Reports and Convenings
The Sonoma County Resilience Fund was created in October 2017 to address the mid to long-term needs of Sonoma County to recover and rebuild from the devastating fires that have struck our community.
As funders, we rely on research, data, and experience to guide our decision making. We also value transparency and are committed to sharing our learning. Here you will find reports from our convenings and research we have conducted on community needs after the fires, to help guide our grantmaking strategy for the Sonoma County Resilience Fund.
The Resilience Fund 2019 Report
Published 03/2020
Since launching the fund in October of 2017 we have made more than $6.7 million in grants to support organizations helping individuals impacted by the fires, healing the long-term effects of trauma, and creating housing solutions for our community. Our 2019 report on the Resilience Fund encapsulates our grantmaking work through December 2019.
The Resilience Fund 2018 Report
Published 03/2019
Since launching the fund in October of 2017 we have made more than $2.4 million in grants to support organizations helping individuals impacted by the fires, healing the long-term effects of trauma, and creating housing solutions for our community. Our 2018 report on the Resilience Fund encapsulates our grantmaking work from October 2017 through December 2018.
Grantee organizations include: Burbank Housing, California Human Development, Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Santa Rosa, Ceres Community Project, City of Santa Rosa, Community Action Partnership of Sonoma County, Grantmakers Concerned with Immigrants and Refugees, Healthcare Foundation Northern Sonoma County, Humane Society of Sonoma County, La Luz Center, Legal Aid of Sonoma County, Lomi Counseling Clinic, Lutheran Social Services of Northern California (ROC Sonoma County), On the Move (La Plaza), Pepperwood Foundation, Petaluma People Services Center, Redwood Empire Food Bank, Santa Rosa Community Health, SHARE Sonoma County, Sonoma County Sheriff’s Department, United Policyholders, United Way of the Wine Country, Volunteer Center Of Sonoma County.
A Long-Term Approach to Recovery: Our 6-month Progress Update
Published 04/2018
The Resilience Fund is the largest long-term recovery fund in Sonoma County. To identify where our support will be needed most, our grantmaking team engaged in a comprehensive community needs assessment, including meetings with hundreds of local nonprofit leaders, surveys to over 450 nonprofit organizations across Sonoma and Napa counties, and interviews with foundations in New Orleans, Houston, San Diego, and other areas impacted by disasters. Based on this work, the Foundation has identified three key areas of greatest need and will be investing in these areas starting in the summer of 2018.
- Helping individuals impacted by the fires
- Healing the long-term effects of trauma
- Housing solutions for our community
Report 2018 Wildfire Response Survey, Sonoma and Napa Counties
Published 03/2018
Community Foundation Sonoma County and Napa Valley Community Foundation engaged the Center for Effective Philanthropy’s (CEP) Advisory Services to survey nonprofit organizations in Sonoma and Napa counties about the impact of, and their response to, the October 2017 Northern California wildfires. The goal was to learn about how local nonprofits have been affected, their immediate response services provided for fire survivors, the broader needs of the community, and any suggestions for recovery efforts.
Report: Stakeholder Interviews
Published 02/2018
In concert with our listening sessions, the foundation hosted in-depth interviews with 16 nonprofit, city, and county leaders in the community. We reached out to individuals who know CFSC well and could provide strategic feedback to us as we think through the best approaches for addressing community needs through the Resilience Fund.
Wendy Todd, an independent consultant, interviewed sixteen community leaders between January 19th and February 8th, 2018 to inform the development of the purpose, goals, and strategies of the Resilience Fund. Community leaders interviewed represented a variety of nonprofit and public agencies. This report summarizes themes that emerged. The interview discussions centered on the following key questions:
- What is your vision for what success could look like with CFSC’s Resilience Fund?
- What concerns you most related to disaster recovery and rebuilding in Sonoma County?
- What leadership role could CFSC play beyond grantmaking?
November 28, 2017 Resilience Convening
On November 28th we hosted a Resilience Convening for local philanthropic and nonprofit leaders to learn from one another and share needs and opportunities to inform our community recovery and rebuilding process.
Prior to the Resilience Convening, we conducted a survey of 15 local and regional funders who have created fire funds to begin to map the funding landscape for relief, recovery, and rebuilding. The event included presentations by local funders who have created funds in response to the fires and a breakout session for nonprofits to discuss emerging needs and opportunities.
The PowerPoint from the funder’s panel, funder survey results, and other documents from the convening are available for download below.
Resilience Convening Report: Values, Needs, and Opportunities
Funder’s Panel Presentation PowerPoint: Presentations by Tipping Point, Redwood Credit Union’s North Bay Fire Relief Fund, Community Foundation Sonoma County, Rebuild North Bay, UndocuFund, and United Way of the Wine Country.
Audio Recording of Funder’s Panel: Thanks to KRCB for recording the presentations and panel discussion.
Funder Survey Results: A full report of the survey we conducted in November 2017 of 15 funders who have created fire relief/recovery funds.
Latest News
Five years of heartfelt, meaningful disaster relief: Catholic Charities
Prior to the 2017 fire disaster in Sonoma County, the core services offered through Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Santa Rosa focused primarily on homelessness and housing, emergency shelter, and street outreach work. The organization also offered immigration...
Napa Sonoma ADU Center
Founded in early 2020, the Napa Sonoma ADU Center is making it easier for homeowners to understand the process of designing, and building, accessory dwelling units—sometimes called granny units. The center is a fiscally-sponsored project of Napa Valley Community...
Helping navigate the legal challenges of losing your home in a wildfires: Legal Aid of Sonoma County
The October 2017 North Bay fires left thousands of households with the daunting tasks of navigating insurance claims, disaster recovery assistance like FEMA, and the rebuilding or relocating process. As a result, Legal Aid of Sonoma County established a Disaster...
Fundraising
If there is a bright spot in the midst of the devastation our community has suffered, it is the incredible outpouring of generosity of people from across the country. To date, we’ve raised over $25 million for the Resilience Fund, and we continue to raise more every day. For a list of major contributors to the Resilience Fund, click here.
If you have questions about the Resilience Fund, please contact us
