Sacramento, February 28, 2025 – Dignity Health announced today it has awarded $1,017,000 in grants to nonprofit organizations across the Greater Sacramento Region. The grants, part of the CommonSpirit Health Community Health Improvement Grants program, are dedicated to improving the health and well-being of vulnerable and underserved populations. 

“Dignity Health is committed to improving the health of our community beyond our hospital and clinic walls,” said Dr. Tina Johnson, Dignity Health Sacramento Market President. “These grants are a reflection of our work toward a healthier future for all, and support the great work being done by our community nonprofits to bring critical programs and services into the Sacramento Region. It is helping ensure individuals and families are able to access the services they need.” 

The grant program helps to improve community health and health equity, and enhance local service systems, via restricted charitable contributions for defined projects. Collaborating 501(c)3 non-profit organizations applied to receive grant funds to address significant issues identified in the hospital’s/hospitals’ community health needs assessment/s. These can include improving behavioral health, homelessness, substance abuse services, food insecurity, basic needs such as housing, jobs and food, and more.

The following organizations received grants to support program activities between March 2025 and February 2026: 

ACC Telephone Reassurance & Companionship Services: The ACC Telephone Reassurance & Companionship Services program meets a growing demand to reduce isolation, promotes physical activity, improves access to health and social services, and increases social interactions in the older Asian American/Pacific Islander adult community. ACC will recruit and train volunteers for this project and two existing programs for vulnerable seniors: Senior Escort and Friendly Visitor. These three programs will provide companionship and socialization for seniors of diverse ability-levels. Trained volunteers are used to interact with community members to improve health literacy and reduce anxiety and depression in family caregivers. 

• Lead Organization: Asian Community Center of Sacramento Valley Inc., dba ACC Senior Services
• Collaborators: Meals on Wheels, Society for the Blind, Agency on Aging Area 4, and Resources for Independent Living
• Grant Award: $78,500

Bridging House for Women and Children Experiencing Homelessness Due to Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault, and Human Trafficking: Bridging Initiatives International will assist families and individuals experiencing homelessness due to domestic violence, sexual assault, and human trafficking. They plan to support them with shelter for a 3-6 month period, while facilitating their transition to rental assistance through the BII housing program. Additional services include motel voucher services, and referrals to the continuum of care network.

• Lead Organization: Bridging Initiatives International (BII)
• Collaborators: Sacramento Steps Forward, Carmichael HART, and Mercy Holistic Ministry
• Grant Award: $100,000

Foster Youth Success: Foster Youth Success program partners with Interns to Pros and Hearts & Hands Counseling to provide comprehensive support to former foster youth, focusing on college success, career readiness, emotional well-being, and life skills. This initiative strives to guide successful transitions from college to impactful lives. Mentorship, counseling, career pathways, and workshops, aiming to enhance personal and professional success are offered to the students.An incentivized scholarship process covering housing, tuition, and food eliminates the basic need barriers for foster youth students  to succeed in college. 

• Lead Organization: Fostering Success & Significance
• Collaborators: Interns 2 Pros (I2P), and Hearts & Hands Counseling
• Grant Award: $43,000

Cut to the Chase: Cut to the Chase is a program for Black men and women to meet up to discuss the daily challenges and issues they face to improve their mental health in Del Paso Heights and Oak Park. To eliminate the stigma around seeking mental-emotional support in the Black community, this program l provides therapy in spaces in the barbershops and beauty salons that Black men and women already comfortably frequent throughout our community. This program is expanding with partnering organizations to include Medical Moments: a segment in each group therapy session to include health education. 

• Lead Organization: Greater Sacramento Urban League
• Collaborators: Capitol City Black Nurses Association, and Heart of the Matter Counseling
• Grant Award: $100,000

Young Adults Lift and Youth Activities Programs: Young Adults Lift and Youth Activities Programs will provide basic needs, transition support and positive development for vulnerable and at-risk youth/young adults. Targeted youth from economically disadvantaged communities will be provided opportunities to participate in youth sports, camps, and STEM programs for positive development. etc.,  and young adults transitioning back into the community from the Sacramento County Probation's Youth Detention Facility will be assisted with immediate needs and insecurities, including provision of monthly groceries and clothing, while offering a structured curriculum of financial literacy workshops, goal development, and career planning.

