Sacramento Impact Partners (SIP) works to connect Sacramento based philanthropists to reputable nonprofits in our region in need of a $25,000 – $100,000+ infusion of cash to execute a project that has/will have measurable impact.
What does SIP Do?
- Keeps a pulse on non-profit projects in the Sacramento Community
- Shares opportunities & projects in need of funding that meets the “Impact Measurements”
- Focuses on results and traction for every dollar donated and every project funded
What kind of projects?
SIP Impact Measurements & Requirements for a Project:
- A non-profit with a track record of good accountability
- A goal to expand current operations and/or add a new service
- A budget of $25,000 – $100,000+
- A mapped-out structure of execution and impact measurements
Who should participate?
Citizens of the Sacramento Area who:
- Want and have the means to financially contribute to charities
- Want to improve the Sacramento area
- Want to get to know others in the region with philanthropic interests & partner on charitable projects together
- Want to see results from their contributions
How do philanthropists donate?
If philanthropists are moved by the mission or project, they can join the group to meet the funding requirement. Then, each person donates directly to the non-profit.
Each contributor uses their own structure of their resources to donate.*
*Possible funds could be grants from business or personal accounts, private foundations, IRA funds for those 70 and over, donor advised funds (such as those housed at Sacramento Region Community Foundation or a charitable fund such as Fidelity or Schwab offers), donations of appreciated stock (this has tax benefits), or proceeds from a business sale where the non-profit contribution is a tax write off that reduces the capital gains on the sale.
Current Projects
Habitat for Humanity’s “Rock The Block”
– Issue
Certain communities are challenged with homeowner displacement, safe and accessible community spaces and lack of resources such as education to prevent predatory home repairs.
Impactful Resource
Rock The Block has been conducted in various Oak Park neighborhoods for 4 years. Rock the Block is an annual 2-day event during which Habitat brings together hundreds of volunteers to work in partnership with residents to complete critical home repairs, community projects and neighborhood beautification.
These neighborhoods have 3 qualities:
- Historically underserved communities with majority of residents considered “low-income” – earning under 80% of the area median income
- Residents living under the threat of displacement. Particularly senior, BIPOC, disabled, and multi-generational homeowners due to deferred, high-cost home maintenance
- Thriving neighborhood associations and community-based organizations in place
Initial Proposal
With an additional $100,000, Habitat could expand to a 5th year in Oak Park. Sacramento Impact Partners agreed to find funds for this expansion. That became the plan. However, the Promise Zone had funds and Habitat pitched that they could do an additional 4 years in Oak Park with a combination of donor funds matched with Promise Zone funds. This expansion was Step 2 so that Habitat could commit to do Rock The Block for 4 additional years in Oak Park. This is an example for the leverage of a well run nonprofit with the ability to expand with the support of private funds. Habitat will now do 2 Rock the Blocks yearly and will also start their next 4 year commitment in Bryte, Yolo county.
Impact Measurements
New resources bring vital energy into a neighborhood to stabilize it. Neighborhood association participation increased. Park beautification creates more community and family activities there. Education resources stop predatory contractor practices. Adjoining blocks request a Rock The Block event.
Project Recap
First Year Funding Provided By:
The Ralph and Marla Andersen Family Fund at the Sacramento Region Community Foundation, Dale and Katy Carlsen & Elfrena Foord and Bruce Hester.
Improve Your Tomorrow, Inc.
– Issue
In California, young men of color (YMOC) are challenged in educational systems and over represented in prisons and in the criminal justice systems.
Impactful Resource
Improve Your Tomorrow (IYT) was established in 2013 with 17 students in 1 school. Their goal is to increase the number of young men of color (YMOC) attending and graduating from colleges and universities. This school year they will be working with more than 3,000 students in 49 schools. Their commitment to these students is for 12 years – from 7th grade through college + 2 years of fellowship after college. Their programming, services and 12-year commitment produce outcomes that are making YMOC more likely to meet requirements, graduate, and pursue careers of their choosing. Here are their impact measures.
Initial Proposal
College tours are an essential piece of IYT’s success and COVID has made college tours impossible for the last 2 years. These college tours are critical now to get started. Tours for more than 900 YMOC on 17 buses going to 19 different colleges is happening March through May 2022. $65,000 was needed to match the $35,000 IYT had to cover the college tours.
Impact Measurements
IYT has an outstanding track record of recording their results. The 17 first students in 2013, when the organization was just starting and without all the supports that they currently offer, have 8 college graduates and 5 still working on their college degree.
One element of their success is to have students go on college tours so that young men of color can see themselves in college and can have conversations with college personnel. 75% of YMOC who go on 1 college tour attend college and 80% who go on 2 college tours attend college.
About Improve Your Tomorrow
Student Testimonials
“I joined the IYT program in April 2013. IYT essentially represented a gateway to a life of knowledge and wealth that my family had never experienced. I became the first in my family to go to a 4-year university. Because I come from a single-parent family, live in an impoverished community and almost all the men in my family have an extreme criminal record, the odds were just stacked against me in a way that I felt like I could not overcome them. However, with the resources and guidance of IYT, I was able to bring out the potential of a kid that didn’t see a way out for himself or those around him. I became the first in my family to attend a 4-year university and look forward to continuing to mentor young men like myself along the way. Ultimately, IYT continues to give me the guidance I need to continue to become a better scholar and a better man.”
“IYT completely changed my life. In 2013 I was a shy student with a 1.66 GPA. My grades didn’t reflect my potential because I knew I could be a competent student, but I didn’t understand that the choices I made then would have a lasting impact in my academic career. This was something I learned immediately. Soon after I obtained a 4.33 GPA. Without realizing it, the continuous reminder that I was capable of achieving everything I set out to accomplish allowed me to transform from a mediocre student to a college bound brother as members are called. Now at UC Davis, I’ve struggled a lot but I continue to remember that my mentors believed in me at a time no one else did and pushed me forward when I doubted myself the most. This has given me the power to believe in myself, to pursue my wildest dreams and to reassure myself that I’m worthy of everything I set out to accomplish. I look forward to graduating from UC Davis in the Spring of 2020 and returning to my community to continue to advocate for change and inspire more young men of color to become the best versions of themselves.”
$65,000 funding was provided by Jim and Mary Jo Streng, Frank Washington and Ken Noack
