The Richmond Community Foundation has been a leader in fostering the mission of countless nonprofit organizations in West Contra Costa County, notably in helping organizations build the capacity they need to do their work. Since spring 2011, the Foundation has sponsored semi-annual grant cycles in capacity building, filling a need that all too often is under-addressed by funders.
We have been the fortunate recipients of two such capacity-building grants. Last fall, RCF funding helped us immeasurably to reach our volunteer-recruitment goal for our new Richmond High School program, for which our coaches began filing into RHS classrooms this past September. And the RCF has helped us build on that success with a new grant of $2,500, announced on Nov. 7, to support continued volunteer recruitment as we plan for an expanded program at Richmond High for next year.
And RCF support has extended beyond direct funding. For example, we would be hard-pressed to count the number of meetings we have attended in the Foundation’s capacious board room, collaborative meetings with other West County non-profit and agency stakeholders and CAFL meetings as well. Given the fact that we don’t have a central office, the generous donation of meeting space by the RCF has meant a great deal to us.
We are deeply appreciative of the support of the Richmond Community Foundation, and we are honored to be their partner in West County.
Bob Menzimer
Executive Director