Over $11 million awarded to nonprofits and students in 2017
Sacramento, Calif. –Â Last year, the Sacramento Region Community Foundation tallied $13.8 million in philanthropic contributions and, together with its donors, directed over $11.2 million to nonprofit organizations and local students.
“Our community is strengthened by the philanthropy of generous people who give to the causes they love, which is why it is inspiring to see so many of our fundholders give so graciously year after year,” said Linda Beech Cutler, the Foundation’s chief executive.
“Because of their generosity and confidence in our philanthropic leadership, our fundholders have helped foster an enduring ethos of giving throughout the region,” she said, noting that the Foundation’s assets grew by nearly $20 million in 2017, bringing its total assets to $145 million. The majority of those assets are endowed, ensuring the capital area will benefit from a strong philanthropic base in perpetuity.
In addition to the $8.5 million donors directed to nonprofits of their choice in 2017, and the $1.2 million it awarded in scholarships, the Foundation awarded $1.5 million to organizations throughout the region to meet a variety of immediate and long-term community needs.
In December alone, the Foundation awarded nearly $250,000 to support arts programming through its Guy M. and Jacqueline C. Sheridan Memorial Fund, offer college scholarships to historically underrepresented students through its Francis Noz Fund, and augment a regional effort to help community leaders recognize and address implicit bias through its Community Impact Fund. From its Immediate Need Grants program, the Foundation awarded time-sensitive grants to six nonprofits serving a range of sectors throughout El Dorado, Placer, Sacramento and Yolo counties, including civil rights advocacy, human services, and youth development.
“Last year was an important year of collaboration with our fundholders and the communities we serve,” said Priscilla Enriquez, the Foundation’s Chief Impact & Strategy Officer. “The awards we directed to local nonprofits continued to grow, and the investments we made in our four Strategic Initiatives supported long-term efforts to build a better Sacramento region for all who live here.”
In 2017, as part of its work to transform the capital area through its four initiatives, the Foundation generated a record $7.2 million with 600 nonprofits during its annual Big Day of Giving, fostered the partnerships that are streamlining the region’s food system, helped develop the City of Sacramento’s new Cultural Plan, and awarded 120 scholarships to the first cohort of its Capital Area Promise Scholars.
To learn more about the Foundation’s philanthropic services and initiatives, please visit the Foundation’s website at www.sacregcf.org
