The Wellbeing Microgrant program empowers Santa Monica residents to take direct, small-scale action intended to advance new policies and spark conversations (https://www.wellbeingmicrogrants.org/). Designed in 2018 with the nationally-recognized Cities of Service, Wellbeing Microgrants quickly developed a proven track record.
This funding enables us to award three new cohorts, systematize program evaluation, and develop new training and capacity-building.
We use findings from our innovative Wellbeing Index to prompt microgrant applicants. We ask them to consider local strengths and challenges across issues of economic opportunity, place and planet, health, learning, and community. Awardees develop and lead the solutions based on their unique skills, expertise, and networks. We provide assistance throughout, connecting microgrant leaders to a cross-section of local entities – government, non-profit, business, and community leaders – who act as allies and microgrant force-multipliers.
The Wellbeing Microgrant leaders for Round 8 are:
| Lead Name | Project Description |
| Adriana Policarpo | Basic Sewing classes for kids |
| Vanessa Fernandez | Free Exercise classes in SM |
| Erika Martinez Bradshaw | Taller de Educación Financiera |
| Minerva Dusigne | Latin Dance – Dancing with community! |
| Chelsea Lawson | Sustainability Education at the Pico Farmers Market |
| Danielle Stolz | E-tegami for Everyone Workshop |
| Marni Gittleman | Stress Relief For Parents: Intro to EFT Tapping |
| Willa Wells | Comfort for Covid |
| Camelia Dao-Ling McDermott Lee | Ancestral Energy Healing: Axé + Qi |
| Katty Rakfeldt | Teen Social Club for Special Needs Kids |
| Na’ilah Muied | Cultivating Impact: Santa Monica Self Care and Networking Event |
| Kathleen Benjamin | Together we Gather |
| Sofia Ramirez | Tiempo para la abuela |
| Laura Hernandez | Manos a la obra con amor! |
| Carmela Morales | Embroidery with Kids |
To get connected with any of these great projects through June 2023, please email info@civicwellbeing.org or:
Program Coordinator: lizeth@civicwellbeing.org
Program Manager: adriana@civicwellbeing.org
Applications to participate in Round 9 will open on July 24th and close on August 25. Apply here!
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The Wellbeing Index
The Wellbeing Index was created in 2014 from Bloomberg Philanthropies $1m government innovation prize, (http://santamonicawellbeing.org/about/wellbeing-index).
The Index provides a baseline for understanding what contributes to wellbeing and how the city and community can work to improve it. By understanding more about what makes us thrive, we can work together on making meaningful changes in our community.
The index combines data we have, determines what new types of data we need to gather, and integrates in new ways all of the available information. It brings together a variety of data from City measures, an extensive resident survey and social media in six distinct yet connected categories of what research shows drive wellbeing.
