Sacramento (Monday, March 23) Mayor Darrell Steinberg and Councilmember Jay Schenirer on Monday joined a broad coalition of public, private, non-profit, labor and philanthropic partners to launch a fundraising effort to help those hurt economically by the COVID-19 pandemic.

“When there has been a need, Sacramento has always stepped up,” said Councilmember Jay Schenirer, who spearheaded the effort for the City. “I know this time will be no different. We will get through this crisis and emerge stronger.”

The campaign, called Donate4Sacramento, received its first major commitments on Sunday: $150,000 from Health Net; $150,000 from Sierra Health Foundation; $30,000 from Comcast and $10,000 from the Teichert Foundation.

“This fund was established to deepen and expedite support for workers, families, community organizations and small businesses impacted by the health and financial circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic, many of whom were already experiencing some of our society’s deepest inequities,” said Chet P. Hewitt, president and CEO of Sierra Health Foundation and The Center, a founding member of the Donate4Sacramento fund. “We are proud to commit our time, expertise, energy and dollars to this partnership fund and invite all to join us in building hope for the future together.”

Mayor Darrell Steinberg, who asked Schenirer to lead the fundraising effort for the City Council, said he was proud of the way corporate and philanthropic entities in the city are already stepping up to help, and added, “Every donation helps, no matter how large or small. With this fund, we can demonstrate our commitment to leave nobody in Sacramento behind. We’re strongest when we stand together.”

The Donate4Sacramento campaign has gained local, regional and statewide support, including from the offices of state Senator Richard Pan, Congresswoman Doris Matsui and Congressman Ami Bera and Sacramento County. See a full list of partner organizations and individuals at donate4sacramento.org.

“We applaud this coalition’s energetic leadership in bringing people together to help expand the local safety net for those in need during this time of upheaval,” said Brian Ternan, CEO of Health Net, also a founding member of Donate4Sacramento. “We remain committed to our decades-long mission of transforming the health of our communities and look forward to working with the mayor in the coming months to help those most vulnerable.”

Donations can be made through the Donate4Sacramento website. You can specify that your contribution be used in one of five ways:

Support for Families. This funding adds to the United Way California Capital Region’s COVID-19 Local Relief Fund to provide childcare, meals, rental assistance and other essential resources for families whose lives have been disrupted by the COVID-19 outbreak.

Support for Small Businesses. This support leverages and supplements the City of Sacramento’s Small Business Emergency Economic Relief Loan Program for zero-interest loans to mitigate the impact of COVID-19 on small businesses and their employees.
Services for Our Unhoused Neighbors. Providing services through area nonprofits to unhoused Sacramentans, such as emergency shelters, hygiene stations and other solutions to meet their needs.
Nonprofit Support. This funding will be distributed through the Sacramento Region Community Foundation’s Sacramento Region Disaster Fund, which will rapidly deploy flexible resources to nonprofits working with communities impacted by COVID-19.
General Support. Flexible funding to provide support beyond the areas identified above and wherever it is most needed.

Funds will be administered by The Center at Sierra Health Foundation, Sacramento Region Community Foundation, United Way California Capital Region and the City of Sacramento.

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About Sierra Health Foundation and The Center: Sierra Health Foundation is a private philanthropy that forges new paths to promote health and racial equity in partnership with communities, organizations and leaders most critically impacted by disparities. The foundation founded The Center in 2012 to serve as an intermediary for diverse public and private partnerships focused on equity through programs and grantmaking practices centering community experience and leadership.

About Health Net: At Health Net, we believe every person deserves a safety net for their health, regardless of age, income, employment status or current state of health. Founded 40 years ago, we remain dedicated to transforming the health of our community, one person at a time. Today, Health Net’s 3,000 employees and 85,000 network providers serve more than 3 million members. That’s nearly 1 in 12 Californians. We provide health plans for individuals, families, businesses of every size, people with Medicare and people with Medi-Cal — Coverage for Every Stage of LifeTM. Health Net also offer access to substance abuse programs, behavioral health services, employee assistance programs and managed health care products related to prescription drugs. We offer these health plans and services through Health Net, LLC and its subsidiaries: Health Net of California, Inc., Health Net Life Insurance Company and Health Net Community Solutions, Inc. These entities are wholly owned subsidiaries of Centene Corporation (NYSE: CNC), a Fortune 100 company providing health coverage to more than 20 million Americans. For more information, visit HealthNet.com.