The Literacy Campaign for Monterey County is a five-year multimillion dollar initiative.

Community initiatives are special programs and projects the Community Foundation chooses to create or to manage for particular periods of time in order to fulfill its mission and impact urgent or ongoing community needs. Almost always, community initiatives involve funding partners seeking to increase their impacts through collaboration. Listed here are special projects, initiatives, and collaborations currently underway.

Community Foundation Initiatives

  • Building Healthy Communities is a ten-year (2010-2020) strategic initiative of The California Endowment targeting 14 communities in California including the Alisal community in East Salinas. In 2009-2010 the Community Foundation facilitated the planning process whereby the Alisal community set its goals and priorities for the future. Learn more in past initiatives.
     
  • Communities Advancing the Arts (2005-2010) is supported by the James Irvine Foundation and enables the Community Foundation to increase financial support and technical assistance to the Arts Council for Monterey County and arts organizations seeking to build new, sustainable funding streams.
     
  • Community Leadership Project (2009-2011) is a joint effort of the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, the James Irvine Foundation, and the David and Lucile Packard Foundation to strengthen small and mid-sized community-based organizations that are led by or serve low-income people and communities of color in the Greater San Francisco Bay Area, Central Coast, and San Joaquin Valley. The Community Foundation will grant funds and provide technical assistance to these organizations so they can flourish, compete effectively with larger peers for public and private funding resources, and fulfill their missions to positively affect the lives of diverse and low-income Californians.
     
  • LEAD (2008-2012) - Nonprofit Leadership Education and Development Institute received planning support from the David and Lucile Packard Foundation and 2009-2011 funding from the Community Leadership Project (See above.) LEAD is an intensive professional development institute that is building nonprofit leadership and management excellence for the future. Participants both serve and represent the culturally diverse communities of Santa Cruz, Monterey and San Benito counties.
     
  • Literacy Campaign for Monterey County (2006-2011) With the Monterey Peninsula Foundation, First 5 Monterey County, and other funders, the Literacy Campaign is a multi-million dollar effort to support and expand adult literacy services. The target audience of this five-year, concerted program is adults, ages 18 to 35, with a focus on parents with young children. Outcomes include increasing awareness and support of literacy, developing the network of literacy service providers, and building the essential infrastructure for sustaining adult literacy services countywide.
     
  •  Poder Popular (People Power!) (2006-2009) is part of the Agricultural Worker Health Initiative (AWHI), sponsored by The California Endowment. Poder Popular was administered locally by the Community Foundation in the communities of East Salinas, Gonzales and Greenfield. Learn more in past initiatives.
     
  • Social Network Support Project (2007-2010) receives funding and technical assistance from the David and Lucile Packard Foundation that enable Community Foundation to support network leaders and organizations in various nonprofit fields and communities work more effectively and efficiently through enhanced analysis and visualization of their networks, joint planning, communication, and action. 
     

Community Partnerships
 

  • Collaborative for Salinas Youth (2005 – ongoing) is a network of 30 youth serving agencies and nonprofits sharing resources and program information that grew out of the Community Foundation’s 2002-2006 East Salinas Initiative. The Collaborative’s goals are to build the community’s capacity to provide opportunities to young people that prevent them from engaging in high-risk behaviors that result in school failure, substance abuse, teen pregnancy, and violence in East Salinas. The Community Foundation is a participating member of the collaborative and provides additional support through General Endowment Grants to member organizations, and technical assistance with organizational and network development.
     
  • Early Learning Opportunities – ELO (2007-2011) is the core program of First 5 Monterey County. ELO funds enable Community Foundation to make grants and provide technical assistance to organizations and neighborhood groups doing programs and projects that benefit children ages 0 to 5 years and their families through the Neighborhood Grants Program, the Literacy Campaign, and the General Endowment Grants Program.
     
  • Monterey County Children’s Council (1998-ongoing) provides countywide leadership and policy direction to encourage the development of a comprehensive and collaborative delivery system of services to children and youth in Monterey County. The Community Foundation is an active member in support of the Council’s vision that all children in Monterey County live in safe, nurturing homes and communities; that children are healthy, valued and succeed in school; and that they realize their full potential. The Council reports annually to the County Board of Supervisors.
     
  • NAMC - Nonprofit Alliance for Monterey County (2005-ongoing) NAMC is an unincorporated membership association of nonprofit organizations that work together to inform, involve, strengthen, and increase the capacity and collective power of the nonprofit industry in Monterey County. The Community Foundation helped to create and continues to support NAMC with developing and implementing programs that encourage members to work collaboratively, improve their internal operations and structures, and advocate in the larger community about the critical role and impacts of nonprofits in society.
     
  • Pathways 2 Safety (2007-2010) is Monterey County’s early intervention initiative designed to keep children safe in their homes and out of the child welfare system. This program is administered by the Action Council of Monterey Council and Community Foundation designs and provides training and consulting services to the nonprofits, which are working with 300 families per month to resolve issues more successfully by voluntarily engaging in services and support.