Click on either the hyperlink above or the photo at left to access a downloadable copy.
In it you will find an analysis of this year’s accomplishments, the reasons for our runaway success, a listing of competitive and opportunity drawing prize winners, a map showing how Give Big Kern lit up the globe with giving (Gracias! Merci! Obrigado! Shukraan Lakum! Dankie!), quotes from grateful participating nonprofits, trends in social media and online giving, an acknowledgment of our sponsors, what’s coming up next year, and more!
Please share it with others–especially nonprofits. Also, save the date for next year’s Give Big Kern, when, festively, Kern’s Online Day of Giving falls on Cinco de Mayo (May 5)!
And as our Mascot, Billy the Give Big Goat, likes to say, “Happy r-e-e-e-a-a-d-i-n-g!”
(For more information on Give Big Kern, please visit givebigkern.org.)
Kern Community Foundation’s online application for The Peter Anthony Catholic Education Scholarship for K-12 Catholic Education is open now through July 31, 2019.
This Scholarship was established in 2017 to provide tuition assistance for a Catholic education to qualifying K-12 students in Kern County. Thus far, this fund has awarded close to $33,000 in scholarships to 40 students from 20 families, attending 4 Bakersfield area schools, and endorsed by 7 parishes.
This opportunity is open to students/families who fulfill the following criteria:
Active and practicing Catholics as verified by the parish pastor;
Demonstrate financial need as verified by Kern Community Foundation;
Attend or plan to enroll in a Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC)-accredited K-12 Catholic school in Kern County; and
Complete the Peter Anthony Catholic Education Scholarship application through Kern Community Foundation with all materials by the deadline of Wednesday, July 31, 2019.
For more information or assistance, please contact Kern Community Foundation by calling 661.616.2605 or writing to info@kernfoundation.org. Si tiene preguntas en español, favor de llamar y preguntar por Louis Medina al número, 661.325.5346.
On April 3, Kern Community Foundation’s Director of Community Impact, Louis Medina, was interviewed about Give Big Kern by Robin Jones of KRAB Radio, 106.1 FM. The interview is airing on Robin’s show, “Kern County This Week,” on Sunday, April 7–the same day givebigkern.org goes live for receiving donations! Listen to the interview by clicking here. Then, click on the file name, “GIVE BIG KERN.mp3,” and finally on the play button on the right side of your screen.
You will also be able to listen to the interview over the airwaves on Sunday, April 7, at 7:30 a.m. on the following stations:
Give Big Kern Mascot Billy the Give Big Goat is one of the finalists in the Mascot Category for Best of Kern 2019! Entering its 26th year, The Bakersfield Californian’s “Best Of” Reader’s Choice Poll showcases the people, places and things that make Kern County truly unique.
Billy celebrates Kern County’s renowned giving spirit by encouraging everyone to “Give B-i-i-i-g!”
Vote for Billy! Just follow this link, choose the “Best Mascot” category, find his name, and vote. The deadline for casting your vote is midnight, Feb. 17. But don’t wait. Vote now! Vote B-i-i-i-g!
Register early to participate in the Fourth Annual Give Big Kern:
“One day to celebrate the giving spirit of Kern County!” Coming up May 7, 2019.
More than a one-day online fundraiser, Give Big Kern is a Nonprofit Strengthening Initiative. Starting in January, participating nonprofits are afforded many opportunities to increase their Visibility, Capacity and Sustainability through a series of mandatory and optional Give Big Kern training webinars, workshops, online videos and other training aids, special outreach events, media opportunities and more.
The theme for this year’s Give Big Kern is “Dream B-i-i-i-g!” as our Mascot, Billy the Give Big Goat, might say. The mission of Kern Community Foundation is “Growing Community. Growing Philanthropy.” By getting the entire community to rally around our local charities, Give Big Kern helps us do both.
Let’s come together as a community to make wonderful dreams come true for Kern’s hard-working nonprofits!
How to Participate
It all begins with:
a) Give Big Kern registration (Opens at 1 p.m. on Jan. 8), and
b) Attendance at two mandatory training events: a Webinar* and an In-Person Workshop early in the New Year. Other mandatory and optional events will be announced at the January In-Person Workshop, so you must register from the start.
The button below will take you to the portal for “January Training Registration for Give Big Kern 2019.” You will be able to register for the Webinar* and one of the available In-Person Workshops at a time and location that is convenient for you (See “Important Dates” below).
Register Now! *Please note that registering for the Webinar is a two-step process: 1) You need to tell us on the registration form using the appropriate radio button whether you will be participating in the Webinar in real time or watching a recording, and 2) If you choose the option for participating in real time, you need to use the hyperlink to register for the Webinar; a Webinar registration form will open up in a new tab. Register for the Webinar, close that tab, and you can then go back to the January Registration Form to choose an In-Person Workshop that works for you. Your registration to both the Webinar and the In-Person Workshop of your choice will be confirmed in separate e-mails.
