Standing Together to Meet this Moment
With the recent change of administration in Washington DC, we find ourselves in the midst of a crisis, yet again.
Thanks to our donors’ support, Catalyst stands ready to take the actions on behalf of our community that no single donor or organization can take alone. We have been working hard to prepare for this moment since before election day, alongside our core partner Community Foundation Sonoma County and many other frontline County and Valley leaders.
The first week of the new Trump administration has made even worst-case predictions look conservative, with far-reaching social and economic impacts. For the 10,000 Latinos living in Sonoma Valley, the Executive Orders on immigration have sown chaos and fear in the lives of citizens, legal residents and those without documentation alike, since racial profiling will have dire consequences for those who appear to be of a different race or culture. Among the harshest of the new decrees is that sensitive locations such as schools, health clinics and churches are no longer off-limits for federal agents doing sweeps and raids. This is new, and ominous.
The impact is not limited to immigration, but threatens many vulnerable groups, including members of the LGBTQ community and others already living on the margins.
Given this reality, Catalyst is committed to remaining deeply informed, responsive and flexible. We are ready to pivot quickly as new needs emerge—just as we did in the pandemic. Our strategy is grounded in an understanding that we must think and act to meet immediate needs at the same time as we prepare for inevitable future needs.
First, immediate actions must be taken involving new legal training, coordination across many actors and combatting disinformation and misinformation. Catalyst has already made two significant grants to meet these key community-wide needs, based on our participation in numerous County and Valley briefings:
Granted $51,000 in December 2024 to Sonoma Immigrant Services funding a new part-time position to organize education and training sessions for immigrants and employers related to immigration rights and changing laws. SIS has the legal expertise necessary to lead these efforts, and the additional capacity will ensure their outreach is swift, effective and far-reaching.
Granted $58,200 to the Sonoma Valley Collaborative in January 2025 to take on the vital role of coordinating and disseminating immigrant-related information to/from all the impacted frontline organizations, with a particular emphasis on employers and employees. This allows frontline organizations to focus on providing direct services and helps ensure a central hub of timely and accurate information.
Meanwhile, we are continuing our work to expand the local food security system as many are likely to lose jobs or quit going to work.
Looking ahead, our community must anticipate that many new needs will arise in the months and years ahead, including impacts not just on basic human needs such as food but also on schools, health care, mental health, employment, Medicaid and veterans. For instance, new types of bail funds may need to be created, along with novel ways of reaching those affected with accurate and trusted information (as public gatherings are being limited since they create potential targets).
We can take these actions thanks to the trust and generosity of our donors, who see the strategic advantage of an unrestricted, pooled fund that can be tapped smartly without delay, at a scale beyond the reach of all but a few individual funders.
We will continue our work to spot emerging gaps and eliminate duplication in this dynamic situation, working closely with all key Valley and County actors, which include La Luz Center, Sonoma Immigrant Services, North Bay Rapid Response Network and Sonoma Valley Collaborative.
If you want to lean in, consider the following actions:
Make a direct contribution to any of the frontline organizations.
Make a contribution to Catalyst, for the community-wide needs that no single organization or donor can meet alone.
Get trained as a volunteer Legal Observer by North Bay Rapid Response Network to help document an ICE visit.