SCCF
Sacramento Cooperative
Community Fund
The Sacramento Cooperative Community Fund (SCCF) is an endowment fund founded by the Sacramento Natural Foods Co-op in conjunction with the Twin Pines Cooperative in 2001. Each Spring the SCCF awards micro-grants to local non-profit or cooperative organizations for qualifying projects promoting nutrition or health, supporting a healthy environment, meeting basic human needs, particularly nutrition, and/or promoting the cooperative movement.
2024 Grant Recipients
NorCal Resist
NorCal Resist’s farm project aims to provide fresh, affordable, and culturally appropriate food while also facilitating opportunities for people to build relationships, learn, and apply their farming skills in a local context around food production. To realize this vision, this project includes:
- Culturally appropriate food production for NorCal Resist’s mutual aid distribution program
- Land and resources for community members to grow, sell, and share food as a means to achieve their livelihoods.
-An educational space to learn and share ecological farming practices
-A safe, open community gathering space for everyone to engage with agriculture and food
<
Grant Awarded: $676.62
CA House (Cal Aggie Christian Association)
Rooted in a tradition of ecumenical, progressive campus ministry since 1916, Cal Aggie Christian Association, also known as CA House, at UC Davis serves the Christian student community through faith-based programs grounded in four basic values: community, spirituality, social justice, and sustainable living. Situated in an increasingly diverse multifaith environment, CA House embraces and serves students of all faiths and strives to promote interfaith dialogue and understanding. CA House offers a caring, inclusive community where all students can engage in open discussion and explore questions of faith (their own and others), vocation, personal identity, and growth. CA House is committed to putting faith into action and actively seeks opportunities to promote peace and social justice.
Grant Awarded: $500
South Sacramento Interfaith Partnership
The mission of the SSIP Food Closet is to maintain and operate an emergency food distribution program to help alleviate food insecurity for Sacramento area residents. Partner faith-based organizations, with assistance from local businesses and other community members, provide the support and resources for the Food Closet’s mission.
The South Sacramento Interfaith Partnership (SSIP) Food Closet was established in 1969 to serve families and individuals in the South Sacramento area facing food insecurities. We have been successful in feeding an average of 17,000 people a month through the direct support of seven interfaith partnership congregations, the help of our staff and many volunteers, as well as the support of Sacramento Food Bank and Family Services. We are also supported by our grocery store partners and Table Farm.
Grant Awarded: $750
Sacramento Area Bicycle Advocates
SABA is a non-profit organization dedicated to making our region a safer, healthier, and friendlier place to ride a bike, whether for commuting, recreation, or exercise, for all people, regardless of race, income, or ability.
They stand committed to fostering safe and accessible streets for biking and other modes of active transportation in Sacramento area neighborhoods that, as a result of historically unsustainable and inequitable land-use decisions, are disproportionately burdened by poor air quality and the highest rates of traffic injuries and fatalities.
SABA works to promote diverse and inclusive participation in local transportation decision-making by raising the voices of residents of historically marginalized communities and communities of color. Your donations will support their mission to advocate for an equitable transportation system to address public and environmental health disparities and promote healthy, sustainable communities for all.
Grant Awarded: $750
Every year the SCCF invites applications for micro-grants from eligible not-for-profit and cooperative organizations operating in the greater Sacramento area.
Each year, the application process opens on March 1 and closes on April 1. Applications may be dropped off at the store by the deadline or emailed to the SCCF Committee Chair by the date. The Committee reviews each application and scores them based on the individual projects, potential number of people that will be served by the project, budget for the project and overall potential for success. Criteria for application are below and the application may be downloaded by clicking the link under “how to apply.”
Eligibility criteria for receiving a micro-grant from SCCF are:
- Applicants must, at the time of application, be a tax exempt, not-for-profit (i.e., IRS reg. 501c3) or a legally-chartered cooperative organization that is operating in the Sacramento area.
- The applicant’s proposal for funding must be for a specific project, activity, or purchase (not for general program operations, ongoing costs, or the purchase of food or gift certificates for food).
- The proposed project must fit one of the categories below as listed in the Co-op’s Community Sharing Policy:
- Promoting nutrition or health
- Supporting a healthy environment
- Meeting basic human needs, particularly nutrition
- Promoting the cooperative movement
SCCF Grantees are required to:
- Abide by the Co-op’s nondiscrimination policy that requires grantees to: conduct business and serve customers/clients without regard to race, sex, ethnicity, sexual orientation, age, disability, political opinion, or national origin; not knowingly conduct business with or support any organization, business, group or individual who discriminates against others as listed above; and prohibit discrimination and harassment (including sexual harassment) of customers/ clients and employees and anyone doing business with the organization.
- Agree not to use any of the funds for lobbying or political activities.
- Publicize the award within your organization (e.g., your own social media and/or newsletter) and by submitting press releases to the local media as well as providing the SCCF with copies of all of those articles.
- Upon project completion, submit a brief report to the SCCF about results achieved with the micro-grant funds.
2021 Grant Recipients
Alchemist CDC,
Community Cooling Stations
The sweltering Sacramento summer puts vulnerable communities at risk – whether unhoused individuals or those needing to commute via sidewalk. Alchemist helps to provide for this urgent need by sponsoring individuals and businesses willing to host a cooling station on their property. This microgrant will help to enable Alchemist to provide the necessary equipment like pip up tents and ice chests for several more cooling stations this summer.
Carmichael HART, Transitional
Housing Food Storage Upgrade
Carmichael HART is a volunteer run organization dedicated to assisting the homeless in their immediate region. Their transitional housing program helps to prepare homeless residents for life afer the streets. The microgrant will be used to provide food storage cabinets at their transitional housing residences which will enable the residents to store food allowing them the ability to focus on home made meal preparation.
Additional Information
- SCCF micro-grants typically range from $200 to $500 but can be from $50 to $750 (maximum).
- The Co-op may use the information you provide in the application to publicize your organization’s project in its own publications including its website, and/or in any press release.
- Preference will be given to organizations that have not received over $200 of funds, product, or in-kind donations from the Co-op and/or the SCCF during the prior 12 months.
- Awards are decided by the SCCF Committee. Each application is scored based on Category, Benefit, Budget and Capacity of project.