Bank of the Sierra Awards $150K in Grants During Third Quarter of 2024
December 04, 2024
Porterville, Calif. – Bank of the Sierra is proud to announce that it donated $150,000 to nonprofit organizations and school districts in its communities through its Sierra Grant Program during the third quarter of 2024. Since the program’s inception in 2004, more than 1,800 grants have been awarded.
From July through September 2024, Bank of the Sierra awarded $120,000 in grants to 20 Central Valley nonprofits and schools, $12,000 to nine nonprofits and schools in the Bank’s Coastal and Southern California footprint, and $18,000 to nonprofits that offer services in both regions. In total during the third quarter, Bank of the Sierra awarded $150,000 to nonprofits throughout the communities it serves.
In addition to grants, Bank of the Sierra donated a total of 1,500 backpacks filled with school supplies to 15 local schools. The backpacks were donated near the start of the school year and distributed to students whose families lack the resources to afford the supplies. The Bank also provided a series of financial literacy tips with each backpack to encourage students and their families to learn how to save, budget, plan for college, and more.
Non-profits and school districts that received a Sierra Grant in the third quarter of 2024 include:
- Fresno County
- Access Plus Capital CDFI
- Bridge2College
- City Without Orphans
- Clovis Unified School District
- Fresno Area Hispanic Foundation
- Habitat for Humanity Greater Fresno Area
- Kern County
- Bakersfield Angels
- Bakersfield City School District
- Beardsley School District
- Delano Union School District
- Golden Oak Elementary School
- Jim Burke Education Foundation
- Kern Partnership for Children and Families
- Kings County
- Reef-Sunset Unified School District
- San Luis Obispo County
- Golden State Agricultural Foundation
- Lucia Mar Unified School District
- Paso Robles Joint Unified School District
- Santa Barbara County
- Lompoc Unified School District
- Tulare County
- All Giddy Society
- Lindsay Unified School District
- Porterville Unified School District
- Self-Help Enterprises
- Sierra View Foundation
- Visalia Unified School District
- Ventura County
- Briggs Unified School District
- Fillmore Unified School District
- Santa Paula Unified School District
- Spirit of Santa Paula
- Ventura Unified School District
- Regional/Statewide
- California Coalition for Rural Housing
- Mission Community Services Corporation
- San Joaquin Valley Housing Collaborative
“We were thrilled to award Sierra Grants to both nonprofits and schools throughout our communities this past quarter,” said Kevin McPhaill, Bank of the Sierra President and Chief Executive Officer. “I’m proud that Bank of the Sierra never stops looking for opportunities to assist organizations that help the communities we both serve.”
About the Sierra Grant Program
Since its inception in 2004, the Sierra Grant Program has been responsible for donating over $4.6 million to organizations that improve local communities.
About Bank of the Sierra
Bank of the Sierra is in its 47th year of operations and is one of the largest independent banks headquartered in the South San Joaquin Valley. Bank of the Sierra is a community-centric regional bank, which offers a broad range of retail and commercial banking services through full-service branches located within the counties of Tulare, Kern, Kings, Fresno, Ventura, San Luis Obispo, and Santa Barbara. The Bank also maintains an online branch and provides specialized lending services through an agricultural credit center in Templeton. In 2024, Bank of the Sierra was recognized as one of the strongest and top-performing community banks in the country, with a 5-star rating from Bauer Financial.
