Search Through Capacity Building Grants for Nonprofits in California in the U.S.

Background

The California Community Foundation is seeking letters of interest for grants supporting work in improving healthcare access, disease prevention and community engagement around health issues in South L.A.’s Centinela Valley.

CCF endeavors to be the destination foundation for donors and nonprofits that are passionately committed to creating systemic change in Los Angeles County. We aim to address the root causes of L.A.’s most pressing issues by supporting the nonprofit organizations on the front lines whose innovation and dedication continue to make this a better place for all of us.

Our goal is to make the process simple so that potential grantees can easily explore opportunities, review instructions, monitor deadlines and access tools and other non-grant support – including vital convening support for nonprofits across Los Angeles through the Joan Palevsky Center for the Future of Los Angeles.

Centinela Valley Medical & Community Funds strategy

CCF established the Centinela Medical and Community Fund and the Centinela Medical Care Fund in 1999 to benefit residents in the Centinela Valley.

The funds have since granted approximately $50 million to eligible hospitals and other community-based organizations providing healthcare, medically-related services and health education to economically disadvantaged residents.

Grants are made for core operating, program, project or capacity building support.

Strategies and Outcomes

To promote and improve the health and quality of life of children and adults living in the Centinela Valley, the foundation focuses on grants to organizations that address the following topics:

• Increasing integration of medical, dental, vision, mental health and substance use prevention, care and treatment services
• Facilitating cross-sector and regional systems collaboration among L.A. County public sector partners, nonprofit hospital/health systems, other nonprofits, and community partners to address the root causes of racial/ethnic health disparities including but not limited to immigration status.
• Supporting health policy/advocacy efforts that promote universal access to and utilization of health coverage, services and other public benefits

Please see FAQs for additional guidelines.

Brightening Our Communities

Today, Edison International is one of the largest corporate philanthropic contributors in Southern California, we partner with local nonprofits and everyday community heroes to brighten our neighborhoods and build a better tomorrow.

Last year, we contributed $20 million in funding to support programs that help communities in our service area shine bright while tackling tough issues, such as improving air quality and access to clean energy solutions, increasing community resilience and disaster preparedness, advocating for increased diversity, equity & inclusion, and helping kids make a difference in the world by studying science, technology, engineering and math (STEM).

More than 90% of our giving helps underserved residents, including diverse ethnic groups, seniors, people with disabilities, veterans, women, LGBTQ+ populations and low-income families.

Grants to Make a Difference

Our grant funding aims to assist members of our communities that are often underserved, such as diverse ethnic groups, seniors, people with disabilities, veterans, women, low-income and LGBTQ+ populations.

Our Giving Priorities

Education

We believe education has the power to change lives, communities, and the world. Education receives the most funding of our focus areas to support educational programs designed to help keep kids engaged in school while opening doors to higher education.

We look for education programs that emphasize science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) in middle school, high school, and college levels, including tutoring, scholarships, and college-access programs.

The Environment

Our commitment to protecting the environment began decades ago and is deeply rooted in our company culture and focus to be a clean energy leader for our region and state.

We are uniting with nonprofits that have the passion and expertise to help shift environmental issues impacting our state and the world, such as improving Southern California's air quality, conserving green spaces for future generations, preserving and restoring habitats, and creating healthier communities by increasing access to green jobs and clean energy solutions.

Public Safety & Emergency Preparedness

Natural disasters can strike suddenly, anywhere and at any time. Earthquakes pose a real and ongoing threat, while wildfires have become an urgent problem with devastating consequences for all Californians.

Edison is committed to protecting our communities and helping families be prepared for natural and human-caused disasters. We support programs focused on electrical safety, emergency/disaster preparedness, community resiliency and wildfire safety and mitigation for our most vulnerable community members.

Civic Engagement

We believe that the ability to lead the transformation of the electric power industry toward a clean energy future relies on the diversity of our team and a society that enables all people to thrive.

