New grant opportunity will engage residents on city level reparations
Residents gathered at the Oak Park Community Center for an African American Experience listening session in 2023.
Sacramento, CA (Sep. 1, 2023) - Starting September 6 through September 29, the city will be accepting grant applications to help conduct community engagement, information sessions, and survey collection that prioritizes participation from Sacramento’s Black/African American community regarding city-level reparations.
“These grants are the next step in ensuring the voices of our community are included in all the effort we are putting in as a city to support some form of reparations,” said Mayor Darrell Steinberg.
Grant requirements and application instructions can be viewed on the City’s new grants management system online here. Any questions about the grant itself must be submitted through the Grants Management System no later than September 13, 2023 at 5 PM (PDT).
The objectives for the City Level Reparations Community Engagement grant are:
To inform community members about city, state, and federal level reparations efforts.
Collect survey information and feedback from community members to help guide the formation of a city level reparations task force, committee, or commission.
The Mayor’s office in partnership with a coalition of Sacramento area residents and leaders engaged in reparations efforts decided to develop a one-time grant program to help inform, engage, and survey residents regarding city level reparations. The grant amounts available are for micro-grants up to $2,500 and larger grants up to $10,000. These funds will be directly invested in the community through the grant award process.
Funding for the grant comes from a February 2022 midyear budget adjustment recommendation from Mayor Steinberg to continue the City’s commitment of establishing racial equity in culture and policy. In that proposal, $200,000 was dedicated to support the creation, development, and work of a community Sacramento Municipal Reparations committee over the next several years. $50,000 of those funds will be used for the one-time grant program.
The Mayor’s vision is that together, community members and community-based organizations are centered in the effort to repair acts of discrimination in the City of Sacramento’s present day and history.
Chair Kamilah Moore, Sec. Shirley Weber, Vice. Chair Dr. Amos Brown at the podium at the most recent California State Reparations Task Force Meeting
Individuals and organizations interested in receiving notifications of future grant announcements should sign up for the City's new grant opportunities email list where all future City grant opportunities will be announced.
If you have any questions or feedback, or need assistance using the new grants system, please contact the City's grants team at grants@cityofsacramento.gov.
