WALNUT CREEK, CALIF. — In recognition of the nonprofit sector’s essential work in improving the quality of life in Contra Costa County, the Dean & Margaret Lesher Foundation is delighted to award $340,000 in CARE Fund grants. The grants will strengthen the capacity, wellness and resiliency of 43 local nonprofits that serve Contra Costa County’s children and families.
“This special fund is about nurturing the wellness and resiliency of the community-based organizations and the people who serve Contra Costa County’s children and families so they can continue to support our community,” said Steve Lesher, Lesher Foundation Board President. “The incredible response we received motivated us to increase our funding to support even more local nonprofits than initially planned.”
The Lesher Foundation received 88 CARE Fund applications totaling over $1.1 million and awarded $340,000 to 43 grant recipients. A quarter of these are newer nonprofits, serving Contra Costa County for less than 10 years.
Organization Amount Awarded
- Bay Area Creative – $10,000
- Biotech Partners – $10,000
- Bridge Builders to the New Generation – $10,000
- Brighter Beginnings – $10,000
- Child Abuse Prevention Council – $10,000
- Community Education Partnerships – $1,800
- Community Resources for Science – $1,700
- Contra Costa Crisis Center – $5,000
- Contra Costa Family Justice Alliance – $10,000
- Contra Costa Senior Legal Services – $5,000
- Court Appointed Special Advocates – $10,000
- East Bay Center for the Performing Arts -$10,000
- FIERCE Advocates – $10,000
- First 5 Contra Costa – $10,000
- First Place for Youth – $5,000
- Fresh Approach – $10,000
- Headwaters Science Institute – $7,500
- Hijas del Campo – $9,800
- Hope Solutions – $10,000
- Lincoln – $10,000
- Loaves & Fishes of Contra Costa – $5,000
- Meals on Wheels of Contra Costa, Inc.- $5,000
- Monument Crisis Center – $10,000
- NIAD Art Center – $10,000
- Opportunity Junction – $9,500
- Richmond Community Foundation – $10,000
- Richmond Promise – $10,000
- Richmond Renaissance – $10,000
- Rosie the Riveter Trust – $5,000
- Rubicon Programs Inc. – $10,000
- SHELTER, Inc. – $3,000
- STAND! For Families Free of Violence – $4,525
- Tandem, Partners in Early Learning – $10,000
- The Black Neighborhood – $10,000
- The RYSE Center – $5,000
- Three Thirty Three Arts – $10,000
- Urban Habitat / Rising Juntos – $10,000
- Village Community Resource Center – $10,000
- We Care Services for Children – $7,500
- West Contra Costa Public Education Fund – $5,000
- White Pony Express – $5,000
- YES Nature to Neighborhoods – $5,000
- Young Women’s Freedom Center – $5,000
- TOTAL – $340,325
The overwhelming response affirms the significant resource gap for nonprofits to support organizational capacity and wellness and address common challenges, such as rising operating costs and staff recruitment, retention and burnout. Grant recipients will utilize the funds for strategic planning, retreats, professional development and staff wellness stipends.
“The Lesher Foundation believes in the enduring strength and wisdom of the nonprofit sector, which is why the CARE Fund prioritizes staff care and organizational resilience as key to enhancing the well-being of our community,” said Devorah Levine, Executive Director of the Lesher Foundation. “We are inspired by local nonprofits’ creative solutions and dedication to fostering care and growth, which we recognize as essential to them surviving and thriving.”
The Dean & Margaret Lesher Foundation has a clear and simple mission—to enhance the quality of life for all residents of Contra Costa County. Founded in 1989 by the late Dean Lesher and his wife Margaret, the Lesher Foundation continues to uphold this value, giving more than $100 million in grants to programs benefitting children and families, particularly those in underserved and low-income areas.
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