• Lead Organization: HERB Nonprofit
• Collaborators: Sacramento County Probation's Youth Detention Juvenile Justice Chaplaincy, Turning Point Community Programs (TPCP), and Safe Credit Union
• Grant Award: $100,000

Folsom Lake College MESA Program: Folsom Lake College will offer a robust Mathematics Engineering Science Achievement (MESA) program. MESA is dedicated to supporting women, low-income individuals, and people of color by providing tailored academic resources, mentorship, and opportunities to excel in STEM fields with a focus on diversifying the Allied Health Field. By providing comprehensive academic support, professional development opportunities, and a nurturing community, they aim to empower students to achieve their full potential. 

• Lead Organization: Los Rios Colleges Foundation
• Collaborators: CSU Sacramento/Black Honors College, El Dorado County Office of Education, and Folsom Cordova Unified School District
• Grant Award: $100,000

Mercy Holistic Showers for the Homeless: The Mercy Holistic Showers for the Homeless project provides mobile on-site showers to the homeless population in different locations throughout Sacramento.  The program also addresses the health, and well-being of the unhoused by providing hygiene kits, haircuts, clean undergarments, food, jobs, counseling, and housing voucher leads. 

• Lead Organization: Mercy Holistic Ministries
• Collaborators: Town and Country Lutheran Church, Mt. Calvary Baptist Church, Faith Presbyterian Church, and Harvest Missionary Church
• Grant Award: $75,000

North Sacramento HART: The North Sacramento HART project involves a weekly respite, warm breakfast, clothing giveaway, personal hygiene bags, and To Go lunches. North Sacramento HART has also partnered with Sacramento County Department of Health to provide free vaccinations for the unhoused. The project will allow expansion to longer hours and additional dates of operation as well as, providing more resources to gain access to human needs and care.

• Lead Organization: North Sacramento HART
• Collaborators: Mount Calvary Missionary Baptist Church, and Sacramento Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.
• Grant Award: $20,000

Skate Nights Youth Development Program: Project Lifelong collaborates with the San Juan Unified School District, and Sierra Club's Inspiring Connections Outdoors, to address social isolation among youth. The Skate Nights program is a pop-up skateboarding park created on middle school campuses to integrate Social Emotional Learning (SEL) to develop life skills and foster a sense of belonging. This program positively impacts the mental and physical health of students by utilizing a Youth Advocate and LCSW within San Juan Unified School District to connect with participants in cases where mental health services may be needed.

• Lead Organization: Project Lifelong
• Collaborators: Sacramento Inspiring Connections Outdoors, Edison Language Institute - SJUSD
• Grant Award: $33,902

Safer Alternatives through Networking & Education: This project will address the need for two services among people experiencing homelessness and substance use disorder in Sacramento County: wound-care and education for soft tissue infections from IV injection, and access to medications for opiate use disorder. The project will provide wound care clinics and distribute wound care kits to unhoused persons through targeted outreach. Collaborating organizations will participate in training/sharing sessions, develop new health education materials to distribute to participants.  Three medical providers from Sacramento Street Medicine will be trained to treat patients with limited access to health care and drug treatment with medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD). 

• Lead Organization: Safer Alternatives through Networking & Education (SANE)
• Collaborators: Sacramento Street Medicine, and Joan Viteri Memorial Clinic
• Grant Award: $100,000

Basic Needs, Family Services, and Behavioral Health/SUD Services, for Unhoused Women & Children: This project will address the basic needs of unhoused women and children in the Greater Sacramento area and improve social determinants of health by assisting them in developing the necessary skills to obtain stable housing, economic security, and overall well-being. For up to 12 months each, this project will provide unhoused women and children with housing, meals, childcare, employment training, psycho/social education, transportation, housing navigation, and family services. Family services encompass children’s case management, and ensuring children receive assessments and treatment/referrals for appropriate intervention. Adult clients will receive mental health and substance use treatment services.

