Responsive Grants Program

Responsive Grants Program is sponsored by Sierra Health Foundation. The Responsive Grants Program supports community-driven efforts to improve health, promote access, and reduce health inequity throughout the 26-county funding region in California. While not exclusively focused on SEL, some projects address social-emotional skills through activity-based curriculum, particularly for youth.

The 2024 program prioritized projects experiencing funding gaps due to state budget cuts.

Responsive Grants Program - Sierra Health Foundation Supporting community-driven efforts to improve health, promote access and reduce health inequity Since 2008, we have awarded approximately $8. 3 million through the Responsive Grants Program in support of community-driven efforts to improve health , promote access and reduce health inequity throughout our 26-county funding region.

The 2024 Responsive Grants Program prioritizes projects that are experiencing funding gaps due to state budget cuts that impact health and quality of life for Californians. Awardees were announced in September 2024. E-mail the Program team any general questions about the Responsive Grants Program.

2024 Responsive Grants Program Award List To build multi-lingual literary arts programs for youth in Sacramento County, creating improved educational outcomes and connections to community.

Sacramento County, Placer County, and Yolo County To increase academic success among youth who aged out of the foster care system and are attending college or trade school in Placer, Sacramento, and Yolo counties by providing transportation support to program participants.

Alchemist Community Development Corporation To increase food accessibility and affordability at Sacramento and Yolo counties certified farmers’ markets by facilitating EBT transactions at markets and providing dollar-for-dollar matching nutrition incentives for fresh fruits and vegetables, thus improving food access.

Anti Police-Terror Project (APTP) To provide trauma-informed, community-based crisis response in Sacramento County through the expansion of Mental Health First, a twice-weekly crisis response hotline that bypasses 911, creating safer alternatives to police involvement.

Arab Community Center for Integration Services Sacramento County, Placer County, and Yolo County To equip immigrant and refugee women in Sacramento, Placer, and Yolo counties with essential skills, certifications, and resources by offering workshops and entrepreneurship support for professional and personal empowerment, supporting the opportunity to achieve economic independence and integrate successfully into their new communities.

Boys & Girls Club of Lake Tahoe To expand after-school care and educational programs at Tahoe Valley Elementary School in El Dorado County for students who are low-income, foster youth, or unhoused by providing educational and support services, allowing parents to work beyond the school day to increase their earning capacity and reduce poverty.

Butte County Local Food Network To build a healthy community through Collective Acres of Land growing food for local consumption in Butte County by establishing and supporting community gardens, hosting educational workshops, community-building events, and providing resources and hands-on assistance to home gardeners.

Calaveras County Public Health To increase water safety in Calaveras County through the creation of a Life Jacket Loaner program, ensuring life jackets are equitably available for daily borrowing, promoting public safety and injury prevention by removing the financial barrier of purchasing life jackets.

Stanislaus County, San Joaquin County, and Sacramento County To empower children with congenital heart disease through nurturing medically supervised summer camps in Sacramento, San Joaquin, and Stanislaus counties featuring activities and educational workshops to build connection and resilience.

Center for Community Health and Well-being / dba Her Health First To reduce stigma, increase healthcare literacy, and empower Latina/e birthing people in Sacramento County to engage in supportive services by offering peer support to destigmatize mental health conditions and decrease symptoms of depression and anxiety.

To provide technical assistance to 26 counties in Northern California to advance their implementation and community utilization of the Family Urgent Response System, a 24/7 statewide helpline with county in-person response teams dedicated to supporting the well-being of children and youth who have spent time in foster care.

Children’s Network of Solano County To improve financial well-being for families in the rural areas of Solano County by providing one-on-one financial coaching to increase income and credit, reduce debt, build savings, and identify and obtain career track employment.

Community Beyond Violence To provide emergency shelter for victims and survivors of domestic violence and their children in Western Nevada County through operational support of a 14-bed, low-barrier shelter.

