Background
The Packard Foundation implemented the Communities 2000 Initiative in three local Community Foundations in 1996: the Community Foundation for Monterey County (CFMC), Community Foundation of Santa Cruz County, and the Peninsula Community Foundation (San Mateo). Each Community Foundation set its own grantmaking policies and procedures. Residents told the community foundations that they felt isolated from their neighbors, wanted their neighborhoods to look better, worried about crime, and wanted supervised, meaningful after-school and weekend activities for their children.
When funding for the Initiative ended, the Community Foundation for Monterey County was the only organization to sustain the program. From 2007-2010, First 5 Monterey County worked through the CFMC to implement a similar program focusing on youth between the ages of birth to five. The CFMC is commited to sustaining the progam and over $725,000 has been granted through 2011.
Mission
The mission of the Neighborhood Grants Program is to build community leadership and encourage the participation of communities in civic life, create opportunities for linkages among diverse neighborhoods, promote the well-being of residents, and support community-based solutions to meet social, economic and physical challenges. The Community Foundation for Monterey County believes in the concept of local solutions to local needs, and in the importance of neighborhood groups/community-based groups in improving the quality of life of local communities.
Vision
Neighborhoods are important engines for building social capacities. Neighborhood settings, events, organizations and projects provide important opportunities for people to get to know one another, build relationships, reduce fear and prejudice, increase trust, nurture habits of mutual assistance, and enhance community and cultural pride. We believe that this social capital is as important as physical or financial capital in contributing to the health and prosperity of a region.
Goals
Support local residents in their efforts to create and sustain a sense of belonging in their neighborhoods. Recognize and support existing strengths and talents of neighbors, and build on them to strengthen the community’s long-term capacity for civic action.
Objectives
Build and strengthen neighborhood capacity by providing funding (from $500 to $4,000) and additional support to neighborhood groups in Monterey County. Provide training and information sharing opportunities to promote cooperation and collaboration within groups to work together in addressing community concerns and priorities, build linkages between diverse groups, and support the development of leadership and organizational skills. Encourage groups to take greater responsibility and control over what happens in their neighborhood by supporting community-based initiatives with the training and mentoring provided by our staff, consultants, advisory committee members and supportive community leaders.
Confirmed in Compliance with National