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Porterville, Calif. - Bank of the Sierra is proud to announce that it has donated more than $5 million to organizations in its communities through its Sierra Grant Program. Since the program's inception in 2004, more than 1,900 grants have been awarded.
During the second and third quarters of 2025, Bank of the Sierra donated $315,000 to organizations in its communities through its Sierra Grant program. From April to September 2025, Bank of the Sierra awarded a total of $219,500 in grants to 34 Central Valley organizations, $55,000 to 24 organizations in the Bank's Coastal and Southern California footprint, and $40,500 to 5 organizations that offer services in both regions.
Organizations that received a Sierra Grant in the second and third quarters of 2025 include:
* Kings County
o Armona Union Elementary School Districto Assistance League of Bakersfield
o CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) of Kings County
o Kings Community Action Organization (KCAO)
o Reef-Sunset Unified School District
* San Luis Obispo County
o Arroyo Grande Community Hospital Foundation
o Habitat for Humanity San Luis Obispo County
o Lucia Mar Unified School District
o Paso Robles Joint Unified School District
o Paso Robles Library Foundation
o San Luis Obispo Classical Academy (SLOCA)
o SLO Noor Foundation
o TeamPaso
* Santa Barbara County
o Boys & Girls Clubs of Mid Central Coast
o CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) of Santa Barbara County
o Girls Inc. of Greater Santa Barbara
o Lompoc Unified School District
o Santa Barbara Meals on Wheels
* Tulare County
o The Barn Theater
o Community Services Employment Training (CSET)
o Dinuba Unified School District
o Habitat for Humanity of Tulare/Kings Counties
o Salt + Light
o Self-Help Enterprises
o Sequoia Valley Economic Development Foundation
o Sierra View Foundation
o Tulare City School District
o Tulare County Farm Bureau Education and Scholarship Fund
o Visalia Emergency Aid Council
o Woodlake Unified School District
o Working Solutions CDFI
* Ventura County
o Big Brothers Big Sisters of Ventura County
o Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Oxnard and Port Hueneme
o Boys & Girls Club of Greater Ventura
o Briggs School District
o Fillmore Unified School District
o House Farm Workers!
o Housing Trust Fund Ventura County
o Many Mansions
o Santa Paula Unified School District
o Ventura College Foundationo Ventura County Community Development Corporation
* Multiple counties
o Access Plus Capital
o ASIAN, Inc.
o California Coalition for Rural Housing
o Mission Community Services Corporation (MCSC)
o San Joaquin Valley Housing Collaborative
"We are incredibly proud that our Sierra Grant Program has reached a five-million-dollar milestone," said Kevin McPhaill, Bank of the Sierra President and Chief Executive Officer. "Our Bank has been able to help many organizations do great work in our communities and we will continue to help them make a difference!"
About the Sierra Grant Program
Since its inception in 2004, the Sierra Grant Program has been responsible for donating over $5.2 million to organizations that improve local communities.
About Bank of the Sierra
Bank of the Sierra is in its 48th year of operations and is one of the largest independent banks headquartered in the South San Joaquin Valley. Bank of the Sierra is a community-centric regional bank, which offers a broad range of retail and commercial banking services through full-service branches located within the counties of Tulare, Kern, Kings, Fresno, Ventura, San Luis Obispo, and Santa Barbara. The Bank also maintains an online branch and provides specialized lending services through an agricultural credit center in Templeton. In 2025, Bank of the Sierra was recognized as one of the strongest and top-performing community banks in the country, with a 5-star rating from Bauer Financial.