In response to the urgent needs expressed by Kern’s nonprofit community in a recent survey conducted by Kern Community Foundation, we are launching a Nonprofit Strengthening Webinar Training Series called “Growing Resiliency” to help sustain our nonprofit partners through the COVID-19 crisis and beyond.
The first in the series will take place from 11 a.m. till Noon on Wednesday, September 2, and feature a tour of grants.ca.gov, a brand-new website that is a convenient information hub on state grants and loans. Our presenter will be Shivani Bose-Varela, Project Manager for the CA Grants Portal with the California State Library. The California Grants Portal is a tremendous one-stop-shop destination for finding all grants and loans offered on a competitive or first-come basis by state agencies to qualifying applicants.
As an added bonus, Ms. Bose-Varela will also provide a tour of the State Library’s website, library.ca.gov, a great resource for many types of research.
This webinar is FREE, but you must RSVP by close of business Monday, August 31, by writing to Louis Medina, Director of Community Impact, at Louis@kernfoundation.org. Be sure to provide your name, title, and the name of your agency. A Zoom link will be sent to your e-mail address prior to the webinar.
Stay Tuned for more “Growing Resiliency” Training Announcements in the Coming Weeks and Months! Kern Community Foundation will continue to provide as many training resources as possible to meet our nonprofit partners’ resiliency and long-term sustainability needs during these trying times and beyond.
The Wonderful Company, through its Wonderful Community Grants Program, is aiming to support Central Valley organizations that have been impacted by the Coronavirus. One million dollars in grants ranging from $1,000 to $50,000 for one-year grants, and up to $100,000 for a maximum of four two-year grants, will be awarded to nonprofits serving half a dozen rural communities. In Kern County, those communities are Shafter, Wasco and Delano.
Details and a link to the online application (which is due August 31) may be found here.
Are you a passionate problem solver ready to step up and meet the moment through a year of service?
As part of the #CaliforniansForAll initiative, California Volunteers, Office of the Governor, is recruiting for AmeriCorps VISTA members to strengthen the volunteer infrastructure of partnering organizations, including food banks and other nonprofits.
The State of California has launched a consolidated grant portal, grants.ca.gov, designed for nonprofits and local government agencies seeking grants and loans from state sources. The site was built by the California State Library with input from numerous stakeholders.
This is a new website that is still evolving, but it is definitely a wonderful grant research tool for our nonprofits. Kern Community Foundation encourages our nonprofit partners to check it out, especially the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) Section for starters.
We have also linked to it from our website: kernfoundation.org > KAN > Nonprofit Resources. Or just click here.
Are there any Kern County charitable organizations out there with grower friends in our county’s large and influential ag community?
Consider reaching out to them with information about Kern Community Foundation’s Crop Gifting Program: a way for farmers to turn their crops into cash for charity – perhaps to benefit your organization!
Especially during our challenging COVID-19 times, when agencies are desperately looking for new funding streams, a Crop Gift could be a game changer. Crop Gifting provides an innovative financial vehicle whereby growers enjoy a considerable tax break while creating long-lasting community impact by helping local charities. It’s a great way for farmers to “grow philanthropy” by doing what they do best: growing crops!
Here’s how Crop Gifting to charity through
Kern Community Foundation works:
You introduce the program to a grower who believes in your organization’s work and mission. You can use the letter template and our downloadable pamphlet which you can access per the links below. And Kern Community Foundation’s Staff will be available to answer any questions you or your benefactor-grower might have.
The grower then identifies an unsold crop with no prior sale commitment and contacts Kern Community Foundation.
They transfer title of the identified crop to the Foundation, which will assume responsibility of their gifted crop through final sale via a broker.
Net proceeds from the sale will be placed into a fund. This can be a Donor Advised Fund (DAF) used to manage the grower’s charitable donations. They get to direct the investment of the fund, receive quarterly statements, and can specify charities where their gift(s) will be donated—and, naturally, with your introduction, we expect they will choose to benefit your agency through their crop gift.
The Foundation will assess a one-time fee of 0.5% per crop gift in addition to its regular fee schedule of 0.5% to 2% annually, depending on the balance and use of the fund.
They achieve significant tax savings by making a pre-sale crop gift (as opposed to selling their crop(s) and then making a cash donation to charity), because gifted crops are not recognized as income, and federal, state and self-employment taxes are not assessed on their value.
You, as a charitable organization, can turn your benefactor-grower’s Crop Gift into scholarships for youth, spay-neuters for dogs and cats, hot-cooked meals for seniors, personal protective equipment to prevent COVID-19 community spread, and so much more!
Reach out to potential benefactor-growers before harvest time.
