The flat economy has been especially ruthless to lower-income families and seniors, and that’s why the Novato Human Needs nonprofit is so grateful for $190,000 in grants it has received from the Marin Community Foundation targeted to those areas.
Deanna Euritt, executive director of Novato Human Needs, said the dollar amount is almost four times what it received from the foundation a year ago when it was restructuring its funding contributions to nonprofits.
Novato Human Needs’ Thriving Families program, which assists particularly vulnerable low-income families, received a $150,000 grant. The Senior Services program received $40,000.
One of the foundation’s top priorities is to support nonprofits that work to break the cycle of poverty, said foundation Executive Director Thomas Peters.
“We are thrilled to support Novato Human Needs in these areas of need,” Peters said. “When it comes to families, they have a track record of helping individuals focus on those steps that will take them not just out of this particular recession but to be in a better position overall.”
Novato Human Needs has an annual budget of just more than $1 million, Euritt said, and it was forced to tap into its reserves last year. Foundation grants to Novato Human Needs were $57,500 a year ago.
“We ran a pretty big deficit and weren’t quite sure what was going to happen this year,” Euritt said. “We are so grateful for the continued support from Marin Community Foundation.”
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