Bank of the Sierra Awards Over $157K in Grants During First Quarter of 2025
May 08, 2025
Porterville, Calif. – Bank of the Sierra is proud to announce that it donated $157,500 to nonprofit organizations in its communities through its Sierra Grant Program during the first quarter of 2025. Since the program’s inception in 2004, more than 1,800 grants have been awarded.
From January through March 2025, Bank of the Sierra awarded more than $39,000 in grants to eight Central Valley nonprofits, over $49,000 to nine nonprofits in the Bank’s Coastal and Southern California footprint, and more than $67,000 to six nonprofits that offer services in both regions. In total during the first quarter, Bank of the Sierra awarded $157,500 to nonprofits throughout the communities it serves.
In addition to the Sierra Grants awarded during the first quarter this year, Bank of the Sierra also donated a total of $600,000 in 2024 to 96 organizations throughout the regions it serves. Central Valley organizations received more than $410,000 in grant funding, while Coastal and Southern California associations received over $100,000 to help them reach their goals. Plus, $78,000 was given to groups that either cover both major regions in the Bank’s footprint or help people throughout California.
Nonprofit organizations that received a Sierra Grant in the first quarter of 2025 include:
- Fresno County
- Sleep in Heavenly Peace
- Kern County
- Kern County Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Business Education Foundation
- Kern Economic Development Foundation
- The Salvation Army Tehachapi
- San Luis Obispo County
- Community Action Partnership of San Luis Obispo County (CAPSLO)
- Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) of San Luis Obispo County
- People’s Self-Help Housing
- Regional Economic Action Coalition (REACH), formerly the Hourglass Project
- Tulare County
- Blanket Ladies
- Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) of Tulare County
- Omni Family Health
- Optimist Club of Porterville
- Parenting Network
- Ventura County
- Boys & Girls Club of Greater Oxnard and Port Hueneme
- Boys & Girls Club of Santa Clara Valley
- Cabrillo Economic Development Corporation
- Ojai Community Farmers Market
- Regional/Statewide
- American Red Cross
- Asian Pacific Community Fund
- California Community Economic Development Association (CCEDA)
- Golden State Agricultural Foundation
- Junior Achievement of Northern California
- Leukemia & Lymphoma Society
“Bank of the Sierra strives to help organizations that serve the communities within our footprint,” said Kevin McPhaill, Bank of the Sierra President and Chief Executive Officer. “I am overjoyed to see the positive impact these nonprofits continue to have throughout our communities and beyond.”
About the Sierra Grant Program
Since its inception in 2004, the Sierra Grant Program has been responsible for donating more than $4.9 million to organizations that improve local communities.
About Bank of the Sierra
Bank of the Sierra is in its 48th 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 2025, 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.
