By Sue Frost–
One of my favorite things to do as a County Supervisor is support local organizations that give back to the community. Nonprofit organizations fill gaps left by government, providing services and supporting cultural growth in a way that is more personal and more direct.
Every year that I have been on the Board of Supervisors, we have been able to support the invaluable work of nonprofits with funds generated by the Transient Occupancy Tax (TOT), which comes from guests staying in hotels/motels.
Through the TOT Grant Program, the Board of Supervisors awards a million dollars to nonprofits every year to help them enhance their impact on the community. I am thrilled that we are yet again launching the TOT Grant Program for the 2021-2022 cycle and the applications are open!
For that reason, I thought that I would use this as an opportunity to increase awareness of the program and encourage as much participation as possible.
Applications are located here: bdm.saccounty.net/TOTGrantProgram
Applying organizations are required to be based in Sacramento County and must have specific programs they are requesting to fund. Programs can be for training, events that support tourism, address community issues, or that reach under-served populations.
Applications are reviewed and measured by subject area experts and are divided by the subject areas of arts and culture, community development, economic/workforce development, and health and human services.
The more specific applicants can be, the better. The more information about how an organization and program have helped and will continue to help the community, the better.
All applications must be submitted online and on time. I want to stress all of those points because we receive so many applications and I want every organization to maximize its chances of receiving funds.
While the total amount of grant funds available is one million dollars, no single organization can receive that much. Grants can be no smaller than $5,000 and no larger than $50,000.
Additionally, half of the total grant funds is available for the communal competitive pool. The other half is divided among each Supervisor to award to organizations in their district, meaning a minimum of $100,000 is guaranteed to go to our Supervisorial District 4.
I love seeing the organizations in our district submit their proposals and it is never easy to pick who gets funds, but we have always had great successes in each of the communities in our district.
For example, in the past we have been able to secure over $20,000 for the “Sunrise Christian Food Ministry” who was able to use the funding to increase the size of their food closet, as well as helped to fund a truck for the transportation of food. And last year we secured $10,000 for “Citrus Heights HART” who provided rental assistance for Citrus Heights families who were in jeopardy of being evicted from their home due to unemployment as a result of COVID-19.
Applications for the TOT Grant Program are due no later than Monday, Oct. 11 at 5 p.m. As I mentioned, applications must be submitted online and no late applications will be accepted.
The nonprofit organizations of Sacramento County do great work and enhance the quality of life for countless people. Whether your nonprofit organization is seeking to provide school supplies for children, organizing a community clean up, or expanding access to the arts, I encourage you to pull together your team and put together the best application possible. And if you know someone who has a local nonprofit, please send this information to them.
The TOT Grant Program is a rare opportunity for us to directly support nonprofit organizations and I hope that many qualified organizations will jump on the opportunity.
Sacramento County Supervisor Sue Frost formerly served as a Citrus Heights councilwoman and currently represents District 4, which includes Citrus Heights. She can be contacted at (916) 874-5491, or SupervisorFrost@saccounty.net.
Want to share your thoughts on this topic or another local issue? Submit a letter to the editor or opinion column for publication: Click here
