A big thanks...
to the many news outlets in Marin and the surrounding Bay Area that have featured our agency in their news outlets over the years. It takes all of us working together to raise awareness, amplify our message, and make our community stronger.
Awards
Platinum Rated on Guidestar
Guidestar is an information service specializing in reporting on U.S. nonprofit companies through a rating system of Bronze-Platinum. It connects donors and grantmakers to more than 2.5 million nonprofit organizations.
Top Rated 2022 Nonprofit
We have been honored with a Top-Rated Award for 2022 from GreatNonprofits. Read inspiring stories about us from clients, volunteers, and community members, and add your own.
2020 California Nonprofit of the Year
Each year, California Assemblymembers and state senators are invited to honor a nonprofit of the year for their district. Assemblymember Marc Levine chose Community Action Marin as the 2020 California Nonprofit of the Year!
Top Rated on Charity Navigator
Charity Navigator is a charity assessment organization that evaluates hundreds of thousands of charitable organizations and uses a transparency rating system to find and support nonprofits that align with one's passions and values.
2021 Partner of Justice Award
Awarded to Community Action Marin by Legal Aid of Marin for dedication to providing vital services and ensuring equal opportunity to Marin residents; an inspiration to our community.
Partner in Marin's Efforts to End Homelessness
Community Action Marin and the County of Marin's Division of Homelessness and Whole Person Care are partners in the County-wide effort to end homelessness in our community.
Nominations
2021 Heart of Marin Award
Presented to an Executive Director who has demonstrated excellence in leadership and whose vision has inspired meaningful and lasting change benefiting the organization and community. The Heart of Marin recognizes and honors Marin County’s outstanding non-profit volunteers, leaders, and organizations.
Press
PARC Framework Readies for Disasters
New community program engages under-resourced, low-income communities. Prepared and Resilient Communities (PARC), a new community program that aims to engage under-resourced and low-income communities through a neighbor-helping-neighbor emergency preparedness framework, recently held its first class. PARC was established by Rachel Kertz, coordinator of Central Marin’s Neighborhood Response Group, with the assistance of an initial $15,000 grant from the California Fire Foundation.
According to Maureen “Mo” de Nieva-Marsh, Director of Whole Family and Community Services at Community Action of Marin, the PARC program is establishing trust. By recognizing that people of color, non-English-speaking individuals and low-income communities are disproportionately affected by disasters, the PARC program seeks to correct this disparity,” de Nieva-Marsh said.
Marin housing forum previews massive bond measure
An affordable housing forum in San Rafael outlined a prospective statewide bond measure that could raise $10 billion to $20 billion to create more homes in the Bay Area. “This could provide between 35,000 to 80,000 new homes across the nine-county region,” Somaya Abdelgany, an official at the Bay Area Housing Finance Authority, told nearly 200 people at Dominican University of California. Abdelgany estimated that the measure would provide $352 million to $704 million for projects in Marin County alone. Abdelgany was one of five speakers at the Sept. 14 event, which was organized by Canal Alliance, Community Action Marin, North Marin Community Services, Legal Aid of Marin and the university.
Community Action Marin Awarded the 2023 Nancy Martin Outstanding Nonprofit Award
Each year, members of the Marin Senior Fair Steering Committee select a nonprofit for the Nancy Martin Outstanding Nonprofit Award for “outstanding services to Marin seniors. Community Action Marin has been selected as the recipient of the 2023 award and will be honored in an on-stage award ceremony at the fair, and will be at Booth 141 during the fair on Thursday September 7, from 9am-3pm at the Marin Center Exhibit Hall. The largest non-profit anti-poverty agency in Marin, Community Action Marin makes it possible for people to achieve well-being by providing the vital services they need. The agency breaks down the barriers that get in the way of fair and lasting change through four key levers for change: building power
with people, strengthening access to services, shifting the narrative on poverty, and advocating for laws
and policies that increase well-being for all.
2023-24 EMV Guide: Nonprofits Making Connections
Though it continues to linger in myriad ways, with each passing day, we’re a bit further removed from the worst of the pandemic. But many of the remnants from those destructive-yet-innovative years remain – and often in a good way.
