Recovery Grants Summer 2021

Organization: Pets Lifeline

To address the quadrupling of demand for spay/neuter procedures needed by the pandemic pet population adopted over the last year and to provide key staff time off. Amount: $20,000, 8/20/2021

Organization: Sebastiani Theatre Foundation

To hire a part-time Marketing Development Manager for one year to shift programming, restore the theatre’s economic vitality and increase outreach to more diverse audiences. Amount: $20,000, 8/20/2021

Organization: Sonoma Arts Live

To execute the CDC’s layered approach to safety during their indoor shows by purchasing needed air filtering, hiring a special cleaning crew and sanitizing show equipment. Amount: $16,545, 8/20/2021

Organization: Sonoma Valley Community Communications (KSVY, SONOMATV)

To support the planning and execution of several operational pandemic adjustments to ensure ongoing emergency coverage and to provide staff recognition. Amount: $15,000, 8/20/2021

Feeding Families' Mental Health Supporters

Organization: Pets Lifeline

The grant supports the mental health of food insecure families with pets by expanding and aligning Pet Lifeline's pet food distribution with the Redwood Food Bank distribution sites in Sonoma Valley. As COVID rages on and winter takes its toll, families that are food insecure are struggling to feed and care for their pets.  Family pets are a well-researched source of stress relief and mental health support for both adults and children. Pets Lifeline had to stop providing free pet food support at food distribution sites last summer when in-kind donations could not meet the increased demand. The Catalyst grant funds will leverage in-kind donations and enable an expanded distribution at these key sites from February through May 2021 using Pets Lifeline's repurposed pet adoption van.

Amount: $11,500 01/22/2021

Raising Sonoma’s Spirits: Winter Wonderland, Sonoma Style

Organization: Friends in Sonoma Helping (FISH)

This project is designed to assist in bringing holiday cheer to the valley through branding, organizing and executing a bilingual campaign for the winter holidays, a series of small holiday events and virtual programming for an outpouring of holiday love throughout Sonoma Valley. Months of COVID has created anxiety, depression and separation. The intent of this project is to help promote COVID-safe holiday programming to the valley through partnering with over a dozen local organizations and leveraging their existing plans to create a campaign designed to engage our local community to celebrate safely and with joy. Lisa Carlsson and her marketing team at C&C Creative will be contracted by FISH to do outreach to coordinate with local organizations, design a wrap-around campaign to assist local nonprofits in getting the word out about their activities and provide assistance in promotion. Additional funds will support Fish’s holiday services.

Amount: $10,000, 12/4/2020

Organizing for Resilience

Organization: Springs MAC (through a grant to Sonoma Ecology Center)

Enables the Springs Municipal Advisory Council (MAC) to hire a part-time, bi-lingual outreach worker to assist in organizing block captains as part of the Springs MAC's Map My Neighborhood Program. This will provide essential communications infrastructure for the pandemic, as the disease spreads and vaccination process begins.

$12,750, 10/30/2020

Update: The part-time outreach worker has recruited. There are over a dozen block captains at every meeting, which expands interest. There are cultural barriers that remain and are being addressed.