Important dates:
1 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 8: Nonprofit Registration opens on GIVEBIGKERN.org. Give Big Kern is FREE to any nonprofit organization registered with Kern Community Foundation that can demonstrate it has been granted 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status from the IRS and has achieved a Silver or higher rating on GuideStart.org. Click here for more information.
1:30 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 9: “Getting Started” Webinar by technology partner GiveGab. We strongly recommend that you participate in the webinar live, but if you can’t, a recording of it will be posted online within 24 hours.
Jan. 11 or 16 or 17 – Four In-Person Workshops will be held in Bakersfield, Ridgecrest and Kernville at different times for nonprofits to choose from. You need only attend one. Times and locations will be shown on the registration form.
Important Prerequisites: In order to be able to participate in Give Big Kern, organizations must: a) Have 501(c)(3) nonprofit status from the IRS, or a Fiscal Sponsor that has 501(c)(3) nonprofit status; b) Be registered with Kern Community Foundation; and c) Have a Silver or higher Transparency rating on GuideStar.org (Go to www.kernfoundation.org/grants for details).
CONGRATULATIONS! to the 12 agencies selected to participate in Kern Community Foundation’s Nonprofit Speaker Series, Philanthropy on Tap 2019. This link will take you to a downloadable schedule so you can plan to come and Grow Community and Grow Philanthropy with us at these FREE networking events throughout the coming year. Philanthropy on Tap is hosted at two of Bakersfield’s favorite watering holes, Imbibe Wine & Spirits Merchant and Temblor Brewing Company. This event series allows for-profit and nonprofit sector representatives to make powerful connections that can lead to volunteering, board service and monetary or in-kind charitable giving benefiting Kern’s hard-working nonprofits. Come and have a drink and hors d’oeuvres on us at an informal setting–where some of the best business deals to help our community can take place. Philanthropy on Tap is a partnership between Kern Community Foundation and the Greater Bakersfield Chamber of Commerce.
The 2020 Census will be upon us before we know it. Make Kern Count: Local Census workers are needed because to count Kern, you have to know Kern!
Tell your friends and networks about a U.S. Census Bureau 2020 Census Recruiting Event that is happening in Bakersfield on Wednesday, Oct. 3, from 10 a.m till Noon at IBEW Local 428, 3921 Sillect Ave. Click here to view flyer.
If you miss(ed) the recruiting event above, no worries. For local Census jobs, visit census.gov/fieldjobs for manager-level employment, and 2020census.gov/jobs for office support and field positions.
The 2018-19 Women’s and Girls’ Fund Grant Application Cycle Opened Monday, Sept. 10, with a request for Letters of Intent (LOI) to apply for funding for projects that benefit women and girls in Kern County. The LOI submission deadline is 5 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 9. Organizations interested in applying should have their 501(c)(3) nonprofit designation or a fiscal sponsor meeting that criteria. They also should have a presence in Kern County. After the LOI’s are reviewed, a number of applicants will be invited to submit full applications by Friday, Jan. 25, 2019. Access our “Grantmaking” page to obtain information about WGF’s grantmaking policy, including funding criteria and applicant qualifications, and a link to Kern Community Foundation’s Online Grants Platform, where the application can be found. Up to $50,000 in grant allocations will be awarded, with the maximum individual award amount being $25,000.
Offered as a true private-public partnership among Kern Community Foundation, Network for Good, and the Kern County Board of Supervisors,“Jumpstart” is a competitive grant that in its roll-out year, 2019, will allow up to five Kern County nonprofits–one per each County Supervisorial District–the opportunity to receive 12 months of technical assistance training and easy-to-use all-in-one software from fundraising technology and training giant Network for Good.
Celebrate with Kern Community Foundation our BIGGEST Give Big Kern Online Day of Giving to date by reading our latest “Give Big Kern Report to the Community – 2019: The Year B-i-i-i-g Dreams Came True!”
Kern Community Foundation’s online application for The Peter Anthony Catholic Education Scholarship for K-12 Catholic Education is open now through July 31, 2019.
On April 3, Kern Community Foundation’s Director of Community Impact, Louis Medina, was interviewed about Give Big Kern by Robin Jones of KRAB Radio, 106.1 FM. The interview is airing on Robin’s show, “Kern County This Week,” on Sunday, April 7–the same day givebigkern.org goes live for receiving donations! Listen to the interview by 
Attention Kern County Nonprofits!
CONGRATULATIONS! to the 12 agencies selected to participate in Kern Community Foundation’s Nonprofit Speaker Series, Philanthropy on Tap 2019. 
The 2020 Census will be upon us before we know it. Make Kern Count: Local Census workers are needed because to count Kern, you have to know Kern!
Offered as a true private-public partnership among Kern Community Foundation, Network for Good, and the Kern County Board of Supervisors,“Jumpstart” is a competitive grant that in its roll-out year, 2019, will allow up to five Kern County nonprofits–one per each County Supervisorial District–the opportunity to receive 12 months of technical assistance training and easy-to-use all-in-one software from fundraising technology and training giant Network for Good.
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