The STRONG funder collaborative has invested $3.5 million in East Contra Costa County over a decade of partnership and collaboration.
Stretching between the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta and the foothills of Mount Diablo, East Contra Costa County (ECCC) is one of the Bay Area’s fastest-growing and most diverse communities. It’s a region rich in culture, history, and resilience, but its residents face deep and persistent needs.
For decades, the region has grappled with high unemployment rates, rising housing costs, and long, expensive commutes. Despite all this, less than three percent of Bay Area philanthropic funding flows to Contra Costa County, with even less reaching East Contra Costa.
The gap between need and investment is stark. The East Contra Costa STRONG funder collaborative is working to change that.
Credit: Denis Perez-Bravo
Since its founding in 2015, STRONG has invested over $3.5 million in East Contra Costa communities and initiatives. Through a trust-based, flexible funding model, STRONG moves resources where they’re needed most. The only funder collaborative in ECCC, STRONG is building something the region has long needed: a coordinated, community-rooted investment strategy that grows philanthropic dollars, builds power, and strengthens the nonprofit ecosystem.
One of the most valuable assets of the STRONG initiative is that they’re really this master leverager for nonprofits, bringing like-minded mission-aligned organizations together, but also leveraging and yielding power. A lot of people have that intention, or it’s part of their approach to funding, but it’s not often how funders lead
— Dr. Carole “DC” Dorham-Kelly, President & CEO, Rubicon Programs
Like EBCF and its other funding partners, STRONG takes a highly collaborative approach, acting as a bridge between community, philanthropy, and the public sector. Together, we direct resources to bridge gaps in our communities, including:
- Strengthening the capacity of nonprofits to develop new leaders and build safe and accessible physical spaces for community work.
- Helping increase the representation of Black professionals and other people of color in organizational leadership and government positions.
- Providing unrestricted and multi-year funding to community-based organizations, which strengthens and sustains ECCC’s nonprofit ecosystem.
- Creating opportunities for convening and collaboration across the county.
We have been able to build deeper relationships in the community, organize more, and continue building power, so we can see the changes in our communities that we want to see.
— Cecilia Perez-Mejilla, Lead Community Organizer, Rising Juntos
With support from STRONG and other funders, nonprofits in the region have built critical capacity to advance their missions and achieve victories. For example:
- The Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment (ACCE) won campaigns to protect tenants in Pittsburg and Antioch and halt the closure of the Antioch-Pittsburg Amtrak station, increasing civic engagement and countering disinformation among immigrant communities along the way.
- ASPIRE Youth Engagement launched and sustains an initiative to enhance wellness and professional development for leaders of color, including training, coaching, mindfulness workshops, and new tools to strengthen organizational infrastructure.
- Community-led media outlets, including Contra Costa Pulse and El Tímpano, amplify culturally relevant stories on topics ranging from data centers to Medicaid changes and ICE raids.
All of these investments reflect STRONG’s commitment to resourcing local organizations so they have the tools, networks, and support they need to build and sustain equitable, thriving communities. All grants fit into one or more of the following categories:
- Leadership Development Grantmaking deepens the leadership capacity of BIPOC leaders to build collective power and strengthen the connective tissue between coalitions and organizations.
- Community Advised Grantmaking (CAG) supports capacity building for grassroots and nonprofit organizations across East Contra Costa County, with a focus on critical youth- and family-serving organizations.
- Community Media Grantmaking funds culture and narrative change efforts that expand what the world knows about East Contra Costa County, uplifting stories of resilience, leadership, and cultural power.
EBCF is proud to support this work. In the months ahead, we’ll be sharing stories from across East Contra Costa, shining a spotlight on the people building power, shifting narratives, and reimagining what’s possible in their own communities. Stay tuned.
STRONG is an invitation-only fund. If you have opportunities we should know about, contact us.