Society to provide care for animals during Project Homeless Connect
- Tiny Mighty & Strong for a security system and locks
- Tehama County Environmental Health Dept. to purchase water storage containers for residents impacted by drought
- Redding Breakfast Lions Charity, Inc. for back-to-school clothing for low-income children
- Jumpstart Fundraising Accelerator training and coaching for 18 North State nonprofits
- United Way of Northern California for the North State Equity Fund
- Viva Downtown Redding, Inc. to support the construction of a permanent base for the Downtown Redding Christmas tree
- City of Redding to support “Redding Remembers” Carr Fire anniversary event
- Communities for Police Canines to support the working and retired police service dogs of the Redding Police Department
- Exodus Farms Ministry for emergency cutting and clearing of trees fallen during a recent storm impacting service areas
- Raising Shasta for new kitchen stove/oven at Anderson Teen Center
- Redding Trail Alliance for repairing trails and bridges damaged by fire
“We are looking forward to taking the momentum of the last 25 years and really building on it,” said Caranci.