To reflect our values, we partner with organizations that are deeply rooted in community advocacy and engagement while providing services such as workforce development and career pathway programs, professional and civic engagement leadership, youth mentoring, and capacity building for local nonprofits with an emphasis on diversity, equity and inclusion.

The Leighty Foundation (TLF) is a small family foundation incorporated under Iowa law.  Directors and advisors live in Colorado, Alaska, and California.

Mission

To carry on the Leighty family legacy of service and stewardship by leveraging our time and talents, as well as our financial resources, primarily in the areas of Earth Protection, Education, Philanthropy, and Strategic Volunteer Engagement.Focus Areas Earth Protection “Environmental” has become trite, and does not convey the profound, urgent, and necessary changes in the way our species perceives and relates to our fellow species on Earth, and to its wonderful physical systems. The Leighty Foundation is especially interested in accelerating humanity’s transition to a sustainable, equitable, benign, affordable global energy system based entirely upon renewable energy sources — driven by radiant energy from our local star, the Sun, and by geothermal. Our earliest, most rewarding investments will be energy conservation and efficiency, while we invent and invest to “run the world on renewables.” We assist science education, so that we will better understand who and what and where we humans are, and to better understand Earth and our options for cooperation within its context and limits. Thus, we intend to invest wisely in Earth Protection, with both Foundation funds and with our personal involvement. An urgent Grand Challenge is transforming the world’s largest industry from about 80% fossil to nearly 100% renewable, CO2-emission-free energy sources, as quickly as we prudently and profitably can. Prudently: with acceptable social and economic disruption. Profitably: the huge amount of capital needed will flow only to attractive opportunities for returns. Electricity systems may be inadequate or technically and economically suboptimal for this transformation. Therefore, we now need to think beyond electricity, to comprehensively consider alternatives. Hydrogen (H2) and Anhydrous Ammonia (NH3) are attractive, energy carriers, storage media, and fuels – as complete renewable energy systems. The Leighty Foundation Earth Protection program focuses on the Big Three challenges of time-variable renewable generation:

• Gathering and transmission;
• Low-cost, annual-scale, firming storage;
• Distribution, integration, and end-use of energy services.

Strategic Volunteer Engagement Our nation finds itself faced with a perfect storm with shrinking resources and escalating needs. Meeting these needs will require a dramatic increase in the number of people willing to give their time and skills as well as their financial resources. However, the challenge may be less about increasing the number of people who volunteer, and more about building infrastructures which connect people with worthy opportunities, and empower them to make a meaningful difference.There is a growing awareness that even if Americans respond to the myriad of calls for service, many charities are not prepared to effectively engage them. A recent survey found that more than 30% of charities do not currently have the infrastructure to effectively deploy volunteers. Now is the time for us as funders to seize this unique opportunity to financially support nonprofits in building their capacity.

The Majestic Realty Foundation

As developers, Majestic Realty Co. builds business parks that serve communities across 13 states. Indeed, this perspective gives our employees unique insight into grassroots community needs. The Majestic Realty Foundation grew out of our realization that community needs were growing rapidly. We saw that great numbers of youth and families were at risk from increasing gang-related violence. We saw that homelessness and hunger impacted more families than ever; plus high school drop-out rates reach epidemic proportions. But we also saw that together, we could make a difference.

In 2002, our company’s longstanding tradition of corporate giving was formalized with the launch of the Majestic Realty Foundation – now the cornerstone of our community investment program. As builders first, we know the value of creating communities of promise, where families and businesses know that their futures are secure and bright. To this end, we have devoted time and resources to build collaborations and provide professional training to help local nonprofits increase their capacities.

Our Mission

Realizing the responsibilities of an industry leader, The Majestic Realty Foundation provides support to our local communities in five key investment areas:

• Youth
• Education
• Family
• Health
• Violence Prevention

Our Vision

To create a legacy and a model for a financially and operationally sustainable foundation that leverages our capabilities to enhance the quality of life in our communities.

