Check out your Company Bowl for anonymous work chats.
Living our values guides all that we do. With trust as our foundation, we pursue healing-centered engagement to bring about transformational change. We also recognize the importance of doing the work in our own house to create meaningful steps toward equity and well-being in order to do the hard work to accomplish our goals of racial and economic justice in our Marin community. Take a look at how we build a thriving workplace and the tools we use to do the work of racial and economic justice.
It’s the shared energy, passion, and commitment to an equitable Marin that makes providing services to those in need in our county possible. Our 2023 Annual Report, available in both English and Spanish, is dedicated to these individuals and groups—the hundreds of staff, supporters, volunteers, and partners who join us in this critical work of helping to put individuals and families on a path to greater well-being. As you read our report, we invite you to listen to the voices of those we serve, hear from the volunteers and staff that give their time, and see all we do to help our neighbors achieve self-sufficiency and realize their dreams. At Community Action Marin, we are disrupting the status quo, making progress towards justice, and doing the hard work of leading transformative change in our County every single day. Read our 2023 Annual Report.
As a leading employer in the county with over 200 employees, we are transparent around the race and gender makeup of our staff, leadership, and board of directors. We seek to attract, retain, nurture, and grow a diverse workforce. We also strive to be welcoming and inclusive in our policies and practices, with mindfulness on equity to ensure that people of color and people of low income are supported and have equal access to opportunities throughout our agency. Who you are and what you value matters—we encourage staff to bring their whole selves to the agency’s work, knowing that we are more effective when we are empowered by connection to our purpose and commitment.
Partnerships are critical to Community Action Marin’s ability to achieve its mission of reducing poverty and improving the lives of individuals and families of low-income in Marin County. Breaking down the barriers that get in the way of fair and lasting change in service to better outcomes for all, requires a collective and collaborative effort by many stakeholders in our community. Our goal is to help Marin residents thrive and build a stronger safety net of support among the various organizations and agencies serving Marin County. Across our agency, we work with our Marin partners in a variety of ways. Learn more by clicking on the link below.
Being there for community is what we do Community members from across Marin and incredible partners helped to make our work powerful and effective this past year. Community Action Marin’s 2023 Impact Report shares all that we accomplished, and our hardworking staff and volunteers invite you to see what we did together! This Impact Report provides data that makes the work of alleviating poverty visible, and it shares the stories of our community from the perspective of the people changing lives every day. It’s what our work means to those we serve, and it reflects our shared yearning to live and work in a fair and just community. At Community Action Marin we meet needs head on. Our team across the county listens, whether they are at one of our children’s centers, supporting entry to services at our main office in San Rafael, out at a homeless encampment, or answering a phone or an email. They want to ensure they meet people where they are and touch across generations.
Sixty years ago this month, January 8th, 1964, President Lyndon B. Johnson boldly declared an “unconditional War on Poverty in America” in his first State of the Union address. In what would become known as one of the most important speeches of his presidency, Johnson outlined his objective to provide hope and opportunity to all by combatting poverty in our nation. Johnson emphasized that the War on Poverty could not be won solely in Washington but required local engagement across the entire country. Within days, a comprehensive blueprint for Johnson’s War on Poverty was drafted and the role of the Community Action Agency national network was designed and established, solidifying its integral part in the fight against poverty. Today, Community Action Marin proudly exists as a testament to the enduring impact of this initiative launched six decades ago. As an organization, we deeply recognize and appreciate the rich history and significance of the extensive national network to which we belong. Meeting needs head on, we not only provide vital services to our neighbors but also advocate for policy change in service to better outcomes for all in Marin County.
We are honored to announce that our CEO, Chandra Alexandre, was recognized for Excellence in Leadership at the Heart of Marin annual awards ceremony hosted by CVNL Center for Volunteer & Nonprofit Leadership. And we couldn’t agree more! Thank you for the recognition and congratulations to the other extraordinary nominees.
People who work in Marin should be able to live in Marin. This was the premise behind an educational campaign started by the San Rafael Leadership Institute Class of 2023, a program of the San Rafael Chamber of Commerce and Marin Leadership Foundation. The project, Call Marin Home, focused on educating Marin residents about the need for workforce housing through the voices of local employers and workers. Class members created an informational brochure as well as a compelling video featuring employers and workers across Marin who speak to the challenges they face because of the lack of affordable workforce housing. Workers across a wide range of business sectors are being priced out of the Marin housing market. Many businesses are finding it difficult to recruit and retain qualified workers: the challenges faced by local businesses often ripple out into the economy and have community impact. The project notes that the lack of workforce housing exacerbates workforce gaps, increases traffic congestion, adds to greenhouse gas emissions, and contributes to growing inequities as well as the corresponding costs to people, the local economy, and the social fabric of Marin. It concludes, “Our community is stronger, safer, more vibrant, and more equitable when our local workforce can Call Marin Home.”
We are grateful to Congressman Jared Huffman for visiting Community Action Marin recently and meeting with children and teachers at one of our agency’s high-quality early childhood education centers. The team got to share our agency’s commitment to a Whole Family Approach for individual, family, and community well-being. The Congressman appreciated the agencies’ important work to advance justice in Marin County, from policy and program to practice every day. The visit took place at our Old Gallinas Children’s Center in San Rafael, where Community Action Marin leverages federal Head Start funding and California child care contracts to provide free and affordable early education to families of low and extremely low incomes. Our teachers and children introduced themselves and shared how much they loved the pozole from our Central Kitchen at lunchtime. We talked about the recycling curriculum and how parents have noted their children making good choices about the food cycle at home based on what they were learning. We’re so proud of the entire team’s dedication to children and families and the teachers and family advocates who spoke to the Congressman of their love for the work they do each day. Children were engaged, sharing their feelings, and the visit highlighted how staff help children explore their abilities in a supportive environment and develop their full potential.
Community Action Marin is honored to be named a Neighborhood Champion by Bank of America. The award includes a grant of $50,000 over two years to support the role that the agency plays in advancing economic mobility and to increase sustainability during a critical inflection point. Through 2021, Bank of America has invested $6.3 million in 126 organizations within 42 communities through the Neighborhood Champions program. Bank of America’s Neighborhood Champions program aims to build stronger, more vibrant communities by providing non-profits with tools to develop robust strategic plans, chart a succession plan, create dashboards, and enhance funding opportunities. “Bank of America shares Community Action Marin’s belief that equitable access to resources can create economic mobility for more people from disadvantaged backgrounds, and in turn, help the wider community thrive,” Amy Loflin, Senior Vice President, Napa, Marin, Sonoma Market Executive shares. “We are delighted to see them further this work with the resources made possible through the Neighborhood Champions program.
