Under the hood: Micro-grants for Neighborhood Wellbeing
In health circles, the term “under the hood” refers to unseen benefits that are nonetheless deep and profound—healing root causes versus solely alleviating symptoms. This dual-directional approach is challenging but necessary: relieving pain points gives a body energy to solve root issues and a holistic vision keeps us going amidst small irritations. The same holds for communities.
The plethora of Santa Monica-based individuals working to uplift our collective wellbeing—including a few that I’ve recently highlighted—give me hope. Now I’d like to spotlight an early Bahala partner-organization, the Human Relations Council (HRC). HRC’s mission of inclusion and equal access to opportunities complements Bahala’s focus on strengthening our collective feeling of connection. Bridging an aspirational “culture of fair treatment” with programming dedicated to furthering these goals, such as the nonpartisan Truth Decay event, HRC sidesteps political potholes to instead focus on "advanc[ing] understanding and cooperation between diverse perspectives.” But what makes HRC truly remarkable is its commitment to growing leaders from individuals in our community through their microgrant program.
Countering Truth Decay event
HRC has correctly identified that by offering opportunities for individuals to take responsibility for improving “on the ground” versions of large-scale issues—such as pervasive isolation, accessible ways to incorporate environmental sustainability into our busy lives, and Buy Local Santa Monica—a stronger collective emerges and thrives.
To that end, HRC houses several programs designed to support people with a vision for a short term program and vault them into leadership positions.
Initially, Laura Hernandez, didn’t view herself as a leader. She enjoyed “Tejiendo Nuestros Sueños,” a knitting circle for mothers, and sold her upcycled art pieces at the18th Street Arts Center. Then a friend prompted her to apply for a HRC microgrant, which resulted in her craft workshop, “Manos a la Obra con Amor.” Designed for Spanish speaking participants, the grant provided Hernandez with mentorship and the time to teach. She encouraged folks in the workshop to envision how something new could be made from the oft-discarded with a palette of materials for decoration, construction, and play. By helping people tap into their own unique perspective “incidental sustainability” and accessible art-making emerged hand in hand. Hernandez witnessed how people, when prompted to create, allowed their imaginations to run “wild.” It showed her how powerfully tangible experiences can ease stress and spark delight while doing, as well as create longer term benefits like empowerment. If one can craft one’s unique vision out of the materials at hand, then it’s easier to imagine sitting at the proverbial table and confidently adding one’s ideas.
Tejiendo Nuestros Sueños (Knitting our dreams)
Kimberley Herron, a microgrant recipient in 2019, listened to people in her neighborhood about the dearth of beauty products available for purchase in Santa Monica for Black and mixed hair identities. First, she created a successful pop-up. Currently, she’s joined with other “homegrown” creators in the Pico Roots Marketplace”—a coalition supported by Community Corporation of Santa Monica in collaboration with Pico Neighborhood stakeholders (Pico Wellbeing Project, Santa Monica’s Office of Civic Wellbeing, the Planning and Community Development Department, and the Santa Monica Public Library). Herron’s beauty storefront, Queens and Kings, is slated to open soon. She’s already expanded her entrepreneurship, bringing soul food to the Pico Farmer’s Market.
I applied for a grant last week for a combo writing and/or movement workshop this Spring. When I told Catalina Langen, HRC’s Executive Director, that I was nervous about incorporating a long grant application into my packed days, she assured me HRC had worked diligently to erase unnecessary barriers to apply. HRC wants everyday citizens to throw their hats in the ring, and the application length and questions align with that intention. What I filled out was clearly thoughtfully designed to allow a brief description of my vision without a bunch of busywork designed to exhaust the applicant. Most thrillingly, writing out my community workshop ideas in the grant application helped me define my intentions for myself, which renders the process a win either way and reinforces what I believe about writing: that it tells us what we might not know until we release our thoughts to the corral of a page. I encourage anyone with an idea for a community program to apply!