The Sonoma County Vintners Foundation is donating $520,000 in grants to more than 50 local nonprofit organizations that address the community’s critical needs. Grants were made through the Sonoma County Vintners Foundation community grants program, with funding from the 2017 Sonoma County Wine Auction.
The Community Foundation Sonoma County partners with Sonoma County Vintners Foundation to administer the community grants program. “We are honored to serve as grantmaking partners to the Sonoma County Vintners Foundation, applying both our expertise in philanthropic giving and a depth of knowledge about the nonprofit organizations in our community to help steward these donations into the areas where they are most needed,” said Elizabeth Brown, president and CEO, CFSC
“With the wildfires that struck Sonoma County last year, many leaders of nonprofit organizations expressed concern that funding for their ongoing programs would be impacted. These community grants represent our commitment to continue to support the variety of programs that make up Sonoma County’s diverse population—from urgent needs like affordable housing to our long-term commitment to literacy and protecting the environment,” said Caroline Shaw, president of the Sonoma County Vintners Foundation.
The Community Grants program targets four key areas: education, health and human services, environment, and arts and culture. Nonprofits are eligible to apply for grants up to $10,000 for programs or projects under one of these four areas. One of the grants went to Ceres Community Project.
“This funding from the Sonoma County Vintners Foundation will help Ceres deliver 3,000 nutritious, healthy meals to our low-income neighbors who are in treatment for cancer and other serious illnesses and improve outreach to the Latino community thanks to funding for a bilingual staff member,” said Deborah Ramelli, communications director at Ceres Community Project. “Especially after the fires, we’ve seen demand for our services increase. For our low-income clients coping with a serious medical issue, our meals provide both critical food support and the love and care of the community. We’re grateful for the generous ongoing support of Sonoma County Vintners.
The 2018 Sonoma County Wine Auction will take place on Saturday, September 22 at La Crema Estate at Saralee’s Vineyard. Learn more about the Sonoma County Wine Auction at sonomacountywineauction.com.
Learn more about The Sonoma County Vintners Foundation at sonomawine.com/foundation.