In recognition of the path we’ve traveled and the road ahead, we’ve selected “connectivity” as the overarching theme of the 2023-24 Enjoy Mill Valley Guide that just arrived on your doorstep and in your inbox.
The Guide’s content emphasizes the bonds we developed, the lessons we learned, and, perhaps most importantly, the patterns we changed.
Marin County unveils plan to clear Novato road camp
Marin County has devised a three-year plan to clear a large group of vehicle campers along a road just north of the Novato city limits.
The camp on Binford Road grew from a dozen or so recreational vehicles before the COVID-19 pandemic to a refuge for approximately 80 to 90 people in more than 100 vehicles today.
The county plan is being underwritten by a new $1.6 million state grant. Marin supervisors received a report on the strategy at their weekly meeting Tuesday. On Tuesday, Naja-Riese said Community Action Marin and the Downtown Streets Team have been visiting the site weekly to offer residents assistance in seeking employment or securing other services such as mental health care and substance abuse treatment.
Marin increases funding for rental assistance program
County officials are tapping the last of their pandemic reserves to support a federally funded rental assistance program for low-income Marin residents.
Community Action Marin, the San Rafael nonprofit administering the program, said it has more than 400 households on its waitlist, and only enough funding to support about one-third of those applications.
The $1.3 million expenditure approved Tuesday will help provide rental assistance for about 217 additional households.
No place to go: San Rafael continues with plan to displace homeless people
Last week, San Rafael capitulated to residents complaining about homeless encampments by passing an ordinance that severely curtails camping. The new rules don’t come close to resolving the issues raised by people who say they are upset about crime, fires, trash and human waste at the camps.
The Best Food Insecurity Nonprofits in Marin
Despite the general affluence of Marin County, many don’t have reliable access to fresh produce, and Community Action Marin is putting up social safety nets to help deal with this struggle. From their production farms to their Central Kitchen, they create replicable and scalable models for sustainable community food.
Marin renter aid program calls for more funding
A Marin County rental assistance program funded with American Rescue Plan Act money might have to end sooner than expected unless the Board of Supervisors authorizes additional spending.
“Given the applications that we know are pending in the pipeline and the projections based on the current rate of approval, we will need to close the emergency rental assistance program waiting list at the end of this month to stay within existing funding,” Gina Guillemette, chief strategy officer for Community Action Marin, said at county budget hearings last month.
Editorial: Full return of Marin County Fair should be celebrated
The Marin fair was one of the first to focus on greener alternatives and this year it plans to continue and grow that objective.
As in years past, the fair’s aim is to be an annual community-center gathering of Marin residents celebrating our county and its people.
A number of local businesses and agencies have signed on as sponsors, among them the Hennessy Funds, Redwood Credit Union, Electrify Marin, Clover Sonoma, Marin Sanitary Service, Modern Animal Veterinary Clinic, Community Action Marin, Marin Agricultural Land Trust, Seagate and the county.
Marin County supervisors approve $784M budget
Marin County supervisors gave final approval to a $784 million budget for the next fiscal year amid complaints from county employees who feel they are undervalued and overworked.
“I have petitions for the board from members of MAPE urging you to include in your budget money for additional payments to staff, particularly in the area of retention bonuses,” Rollie Katz, executive director of the Marin Association of Public Employees, told supervisors at Thursday’s session.
Marin awarded $2.9M to aid homeless campers
Marin County, San Rafael and Novato are among 22 jurisdictions in California that have been awarded new state grants to help move homeless campers into housing.
“We’re doubling down on our investment to ensure that thousands of individuals in communities up and down the state move out of encampments and into housing where they can get the services and help they need,” Gov. Gavin Newsom said in announcing the allocations last week.
Report: Nearly 25% of Marin households can’t afford decent living
Nearly a quarter of the households in Marin lack the income for a decent standard of living, according to a report by the United Ways of California.
The study — titled “How Much it Costs to Struggle: The Real Cost Measure in California 2023″ — estimated what families of different sizes must pay for such necessities as housing, food, child care, transportation and taxes.