Court Appointed Special Advocates of Sacramento County To increase access to life-changing health interventions and support services for the most vulnerable children in Sacramento County’s dependency and juvenile justice systems by matching youth one-on-one with a Court Appointed Special Advocate Volunteer to advocate for their needs and best interests.

Dignity Health Connected Living To improve the ability to provide fresh produce to people in Shasta County, by diverting excess or unwanted food from farms to the food bank through the Farm to Family program. To improve food security among Hispanic farmworker families in Solano County through the expansion of a supplemental food pantry program.

Empire Hotel Alcoholic Rehabilitation Center, Inc. Shasta County, Lassen County, Modoc County, Plumas County, Siskiyou County, Tehama County, and Trinity County To reduce recidivism and facilitate transition to independent sober living for low-income people in recovery in the greater Redding area, Shasta County, and neighboring counties through the establishment of supervised sober living and transitional housing.

To break the cycle of violence for victims of sexual assault and violence in Tehama County through the expansion of access to culturally appropriate, linguistically inclusive, trauma-informed forensic care, improved outcomes for survivors, connection to critical medical care, and support of prosecution efforts.

Family Violence Appellate Project Butte County, Modoc County, Placer County, Plumas County, Sacramento County, Shasta County, Siskiyou County, Tehama County, Trinity County, Tuolumne County, and Yolo County To increase free holistic civil legal services for domestic violence and dating violence victims and their children in Sacramento County and surrounding areas to enhance service providers’ capacity, inspire new service models, and remove barriers in family law and dependency systems.

Feather River Tribal Health Butte County and Sutter County To promote health equity among Indigenous and Tribal members in Butte and Sutter counties by eliminating technology and communication barriers that can potentially impede or restrict access to healthcare services.

Food Bank of El Dorado County El Dorado County and Alpine County To improve the ability to provide fresh produce to people in El Dorado and Alpine counties, by diverting excess or unwanted food from farms to the food bank through the Farm to Family program.

El Dorado County, Placer County, and Nevada County To continue growing the Youth Ecology and Adventure Camps program offered free of charge to high-need, underserved youth in rural regions of North and South Lake Tahoe, to advance youth leadership and equitable access to outdoor activities.

Girls On The Run Greater Sacramento El Dorado County, Placer County, Sacramento County, and Yolo County To provide integrated physical and mental wellness to girls in El Dorado, Placer, Sacramento, and Yolo counties through expansion of the Girls On The Run program to additional Title 1 schools, providing a seasonal program that empowers girls to build confidence, leadership skills, embrace fitness, and develop crucial social-emotional skills through an activity-based curriculum.

Gold Country Community Services To increase access to health services within Nevada County by supporting the infrastructure of the Community Senior Center operations serving low-income and homebound older adults.

Greater Sacramento Urban League Sacramento County, Placer County, and Yolo County To connect community members throughout the Greater Sacramento region by increasing organizational capacity and providing transportation to clients.

To increase access to post-disaster relief and recovery resources for underserved rural and BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) community members in Butte County who were impacted by disasters, through the expansion of Butte-Glenn 211’s partnerships with local organizations, creation of a public centralized post-disaster resource website for agencies to register and publicize available relief and recovery services, and the creation of a disaster communication text line to communicate with evacuees.

To address healthcare disparities within the farmworker community in San Joaquin County, by increasing healthcare education, insurance enrollment, access to healthcare services, and developing a more robust healthcare workforce through a Community Health Worker training.

Sacramento County and Siskiyou County To improve perinatal health equity in Sacramento and Siskiyou counties by uplifting the voices and perspectives of rural and immigrant communities in relation to health and technology access.

Immigrant Legal Resource Center (ILRC) San Joaquin County and Stanislaus County To ensure that asylum-seekers and those paroled into the United States at the border receive free, high-quality legal assistance in applying for work authorization in San Joaquin and Stanislaus counties, coordinating with legal clinics to assist recently arrived individuals on applications for work permits, putting them on a path toward employment and economic stability.

