More than $1 million in grant funding has been awarded to nonprofits in North Sacramento with the goal of helping them improve and expand their services and programs.The North Sacramento Transformative Reinvestment grant program is money from American Rescue Plan dollars allocated for North Sacramento, and it is meant to help underserved communities in the area. The City of Sacramento’s District 2 Council Office oversees the distribution of the funds. $1.1 million in total funding through the grant program was just awarded this week to seven nonprofits within the District 2 boundaries.Among the recipients is Studio T Arts & Entertainment on Del Paso Boulevard. They do arts training and development for people of all ages, but they have specialized activities dedicated to young people. They were given more than $216,000 in grant funding to revamp their instruction space so they can expand and enhance existing youth programming. Renderings of the plans show high-tech recording rooms, production rooms and other creative spaces to hone artistic talents.“It gives us the opportunity to give our young people cutting edge technology and training, quality training, so that it leverages their ability to maybe be able to do something more with their lives,” Studio T Arts & Entertainment founder Tamaira “Miss Tee” Sandifer said. “It’s tremendously helpful to have the grant because we’re doing great work, but we can do greater work when we have help.”The nonprofit Single Mom Strong, which provides enrichment and education programs for single mothers and their children, is also a grant recipient. They were awarded just over $43,000. Founder Tara Taylor said the money will go toward improving a community building at Woodlake Park that they use for preschool and daycare.“Because of the lack of signage, because we are on a park, because of some issues with the unhoused population, there’s been a lot of deterrence to use of that location,” Taylor said.Taylor said they want to make sure the services they provide are being properly utilized by the community at their Woodlake Park site.“We don’t have funds for improvements to a building, and or marketing or advertising. We’re a small nonprofit profit and we do what we can to keep our costs really low, so an investment like this is huge for us. It’s a one-time thing and it will allow us to really level up in what we’re doing for the community,” Taylor said.Sacramento City Councilmember Shoun Thao represents District 2. He said funding to help benefit the North Sacramento region is incredibly crucial.“Historically, our community has been disinvested, and we’ve been working on revitalizing Del Paso Boulevard for the past 50 years, and I feel like this is the right time for the city to focus its investment and its opportunities on Del Paso Boulevard,” Thao said.While Thao is pleased the seven nonprofits are getting monetary support, he also said that the remaining grant funding should go to small businesses in the area. That is why he hopes the $1.7 million left in the initial $2.8 million allocated to the grant program will go to small businesses.“We would like to see a transformative grant which would be inclusive of our businesses as well,” Thao said. “It’s important to support our businesses and make sure that they keep their doors open or make sure that they get the support from the city.”Thao said he will meet with community members in the coming weeks to figure out how to divvy up the remaining funds to businesses.“We’ll be going back at looking at how we can be more inclusive,” Thao said.This latest investment builds upon two rounds of a façade improvement grant program. A third round of façade grants will be open next month to eligible District 2 properties that are located along commercial corridors.
More than $1 million in grant funding has been awarded to nonprofits in North Sacramento with the goal of helping them improve and expand their services and programs.
The North Sacramento Transformative Reinvestment grant program is money from American Rescue Plan dollars allocated for North Sacramento, and it is meant to help underserved communities in the area. The City of Sacramento’s District 2 Council Office oversees the distribution of the funds. $1.1 million in total funding through the grant program was just awarded this week to seven nonprofits within the District 2 boundaries.
Among the recipients is Studio T Arts & Entertainment on Del Paso Boulevard. They do arts training and development for people of all ages, but they have specialized activities dedicated to young people. They were given more than $216,000 in grant funding to revamp their instruction space so they can expand and enhance existing youth programming. Renderings of the plans show high-tech recording rooms, production rooms and other creative spaces to hone artistic talents.
“It gives us the opportunity to give our young people cutting edge technology and training, quality training, so that it leverages their ability to maybe be able to do something more with their lives,” Studio T Arts & Entertainment founder Tamaira “Miss Tee” Sandifer said. “It’s tremendously helpful to have the grant because we’re doing great work, but we can do greater work when we have help.”
The nonprofit Single Mom Strong, which provides enrichment and education programs for single mothers and their children, is also a grant recipient. They were awarded just over $43,000. Founder Tara Taylor said the money will go toward improving a community building at Woodlake Park that they use for preschool and daycare.
“Because of the lack of signage, because we are on a park, because of some issues with the unhoused population, there’s been a lot of deterrence to use of that location,” Taylor said.
Taylor said they want to make sure the services they provide are being properly utilized by the community at their Woodlake Park site.
“We don’t have funds for improvements to a building, and or marketing or advertising. We’re a small nonprofit profit and we do what we can to keep our costs really low, so an investment like this is huge for us. It’s a one-time thing and it will allow us to really level up in what we’re doing for the community,” Taylor said.
Sacramento City Councilmember Shoun Thao represents District 2. He said funding to help benefit the North Sacramento region is incredibly crucial.
“Historically, our community has been disinvested, and we’ve been working on revitalizing Del Paso Boulevard for the past 50 years, and I feel like this is the right time for the city to focus its investment and its opportunities on Del Paso Boulevard,” Thao said.
While Thao is pleased the seven nonprofits are getting monetary support, he also said that the remaining grant funding should go to small businesses in the area. That is why he hopes the $1.7 million left in the initial $2.8 million allocated to the grant program will go to small businesses.
“We would like to see a transformative grant which would be inclusive of our businesses as well,” Thao said. “It’s important to support our businesses and make sure that they keep their doors open or make sure that they get the support from the city.”
Thao said he will meet with community members in the coming weeks to figure out how to divvy up the remaining funds to businesses.
“We’ll be going back at looking at how we can be more inclusive,” Thao said.
This latest investment builds upon two rounds of a façade improvement grant program. A third round of façade grants will be open next month to eligible District 2 properties that are located along commercial corridors.
