The Sacramento Region Community Foundation is now accepting grant applications for the Dennis Mangers Fund for Young Performing Artists through November 7, 2025. Grant requests may be made for up to $5,000 with a focus on nonprofits that support and uplift instrumental, vocal, theater, or dance art forms. The Fund is named after Dennis Mangers, former Chair of the Foundation’s Board of Directors, whose career in public service spans over five decades. With a goal to support high-promise youth in El Dorado, Placer, Sacramento, and Yolo counties by strengthening established, in-house youth training programs offered by arts, cultural, or nonprofit organizations, the overall mission of the Fund is to advance the performing arts where it is needed most. High-promise youth are defined as children ages 8–17 from communities of color who have not received access to private training or educational programs in the performing arts.
The cause is a personal one for Mangers. He encountered barriers as a young man who loved the performing arts but whose family was unable to afford the costs of private art instruction. Even when his music teachers in school noted his talent — and passion — for singing, he was unable to pursue further training. Today, this Fund helps ensure that area youth do not face the same barriers Dennis once did.
“This particular grant is especially near and dear to our hearts,” said Kerry Wood, CEO of the Sacramento Region Community Foundation. “We continue to be inspired and motivated by watching nonprofits and individuals succeed because of cause-related charitable giving. Regardless of the size of any grant, this Fund demonstrates the power of philanthropy and what far-reaching impacts are possible.”
In fact, since launching this fund in 2016, the Foundation awarded more than $141,000 in grants to local nonprofits. As one example, Department of Sound received the grant in 2019 (under the fiscal sponsorship of Child Abuse Prevention Council of Sacramento).
“We cannot stress enough how instrumental it was to receive a Dennis Mangers Fund for Young Performing Artists grant in 2019 when we were just getting started,” said John Hamilton Hodgson, Founder & CEO of Department of Sound. “Of course, the much-needed funding was a lifeline at a pivotal time, but the vote of confidence was equally important as it helped us through the uncertainty surrounding the pandemic and kept us focused on our bright future ahead.”
For local nonprofits interested in learning more about the grant and/or submitting an application, please visit www.sacregcf.org/dennis. For those interested and able to further the cause, donations to the Fund can be made here. And, for more information about Sacramento Region Community Foundation and/or to learn more about charitable giving, please visit www.sacregcf.org.