Many in our community are feeling insecure right now. The effects of federal policy changes under H.R.1 (One Big Beautiful Bill Act) are hitting home in very real ways. There have already been drastic funding cuts and eligibility restrictions for CalFresh and Medi-Cal. And as of July 1, dental coverage for adult Medi-Cal members with insufficient immigration status will be eliminated. Our local nonprofits are facing rising demand and deep uncertainty.
In this moment, a question keeps coming to mind: What is the opposite of insecurity?
For food insecurity, it isn’t just the absence of hunger. It’s nourishment. For lack of access to medical care, it’s not just an appointment. It’s about being cared for holistically, with dignity.
Every day, our community nourishes each other in extraordinary ways. At dawn, Grey Bears volunteers come together and pack hundreds of grocery bags with shared purpose and love. At Cabrillo College, a mom working on her nursing degree is greeted with a warm smile at the wellness center when she picks up groceries for her family. At Salud Para La Gente, a physician cares for a patient in their native language and connects them to services to support their well-being. It’s the volunteer bringing Meals on Wheels to the door of a senior and a family picking up groceries and their preschooler at an early education center. It’s the volunteer at Second Harvest supporting over 60 food pantries across our County.
We know how to nourish each other, and we know how to nourish this community. We always have.
This month, the Community Foundation invested $2.1 million in Community Grants to 103 nonprofit partners—fueling work that keeps Santa Cruz County strong, connected, and nourished. These annual grants are made possible thanks to the generosity and foresight of dozens of families from previous generations, along with locals who made recent gifts to our Greatest Needs Fund.
Community Grants provide steady, unrestricted, and flexible funding that allows nonprofits to direct resources where they are needed most, whether that means sustaining core services or adapting programs as conditions change. For safety net organizations facing steep fiscal cliffs, this support helps leaders make informed decisions, protect what’s most essential, and navigate necessary transitions.
“Funding is helping power our response to a historic shift in healthcare policy: fueling advocacy, strategic outreach to teens who will retain their Medi-Cal benefits, and direct care for the growing number of patients losing coverage,” says Laura Marcus, CEO of Dientes Community Dental. “The Foundation’s support gives us the ability to plan ahead, weather the storm, and keep our doors open to those who have nowhere else to turn.”
While Community Grants play a role in sustaining access to food, shelter, and health care, the scope of our investment is intentionally broad. Grants also support arts and culture, conservation, education and youth development, and community‑based initiatives that enrich lives and strengthen opportunities across Santa Cruz County. Community well‑being is bigger than any one sector. When we support the full ecosystem—from healthcare to the arts to the environment—we help create a community that’s more resilient and able to care for one another.
Insecurity is injustice. We should be able to rely on strong public systems to protect our neighbors, but right now those systems are falling short. What we do now is up to us. It’s up to us in how we give and how we come together. We need to make sure that that Cabrillo mom finishes her nursing degree and gets a good paying job. We need to make sure that our hardworking neighbors get the healthcare they need. And we need to make sure that our seniors are not living in hunger and isolation.
Nourishing each other is justice.
As a community, we must keep paying attention, listening to the needs of our neighbors, and showing up. That shared commitment has served us for generations and it will continue to sustain us in the years ahead.
Susan True is the CEO of Community Foundation Santa Cruz County.