Sacramento County, San Joaquin County, and Solano County To improve the health of incarcerated Californians through Harvest of the Month programming by bringing fresh, local produce and nutrition education to California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation Northern California facilities, including Sierra Conservation Center, Mule Creek State Prison, Folsom State Prison, California State Prison, Sacramento California State Prison, and Solano Medical Facility, to increase access to a variety of California-grown produce and local farms.

Lassen County, Modoc County, Sacramento County, Shasta County, Siskiyou County, and Tuolumne County To build a coalition of invested inter-tribal stakeholders throughout Northern California to develop a strategy for reentry of Native American people transitioning from incarceration.

Inside-Outside Circle Foundation Sacramento County, Solano County To eliminate recidivism among men in Sacramento and Solano counties by facilitating healing from trauma, victim impact recognition, effective communication, emotional literacy, and reduced violence in Sacramento and Solano California State Prisons and California Medical Facility.

Insure the Uninsured Project San Joaquin County, Shasta County, and Stanislaus County To identify and prioritize community needs around the impact of incarceration on local communities and create understanding of the justice-involved Medi-Cal benefit available under CalAIM by convening concerned stakeholders in San Joaquin, Shasta, and Stanislaus counties.

Kno’Qoti Native Wellness, Inc. To increase food access to community members of Grindstone Indian Rancheria in Glenn County, reducing food insecurity and promoting better health.

To increase access to essential health services for sex workers and individuals facing trafficking violence in Stanislaus County through comprehensive care and linkages to resources, improving overall well-being and safety and empowering individuals to lead healthier, more secure lives.

Alpine County and El Dorado County To address housing insecurity in Alpine and El Dorado counties through transitional housing and culturally responsive support services for victims of domestic violence and their families who are facing homelessness. To ensure continual 24/7 care to end-of-life patients in Siskiyou County, in the event of power failures through fire mitigation measures.

El Dorado County, Placer County, Sacramento County, Sutter County, and Yolo County To support immigrant families with babies and young children in El Dorado, Placer, Sacramento, Sutter, and Yolo counties by providing diapers and supporting basic needs. To provide free and confidential domestic violence and sexual assault support services to residents in need within Amador County.

Sacramento County and Yolo County To provide free healthcare to the underserved and uninsured Asian American population in Sacramento County and the surrounding region by providing a weekend clinic offering direct consultations with physicians, ancillary services, free cancer screenings, and the ability to enroll in various California support programs.

People Resources, Inc. dba Meals on Wheels Yolo County To create access to nutritious meals through the expansion of a delivery service of fresh, locally prepared, medically tailored, and culturally appropriate meals delivered by Spanish-speaking staff to seniors age 60+ within the Migrant Centers in Yolo County.

Placer Independent Resource Services Placer County, El Dorado County, and Alpine County To provide assistive technology devices to people with disabilities in rural Placer, El Dorado, and Alpine counties.

Planned Parenthood Northern California To enhance the health and well-being of residents living throughout rural, remote areas of Northern California, through the distribution of safer sex kits and reusable menstrual supplies, advancing health equity for rural and underserved communities.

Colusa County, El Dorado County, Nevada County, Placer County, Sacramento County, Solano County, Sutter County, and Yuba County To give people with intellectual/developmental disabilities (IDD) skills and knowledge to achieve a healthier lifestyle by integrating Club Wellness, a hands-on, research-based wellness curriculum designed specifically for people with IDD, into services throughout multiple counties in Northern California.

San Joaquin County Office of Education To enhance the well-being, productivity, and overall health of Greater Valley Conservation Corps members in San Joaquin County, by providing daily meal distribution, nutrition education, and partnerships with local food suppliers.

Second Harvest of the Greater Valley To promote health equity and increase access to food resources for patient populations experiencing high rates of food insecurity in Stanislaus County, by expanding food pantry locations at medical facilities.

