Bank of the Sierra Awards Over $23K in Grants to Coastal and Southern California Nonprofits During First Quarter
May 30, 2019
Porterville, CA – Bank of the Sierra announced today that $23,500 was given to seven nonprofits in the bank’s Central Coast and Southern California markets during the first quarter. The bank awards $1,000-$5,000 grants to 15-20 nonprofit organizations each quarter as part of its Sierra Grant program. Overall in the first quarter, Bank of the Sierra awarded a total of $66,000 to nonprofits in eight counties it serves.
The California 4-H Foundation is hosting its signature event, the 4-H State Leadership Conference, at UC Davis in July. A Sierra Grant will help several young 4-H members from low- to moderate-income families with travel and registration costs. The conference will help youth improve their leadership skills and prepare them for college and a future career.
A Sierra Grant will help support Fort Hope, a Western-style frontier town that offers events for at-risk and needy children in San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara counties. Children can participate in several hands-on activities, including milking cows, making corn husk dolls, and panning for real gold. Kids can also learn where their food comes from through the five-day Taco Farm summer camp.
Ojai Festivals will use a Sierra Grant to support their BRAVO school-based music education programs. The programs provide free high-quality musical experiences to around 2,200 students in the Ojai and Ventura Unified School Districts. BRAVO events take place in classrooms during regular school hours, at the Ojai Music Festival, and at family-oriented settings.
“I’m so proud of what we’ve accomplished with the Sierra Grant program,” said Kevin McPhaill, Bank of the Sierra President and Chief Executive Officer. “The program is now 15 years old, and we’ve seen our communities benefit greatly through the nonprofits we’ve supported.”
About the Sierra Grant Program
Since its inception in 2004, the Sierra Grant Program has been responsible for donating over two million dollars to organizations that improve local communities. Nonprofits who wish to apply for a Sierra Grant can pick up an instructional brochure at any Bank of the Sierra branch, or visit the bank’s web site at www.bankofthesierra.com/resources/sierra-grant-program.
About Bank of the Sierra
Bank of the Sierra is in its 42nd year of operations and is the largest independent bank headquartered in the South San Joaquin Valley. Bank of the Sierra is a community-centric regional bank, which offers a full range of retail and commercial banking services with full-service branches located within the counties of Tulare, Kern, Kings, Fresno, Los Angeles, Ventura, San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara. The bank also maintains an online branch, and provides specialized lending services through an agricultural credit center and an SBA center. Bank of the Sierra is recognized as one of the strongest and top-performing community banks in the country, with a 5-star rating from Bauer Financial and a Sm-All Star award from Sandler O’Neill.