Marin nonprofit urges county to enhance renter protections
[5/28/23] Evictions are on the rise in Marin following the end of COVID-19 rental protections and the county should take steps to prevent further displacement, according to a nonprofit that advocates for tenants.
Marin supervisors extend rental assistance program
[3/21/23] A federally funded Marin rental assistance program could continue through the end of the year. County supervisors acted Tuesday to extend a contract with a nonprofit that is administering the program from the end of this month to Dec. 31. The extension will allow for the distribution of several million dollars of additional rental assistance payments.
Editorial: Helping San Rafael’s unhoused find safe place still the priority
[3/18/23] San Rafael finds itself in a familiar legal pickle. Its attempt to clear the homeless encampment that has taken root in Albert Park is running into a federal court order that forbids municipalities from banning homeless residents from pitching tents or parking their RVs on public land unless local government can prove there is adequate shelter available.
San Rafael bans camping at Albert Park, but judge blocks action
[3/11/23] The San Rafael City Council has voted to ban camping at Albert Park over public health and safety concerns connected with a growing homeless congregation. The unanimous vote on Monday expanded a ban that prohibits camping at Boyd Park, city open spaces and parking garages. The action followed increasing community complaints and police calls related to illicit activity involving the homeless people living at the site.
San Rafael tenants call for rent control in Canal neighborhood
[3/8/23] Tenants of San Rafael’s Canal neighborhood and their supporters amassed at City Hall this week to demand that officials urgently enact a rent control ordinance amid mounting fears of gentrification. “Some of us are still working to pay the back rent left behind by COVID,” said Veronica Duarte, a renter. “If you do not help us, the stress will go up.”
Marin pandemic rental assistance program nears end
[2/24/23] A pandemic program offering rental assistance to low-income residents in Marin is set to wind down. Community Action Marin, a San Rafael nonprofit that took over the program from the county in the fall, has dispensed more than $1.8 million since mid-November. It has about $1 million left to distribute by the end of next month.
Displaced San Rafael renters deserve support
[2/9/23] The landlord of a large apartment complex in the Canal neighborhood of San Rafael faced a dilemma. So did its tenants, residents who were forced from their residences after a December fire at the Meridian apartments on Canal Street. The landlord faced a city order to pay relocation expenses for displaced tenants. Failure to do so meant the city would withhold permits the landlord needs to make fire-damage repairs and renovations to the complex.
Childcare and preschool operators face choices to open during recent major storms
[1/6/23] "Our community needs to go to work and get to school, we want to be able to provide childcare for those families' children. That's our primary objective but we have had any number of natural, out of our control situations where we do need to look at safety first." Chandra Alexandre, CEO, speaks to KQED about being open during recent storms.
Marin’s emergency shelter sees fewer takers amid cold streak
[12/18/22] Marin County had its severe weather emergency shelter open most of the past week because of extremely cold temperatures, but fewer people used the shelter than in previous years.
The shelter was opened on Tuesday night. Dr. Lisa Santora, Marin County’s deputy public health officer, said Friday that the county planned to keep it open through Monday morning.
Marin’s hotel room shortage forces communal homeless emergency shelter
[12/7/22] A shortage of available hotel beds is making it more difficult for Marin County to keep the homeless socially distanced when providing emergency shelter. This year, the county has returned to the practice of housing the unsheltered in a communal setting at the Marin County Health and Wellness Campus at 3240 Kerner Blvd. in San Rafael.
Marin Gives Back: How your donation can help local organizations
[11/22/22] For this holiday season, we asked local organizations making a difference in the community exactly how your contribution could help them. The response we got was overwhelming — 44 groups answered, detailing where a total of $853,600 would be allocated.
Changing how we think about poverty
[11/18/22] Despite being one of the wealthiest counties in the country, Marin County is one of the least racially equitable in California across all indicators of well-being. It might surprise you to learn given Marin’s affluence that 37 percent of households struggle to meet basic needs – or that one in five families often can’t put food on the table. As more people age into poverty, it’s also true that one in three seniors is food insecure.
Marin nonprofits call for rent control in San Rafael
[11/4/22] A coalition of Marin nonprofits is asking San Rafael to urgently adopt a rent control ordinance for the Canal neighborhood amid concerns of gentrification. Executives of Canal Alliance, Legal Aid of Marin and Community Action Marin submitted a letter to city officials Wednesday saying that there is a “potential mass displacement crisis” at the 99-apartment complex at 400 Canal St.
