West Sacramento, Calif. — Rural Community Assistance Corporation (RCAC), a nonprofit organization dedicated to serving small rural and tribal communities, recently received a $45,000 grant from The San Diego Foundation to support a project benefiting several Native American tribes in the San Diego Area.
The grant will be used as seed money for a long-term project that aims to encourage collaboration among tribes in order to cost-effectively manage aging wastewater systems.
Protection of public health and natural resources is paramount to Native tribes who typically posses extremely limited financial and natural resources. Further, because tribes most often operate autonomously, the burden of maintaining various public services can be overwhelming.
RCAC hopes to use The San Diego Foundation funds to begin a collaborative among at least four tribes — La Jolla, Pauma, Rincon and Mesa Grande — to foster more cost- and maintenance-efficient wastewater systems that exist on these Native American lands.
“RCAC is excited at the prospect of being able to guide tribal leaders in effective collaboration,” said George Schlender, environmental director for RCAC. “We are very grateful to The San Diego Foundation for this opportunity.”
Headquartered in West Sacramento, California, and serving 13 Western states, RCAC is a nonprofit agency providing technical assistance and training to rural communities seeking to develop a wide range of local services including, community facilities, affordable housing and water treatment facilities. The organization operates a loan fund with $63 million in lending capital that provides low-interest loans and grants to further
rural communities’ goals. RCAC maintains field offices in San Marcos, Ukiah and West Sacramento.