Close to three quarters of a million dollars! That’s how much money was raised by 125 Kern County nonprofits through Give Big Kern, hosted by Kern Community Foundation. Observed as “One Day to Celebrate the Giving Spirit of Kern County!” on the first Tuesday in May, which this year was May 5, 2020’s Give Big Kern turned out to be our most successful Online Day of Giving yet, despite the COVID-19 crisis.
An analysis of this year’s accomplishments and areas for improvement;
The reasons for Give Big Kern’s continued success even in the face of our current era’s most overwhelming health and financial challenge;
A listing of competitive and opportunity drawing prize winners;
An acknowledgment of our sponsors;
Important lessons learned that will help us plan for Give Big Kern 2021;
A very telling snapshot of the aspirations and concerns of Give Big Kern’s participating nonprofits, with a call to action for more members of our community to get involved in helping to meet their needs;
And more!
Please share this report with others–especially nonprofits, to encourage any that have not yet participated in Give Big Kern to consider doing so next year.
Also, save the date for next year’s Give Big Kern: May 4, 2021!
And as our Mascot, Billy the Give Big Goat, likes to say, “Happy r-e-e-e-a-a-d-i-n-g!”
The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC, fdic.gov) is an independent agency created by the U.S. Congress to maintain stability and public confidence in the nation’s financial system, including by insuring deposits made to banks. Its website boasts that “Since 1933, no depositor has lost a penny of FDIC-insured funds.”
Since the start of the COVID-19 crisis, the FDIC has been working to develop resources that will make it easier for consumers without a bank account to find a bank where they can open an account online from a computer or mobile device without having to go to into a branch. They developed a new, easy-to-remember web page, fdic.gov/coronavirus, that was launched last week (available only in English at this time), dedicated to helping unbanked or underbanked consumers access the information they need to receive an economic impact payment (stimulus check) electronically.
Unbanked/underbanked consumers can do the following:
Follow the link above or click on the FDIC logo at right to watch a short video on how to open a bank account online.
Click on this link to access the Bank On Coalition’s list of banks that offer remote account opening with a $0 balance in anticipation of the Treasury deposit. The FDIC Coronavirus web page also links to the American Bankers Association’s list of banks that offer remote account opening all across the country (developed in response to the COVID-19 situation), along with additional resources for consumers. Changes to this page and information contained therein might change as the current crisis evolves.
Once someone opens their account, they can then provide the information to the Internal Revenue Service to receive payments electronically through the IRS portal.
The FDIC website has information available in Spanish, but it appears to be general in nature, not necessarily focused on COVID-19. Click here to view. The IRS portal has some information in Spanish about COVID-19 economic impact payments and the link to the English-language fdic/gov/coronavirus page. Click here to view.
Unite Us (uniteus.com), the Unifying Infrastructure Between Healthcare Entities and Community-Based Organizations, seeks to hire a Community Engagement Manager to be based in either the Bakersfield or Fresno area. Details and an online application form may be found here.
Food for the Frontline Kern County is a community effort to raise funds to support local restaurants and emergency room staff impacted by COVID-19.
Working with Kern Community Foundation, Food for the Frontline will provide meals prepared by local restaurants for Kern County emergency room staff. The meals will be purchased and delivered with the support of community donations. Every dollar raised will feed brave medical personnel who are on the frontline in the fight against Coronavirus, while providing assistance to small businesses and their employees impacted by the statewide quarantine.
Our goal is to provide as many meals as possible to staff members at county hospitals. Each meal will cost $20.00. All donations will go to the purchase of food and materials from local restaurants. These meals will be given directly to Kern County frontline medical staff. This will be an ongoing effort and we plan to make our first delivery on Friday, April 10th.
If you represent a local restaurant or catering company and want to participate, please email us at frontlinekern@gmail.com. Together, we can make a difference!
In response to the urgent needs expressed by Kern’s nonprofit community in a recent survey conducted by Kern Community Foundation, we are launching a Nonprofit Strengthening Webinar Training Series called “Growing Resiliency” to help sustain our nonprofit partners through the COVID-19 crisis and beyond.
grants and loans. Our presenter will be Shivani Bose-Varela, Project Manager for the CA Grants Portal with the California State Library. The California Grants Portal is a tremendous one-stop-shop destination for finding all grants and loans offered on a competitive or first-come basis by state agencies to qualifying applicants.
The Wonderful Company, through its 
Are you a passionate problem solver ready to step up and meet the moment through a year of service?
Are there any Kern County charitable organizations out there with grower friends in our county’s large and influential ag community?
ocal restaurants. These meals will be given directly to Kern County frontline medical staff. This will be an ongoing effort and we plan to make our first delivery on Friday, April 10th.
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