New community grants available

Since 2019, the Sisters Country Vision Implementation Team (VIT) has been offering small grants to community organizations and businesses who are actively working to support one or more projects included in the Vision Action Plan. Starting in January, the small-grant program reopened in partnership with local nonprofit Citizens4Community (C4C), who will oversee the grants going forward. The application is simple, and the grants can support a wide range of community projects!

This hyper-local grant program is designed to catalyze community-led action within the four broad focus areas of the Sisters Country Vision: Prosperous Sisters, Livable Sisters, Resilient Sisters, and Connected Sisters.

Community members, including nonprofits, small businesses, community coalitions, and even individuals can apply for up to $1,250 per application.

Grant funds can be utilized to support direct project work, or capacity for an applicant organization to scale up to be in a better position to take on a new project.

The program also offers “micro-grants” of up to $250, which can be approved very quickly to support small costs such as childcare or food for community meetings, or one-time purchases such as supplies or printing costs for event flyers or posters.

Priority consideration will be given to projects that involve collaboration with other community members or organizations in Sisters Country.

To learn more about the four focus areas of the Sisters Country Vision, visit https://sisterscommunity.org/sisters-country-vision/.

The application process is open now and proposals are accepted on a rolling basis year-round.

All proposals will be reviewed at the end of each month, and applicants will receive notification of funding status by the 20th of the following month, with payments processed soon after.

The application form is simple to complete, consisting of under 10 questions.

Applications will be reviewed by a five-member review committee, including C4C board members, members of the Sisters Community Builders Coalition, and members of the Vision Implementation Team.

Micro-grants under the $250 threshold can be awarded through a quick preapproval process without committee review, at the discretion of the C4C staff and board chair.

To apply, send a request via email to Jane Paxson at [email protected]

Past recipients of the VIT Grants include the Three Sisters Historical Society, who utilized the funding to produce 13 additional historical plaques for the downtown area and to create a brochure that informs residents and visitors about the images in the Sisters 75th Anniversary Mural located on the Habitat for Humanity Thrift Store building at 211 E. Cascade Ave. Age Friendly Sisters Country received a grant to purchase general liability insurance coverage and to cover the cost of background checks for new volunteers for the STARS (Sisters Transportation and Ride Share Program), allowing them to greatly expand their pool of volunteer drivers during the pandemic, including offering free rides to vaccination clinics at the Deschutes County Fairgrounds in Redmond.

Sisters Park & Recreation District utilized a grant to offer a new, very low-cost community Spanish language class in 2021.