Responsive Grants Program awards go to 19 organizations

We’re pleased to announce 19 grant awards totaling $261,738 in this year’s second funding round of the Responsive Grants Program. The grants of up to $15,000 will support programs and projects throughout our funding region.

From the creation of a tribal garden network in Siskiyou County to connecting low-income clients who have chronic health conditions to care and services in El Dorado County, grantees will offer a broad range of activities to improve health and well-being. Funded programs will serve seniors, low-income and homeless individuals, youth and children.

Current funding commitments bring this year’s Responsive Grants Program total to $516,780. See our Responsive Grants Program web page for grant lists and project descriptions.

We plan to announce 2015 funding opportunities in Partnerships and on our web site in January.

Please e-mail us any questions.

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Kari Lacosta joins Sierra Health Foundation

We’re pleased to welcome Kari Lacosta as the foundation’s new Public Affairs and Communications Director.

In this position, Kari oversees public affairs programming for Sierra Health Foundation and the Center for Health Program Management, and provides communications direction for both organizations’ programs and public policy initiatives.

Previously, Kari was the Deputy District Director for Congresswoman Doris Matsui (CA-06), where she assisted in overseeing all district office operations, as well as consulted and advised the Congresswoman on a number of policy issues. She represented the Congresswoman in the community and wrote speeches, message points, press releases and narratives.

Kari rejoined the Congresswoman’s district office in Sacramento in January 2012 after two years as a Legislative Assistant in her Washington, D.C. office. While in Washington, Kari assisted the Congresswoman with her Energy and Commerce Committee assignment, as well as her work as co-chair of both the Congressional Seniors Task Force and the National Service Caucus. She was also Rules Associate and liaison to the Smithsonian Board of Regents during the time the Congresswoman served on the board. Prior to her time in Washington, Kari worked for a number of years as a Field Representative and Caseworker for Congresswoman Matsui in her district office, meeting with the community on her behalf. Throughout her seven and a half years with Congresswoman Matsui, Kari’s portfolio included Health, Education, Appropriations, Immigration, Homeland Security, Agriculture, Environment, Civil Rights, Service, Grants, Women’s Issues, and Arts and Humanities.

Before working for Congresswoman Matsui, Kari worked in the Public Policy Department of Aging Services of California, a nonprofit working toward affordable housing and continued care for the elderly.

Kari graduated from UC Davis with a Bachelor of Arts in Communications and Political Science. While at UC Davis, she participated in the University of California at Washington, D.C. program, where she interned for then-Senator Hilary Clinton.

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Center for Health Program Management launches San Joaquin Valley Health Fund

California’s San Joaquin Valley is often referred to as the “food basket of the world” because of its rich soil and agricultural bounty. It also is home to several of the state’s fastest-growing cities and is faced with some of the state’s worst health and economic outcomes.

Recognizing the valley’s regional challenges as well as its opportunities, the Center for Health Program Management launched the San Joaquin Valley Health Fund, with initial investments totaling $1.1 million from Sierra Health Foundation and The California Endowment.

The San Joaquin Valley Health Fund aims to make the region a healthier place to live, work and prosper by strengthening communities and organizations to advance programs and policy changes that promote community health and health equity for all. Working with local leaders and funding partners, the Health Fund focuses on issues that impact health and quality of life, such as clean drinking water, air quality and land use, as well as education, employment, housing and safety.

Grant funds are available for nonprofit organizations and public agencies in the following eight counties: Fresno, Kings, Madera, Mariposa, Merced, San Joaquin, Stanislaus and Tulare. Grant awards will be up to $20,000.

More information about the San Joaquin Valley Health Fund and application materials are available on the Center for Health Program Management web site. Applications are due by Dec. 1 at noon.

The San Joaquin Valley Health Fund is a program managed by the Center for Health Program Management, with initial funding from Sierra Health Foundation and The California Endowment.

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Positive Youth Justice Initiative partners visit New York City Probation Department

Sierra Health Foundation staff joined representatives from the four Positive Youth Justice Initiative counties, as well as Reducing Racial and Ethnic Disparities grantees from the Board of State and Community Corrections, on Oct. 9 and 10 in New York City to participate in the Positive Youth Justice Initiative Learning Community. This event provided an opportunity for county leaders to learn about and discuss nationally recognized criminal and juvenile justice reform efforts in New York City.

As part of the event, participants visited New York City Probation’s Neighborhood Opportunity Network (NeON) centers in Harlem and the South Bronx, where they learned about how New York City created the NeONs, as well as additional reforms to support positive youth development and trauma-informed care in the community. Following the site visits, counties convened at the Ford Foundation to discuss how the policy landscape in California offers an opportunity to replicate these transformative models.

Learn more on the Positive Youth Justice Initiative web page.

Photo: New York City Probation Commissioner Ana Bermudez shares details about the department’s juvenile and criminal justice reforms at the Harlem NeON.

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Tenant space available at the Nonprofit Innovation Center

If you’re a nonprofit organization in need of office space in Sacramento, our Nonprofit Innovation Center might be the place for you!

Located at our campus on Garden Highway, the Nonprofit Innovation Center (NIC) is a multi-tenant office and conference space for nonprofits working to improve health and well-being in the region. The NIC provides a desirable location and high-quality facilities at an affordable price, with an open-space design meant to promote cross-agency learning, engagement and resource sharing among tenants.

Learn more on the Nonprofit Innovation Center web page. To schedule a visit, please e-mail Facilities Manager Colleen Cascio or call her at (916) 922-4755 ext. 3308.

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