• Lead Organization: Saint John's Program for Real Change
• Collaborators: Highland Community Charter and Technical Schools, and UC Davis Health REACH Families Project
• Grant Award: $50,098

Adjustment to Blindness Mental Health Project: The Adjustment to Blindness Mental Health Project provides individual and group counseling for clients who are blind or have low vision to help them adjust to this life-altering experience.  Low vision has led to isolation, depression and dependence on alcohol and drugs. Older adults with cognitive problems has experienced medical emergencies.   Counseling can provide resources that address their mental health issues and increase their ability to once again thrive. This project will provide a safe, supportive space to grieve their vision loss and rebuild their mental health and self-confidence. Counseling services are  offered remotely and in-person in multiple languages. 

• Lead Organization: Society for the Blind
• Collaborators: H.O.P.E. Counseling, and WEAVE
• Grant Award: $80,000

Ukrainian American House: The project will address critical gaps in health access and mental health services for low-income, non-English speaking Slavic immigrants and Ukrainian refugees in Sacramento County. It will provide culturally competent mental health support, health services, education resources, and referrals to licensed counselors. The project will assist with navigating the complicated healthcare system and assist with Medi-Cal enrollment, Cal-Fresh and Cal-Works for active clients. Through these efforts, the project seeks to enhance the well-being and integration for immigrants and refugees.

• Lead Organization: Ukrainian American House
• Collaborators: Parasolka, and Community Connection Center
• Grant Award: $50,000

Wind Youth Services Community Health Partnership: The Wind Youth Services Community Health Partnership aims to enhance access to supportive services for highly vulnerable homeless youth, aged 12-24, in Sacramento County. Along with One Community Health and Juma Ventures, the project seeks to increase youth awareness and access to essential services and distribute information to transitional-age youth. This includes connections to housing and homelessness services, medical care, and employment support.

• Lead Organization: Wind Youth Services
• Collaborators: One Community Health, and Juma Ventures
• Grant Award: $86,500

In Yolo County, $123,500 in community grants have been awarded to three community projects:

Resilient Futures Fund: The Resilient Futures Fund aims to remove financial barriers to success by partnering with agencies who represent and/or provide services to justice impacted clients. This project will provide support to unique justice-involved individuals by removing barriers such as housing, transportation, food, clothing, hygiene, basic necessities and medical supplies.

• Lead Organization: Yolo County Public Defender CARES
• Collaborators: Yolo County Public Defender's Office, Yolo County Probation, and Yolo County Health & Human Services Agency - Forensic Team
• Grant Award: $25,866

Employment Support for Parents (ESP): The Employment Support for Parents (ESP) Program at Yolo Crisis Nursery offers comprehensive assistance to help low-income parents secure employment. Through this program, parents receive support by working directly with a dedicated case manager to receive one-on-one case management, assistance with job applications, and housing navigation. This initiative also includes free childcare during job interviews and related activities. It will also cover costs as needed for interview transportation and appropriate work attire. Collaborators will also provide client referrals, host weekly office hours/drop-in sessions, and other specialized training, ensuring a holistic approach to support clients' employment and stability goals.

• Lead Organization: Yolo Crisis Nursery Inc.
• Collaborators: RISE, and YoloWorks
• Grant Award: $37,634

Yolo Food Bank: Yolo Food Bank with Yolo County Children’s Alliance (YCCA) and Rural Innovations in Social Economics (RISE) in partnership   aims to provide free culturally appropriate food boxes monthly to Yolo County families in need. In direct response to data that almost forty percent of households with children are experiencing food insecurity YFB will provide a combination of fresh produce and shelf stable goods to families with young children ages 0-5 that are food insecure. A Nutrition Intern will be hired to provide families with supplemental bilingual nutrition education materials such as menu plans and recipe cards. The Nutrition Intern will also participate in home visits and will lead nutrition education workshops.

• Lead Organization: Yolo Food Bank (YFB)
• Collaborators: Yolo County Children's Alliance (YCCA), and Rural Innovations in Social Economics
• Grant Award: $60,000

###

About Dignity Health

Dignity Health is a multi-state nonprofit network of 10,000 physicians, more than 60,000 employees, 41 acute care hospitals, and 400-plus care-centers, including community hospitals, urgent care, surgery and imaging centers, home health, and primary care clinics in Arizona, California, and Nevada. Dignity Health is dedicated to providing compassionate, high-quality, and affordable patient-centered care with special attention to the poor and underserved. Dignity Health is a part of CommonSpirit Health, a nonprofit health system committed to advancing health for all people and dedicated to serving the common good. For more information, please visit our website at www.DignityHealth.org.