Napa biz buzz: Redwood Credit Union donates more than $45,000
[11/1/22] On Oct. 20, Redwood Credit Union celebrated International Credit Union (ICU) Day, "a day for credit unions to reflect on their history and commitment to their members and communities." One of the ways RCU honored the day was by donating 25 cents per card transaction to local nonprofit organizations that empower communities in Napa, Sonoma, Marin, Lake, Mendocino, and San Francisco counties, each time members used their RCU Visa debit or credit cards on Oct. 20.
Teacher shortages force dozens of California preschools to close classrooms
[10/10/22] A severe teacher shortage has forced dozens of preschools in California to shut down some of their classrooms since the start of the school year.
The funding for these subsidized classrooms is available, and plenty of children from lower-income families are waiting to enroll. But there aren’t enough teachers — a situation that could get worse as the state begins to pour billions of dollars into transitional kindergarten, threatening to destabilize the early education workforce.
Bank of America provides $155,000 in grants to Marin nonprofits
[8/28/22] Bank of America has awarded a total of $155,000 to nine Marin County nonprofit organizations as part of its Charitable Foundation grant program. The nine Marin nonprofits awarded grants were: 10,000 Degrees, Agricultural Institute of Marin (AIM), Canal Alliance, College of Marin Foundation, Community Action Marin, Downtown Streets Inc., ExtraFood.org, Homeward Bound of Marin and YWCA Golden Gate.
Marin unveils first long-term plan for economic development
[8/23/22] One action included in the plan is to expand existing training programs to provide more openings for residents displaced by the pandemic.“The Marin Builders Association has one for the trades. The hospitals have them for health care. Community Action Marin just started one for Vivalon drivers,” said Mike Blakeley, CEO of the Marin Economic Forum, a nonprofit, public-private partnership designed to foster local economic growth
San Rafael approves Ritter Center move
[8/11/22] Chandra Alexandre, chief executive officer of the nonprofit Community Action Marin, urged the commission to approve the plan.
Marin organizations receive $2.7M in Medi-Cal funding
[8/5/22] The organization that coordinates the benefits of Medi-Cal recipients in Marin has awarded more than $2.7 million in state grant funds to local entities as part of an effort to reconfigure the Medi-Cal system. Chandra Alexandre, the chief executive officer of Community Action Marin, said the changes underway will allow her organization to bill Partnership for work it’s already doing: providing housing navigation and housing deposits to low-income residents. She said she will use the money she is receiving to hire a billing specialist and a service coordinator.
Partnership HealthPlan of California disburses second round of funding in CalAIM Incentive Payment Program
[8/4/22] Partnership HealthPlan of California, or PHC, has awarded more than $8 million in a second round of state Department of Health Care Services grant funding for community organizations through the CalAIM Incentive Payment Program.
Community Action Marin Advocates for Greater Racial Equity Through Its Public Service Program
[7/25/22] On May 20, more than 80 people attended the first-ever Step Up Marin!, hosted by social services agency Community Action Marin. The event, held at Las Palmas Center at Hamilton Field Novato was a celebration of steps toward racial and economic equity made in Marin County.
More communities need to extend eviction moratorium
[6/23/22] The Fairfax Town Council, Marin County Board of Supervisors and San Rafael City Council all deserve recognition and appreciation following their respective approvals to extend a residential eviction moratorium through Sept, 30. This policy deserves replication across additional jurisdictions in Marin County to provide timely relief and housing stability to renters throughout our community who continue to experience negative economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic... by Chandra Alexandre and Lucie Hollingsworth
The unheard voices of Marin
[5/9/22] Marin County is one of the most beautiful places on Earth and yet there’s a portion of the population that isn’t often seen or heard. The non-profit organization Community Action Marin is highlighting community voices this spring to strengthen power in communities of color and across low-income populations.