Shasta Family Young Men’s Christian Association dba Shasta Family YMCA To increase physical activity for underserved Shasta County residents through positive outdoor challenges that develop community connections and encourage organizations to develop physical activity initiatives that improve policies, systems, and the built environment.

Short Term Emergency Aid Committee To increase permanent housing for low-income unhoused individuals and families in Yolo County by providing up to $1,000 to help pay for rent or a deposit.

Siskiyou County Arts Council To amplify the arts ecosystem and develop economic and cultural opportunities for Siskiyou County through the 2024 Siskiyou X Days, a multi-day, county-wide open studios event, highlighting the vibrancy of arts, while uplifting historically excluded artists.

SPIRIT Peers for Independence and Recovery Nevada County, Placer County, Sacramento County, Sierra County, and Yuba County To empower the unhoused, the newly housed, and individuals with mental health challenges who are impacted by addiction in Nevada County and the surrounding region and to curb housing resiliency issues by implementing a plan for meeting short-and long-term housing, health and wellness goals through bilingual education and evidence-based guidance.

To increase the safety of victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, and human trafficking, and their children in Placer County, though a gender-inclusive, pet-friendly Safe House that provides emergency shelter, 24/7 support, as well as law enforcement and dispatch services to emergency response teams.

Stonewall Alliance of Chico Butte County, Lassen County, Plumas County, Shasta County, Tehama County, and Trinity County To provide diverse, safe, and confidential social and support groups for LGBTQ+ individuals in Butte County, their loved ones, and allies to foster community, reduce isolation, and promote mental health and well-being throughout Northern California.

STRIVE Community Health Institute Placer County, Sacramento County, San Joaquin County, and Yolo County To create vocational pathways for marginalized populations by providing tuition-free apprenticeships in maternal health, behavioral health, and professional development to improve career prospects, health outcomes, and overall economic stability for students throughout Northern California, fostering long-term community prosperity.

To increase access to mental health services for clients living with HIV/AIDS throughout Sacramento County through support groups, therapy, and mental health assessments. Tehama County Community Action Agency To increase access to food for seniors in Tehama County through curated frozen delivery meal services to improve overall health within this population.

Glenn County, Shasta County, Sutter County, and Tehama County To sustain comprehensive and equitable health initiatives for diverse Northern California communities through Community Health Workers. Tracy Community Connections Center To increase access to basic needs for the chronically unhoused, unsheltered population of Tracy in San Joaquin County with laundry and social support services.

Training, Employment, and Community Help, Inc. To provide pediatric sexual assault exams throughout Modoc County by training current SART nurses to include pediatric care and covering physician’s time when responding to a pediatric sexual assault emergency.

To provide comprehensive violence prevention and community support services for marginalized populations in Sacramento County through the creation of a safe and engaging space at Tahoe Park for families to connect with essential community resources and participate in daily activities.

To offer 24/7 forensic exams run by trained counselors in Sacramento County for victims of domestic violence or sexual assault who were referred by law enforcement to document and collect physical evidence of injuries and provide evidence for investigation and prosecution.

Wild Iris Family Counseling and Crisis Center To provide crisis intervention services including emergency shelter, food, and clothing to survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault and their children in Mono County. To promote healthcare access by providing various modes of transportation to the unhoused and underserved population within Sacramento County.

Sacramento County and Yolo County To empower unhoused women and their children in Sacramento and Yolo counties to overcome homelessness by ensuring they have the tools to find jobs with upward mobility alongside affordable housing. YMCA of Superior California To serve the needs of the unhoused and medically vulnerable in Sacramento County by expanding traditional programming to become a CalAIM/Medi-Cal Community Supports provider.

Yolo County Children’s Alliance To enhance food access initiatives for vulnerable families throughout Yolo County by expanding the Food Voucher Program. Yuba-Sutter Gleaners Food Bank, Inc. Sutter County and Yuba County To improve the ability to provide fresh produce to people in Sutter and Yuba counties by diverting excess or unwanted food from farms to the food bank through the Farm to Family program. Please e-mail us any questions.