Vivalon, Community Action Marin launch free driver training academy
[4/13/22] Facing a pressing need for vehicle operators in an expensive county, Vivalon — which services older adults and people living with disabilities — and San Rafael-based Community Action Marin have launched a partnership to create a local and free commercial driver’s license training academy.
Marin nonprofits seek equitable pandemic recovery
[3/28/22] With societal inequities coming into sharper focus during the pandemic, vulnerable residents in Marin should be at the center of a countywide COVID-19 recovery strategy, a new report says.
Community Action Marin empowers low-income Marin County residents...
[1/27/22] Marin County is well known for its affluence, and yet alongside the wealth, poverty is a constant presence. According to the most recent census figures, 6.9% of the county’s residents live below the poverty line, and for them, trying to get ahead is a perpetual struggle.
Interview with Chandra Alexandre on how further the community has been impacted from the pandemic on KPIX TV
[12/22/21] A report from Advancement Project California ranked Marin County as the second worst in California in terms of racial inequity. CBSN Bay Area's Len Kiese spoke with Community Action Marin's CEO Chandra Alexandre about how the pandemic has made things even tougher.
A 93-year-old lost his Supplemental Security Income after one phone call...
[12/5/21] Ebrahim Safapay might be 93, but if a guest admires his shrine of family photos, he’s liable to gingerly stand up and offer his comfortable seat. It has the best view of the images of his three children and late wife.
Marin Voice: As pandemic takes toll, Marin organizations band together for good food for all
[12/3/21] The CEOs of Community Action Marin and San Francisco-Marin Food Bank discuss the fact that hunger and poor access to healthy food are realities for people of low income in Marin, despite the county’s general affluence. They remind readers that good food is a human right and invite Marin residents to gather together and take #FiveMinutesforFood during the holidays.
Asking Marin Neighbors to Step up for Equity
[12/1/21] Community Action Marin, the largest social services provider in the county, is asking its Marin neighbors to step up for equity through a wide-reaching year-end campaign, hoping to open residents' eyes to the inequality in its midst.
Marin Agency Launches "Five Minutes for Food" Conversation
[11/4/21] As we approach the holiday season, Community Action Marin's Five Minutes for Food initiative, part of its overall Good Food for All campaign and commitment to food security, invites Marin County residents to reflect on the meaning and importance of healthy, nutritious, and good food for all.
Helping People, Changing Lives
[10/1/21] This profile of Community Action Marin in The Giving List, offers an overview of the organization’s mission and programs, and invites concerned citizens to donate to support their efforts in Marin County.
Marin scrambles to distribute $16M in rental aid
[5/17/21] Marin County is struggling to distribute $16 million in state and federal rental assistance under tight deadlines and burdensome application requirements to help Marin residents who are struggling to pay rent and may be facing the risk of eviction.
Services nonprofit starts office at Marin City school
[5/1/21] Community Action Marin has opened an office at the school district’s Bayside Martin Luther King Jr. Academy in Marin City. The partnership will allow the social service nonprofit to be more accessible to Marin residents.
Marin Voice: County must push toward realization of warm, relational justice
[4/23/21] Chandra Alexandre, the CEO of Community Action Marin, writes about the challenges of the past year such as police brutality, the U.S. Capitol insurrection, and voter suppression efforts nationwide, and calls for a reexamination of our social values as a caring community.
Marin County using $5.6 million in COVID-19 relief funds to aid homeless
[3/2/21] Marin County is preparing to put more than $5.6 million in federal grant money to work addressing homelessness as part of the $4 billion allocated in the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act to help prevent an outbreak among people experiencing homelessness and very low-income households. It will be spent on street outreach, emergency shelter and rapid rehousing. Community Action Marin’s new two-person team will focus on homeless individuals in North and West Marin.
Fourth of July Black Lives Matter caravan highlights civic engagement
[7/5/20] Community Action Marin organized a caravan of Marin residents on the occasion of July 4 to highlight the Black Lives Matter movement and the importance of racial and economic justice in Our America. Caravan participants focused on the important of building collecting power, and holding candidates accountable for the issues that systematically and unfairly impact Black and underserved communities.
Interested in featuring Community Action Marin in a news story?
Please email our CEO, Chandra Alexandre, by clicking the email link below. She’d love to connect with you.