Guiding Principles

• Vision
• Leadership
• Passion
• Commitment
• Caring
• Creativity
• Collaboration

Majestic Realty Foundation Fast Facts

• Established in 2002 to move Majestic Realty from passive to active philanthropy
• Our flagship program, the Los Angeles Youth Leadership Council, brings together students from inner city youth centers for leadership training activities
• National organizations are funded across several geographic markets, including Ronald McDonald House, Boys & Girls Clubs, YMCAs and local Children’s Hospitals
• The Foundation links excess inventory from Majestic Realty clients with organizations in need
• “Get on Board” campaign enables Majestic employees to serve on more than 40 charitable boards, strengthening the nonprofit sector in our communities
• Thousands of hours of volunteer service directed to worthy community-based organizations

Active Philanthropy

We embrace the concept of “active philanthropy,” viewing our involvement as much more than just writing checks to grantees. Instead, we look for strategic nonprofit partners in our communities. In addition to our financial contributions, we take leadership roles in local organizations, donate countless hours and recruit the resources of our clients, vendors, brokers and others, to help meet the many needs in our communities.

Building a Brighter Future, One Student at a Time

In Southern California, the Majestic Realty Foundation’s commitment to active philanthropy is clearly demonstrated through its flagship program, the Los Angeles Youth Leadership Council (LAYLC). As a leadership and teambuilding collaborative, LAYLC brings together 80 high school student leaders from 43 separate LA schools. Each attends one of six inner-city youth centers: the Bresee Foundation, El Centro del Pueblo, Heart of Los Angeles (HOLA), Para Los Niños, Salesian Boys & Girls Club and The Salvation Army Red Shield Center. Through monthly meetings and enrichment activities, the LAYLC empowers students from Los Angeles’ most challenged neighborhoods to develop and apply leadership skills through participation in an annual camp, college tours and forums with high-profile guest speakers. Additionally, students receive training in public speaking, economic literacy and civic affairs.

The Majestic Realty Foundation believes that youth centers have the power to curb youth violence, develop strong leaders and create safe communities.

Driven by a Shared Passion

As a vital part of our corporate culture, the employees of Majestic Realty Co., Majestic Management Co. and Commerce Construction Co., L.P., volunteer thousands of hours for community organizations. Whether taking part in charity walkathons, collecting shoes and sponsoring community-wide days of service, Majestic/Commerce employees have ongoing opportunities to serve those in need, and they never fail to turn out in great numbers. We realize that our team members are our greatest asset. Through the Foundation’s innovative “Get on Board” campaign, Majestic employees freely give their time and talents by serving in leadership positions on nonprofit boards. In fact, currently our employees serve on more than 46 nonprofit boards.

Types of Giving – Restricted or Unrestricted Grants

Restricted- Grants Limited to Specific Program

Unrestricted – General Operating Funds

Challenge Grants – Matching Fund Campaign for Specific Programs

Nonprofit Sustainability Initiative Overview

The Nonprofit Sustainability Initiative (NSI) is an LA-based fund that invests in nonprofit resiliency during moments of organizational transformation. The NSI is supported by 20 different foundations, including the California Community Foundation.

Sustained Collaboration Fund

Partnerships bring new vitality to an organization. They create opportunities which can help build capacity to sustain your mission and scale your vision. Nonprofit leaders are often tasked with achieving organizational sustainability, but what if we were to relieve them of that burden and instead focus on mission sustainability? This reframing may be the difference between the status quo and innovation. This is the power of partnership and the power of navigating moments of great organizational change from a position of strength and strategic vision.

The NSI helps nonprofits based in Los Angeles County explore and implement formal partnerships leading to greater organizational effectiveness and efficiency. Known as strategic restructuring (SR), these partnerships typically culminate in agreements to combine some (or all) aspects of the organization, ranging from jointly managed programs and back-office consolidations to shared ventures or full-scale mergers. The goal of the NSI is to normalize strategic restructuring by establishing an environment where service providers, funders, and consultants understand and regularly engage in the activity as a strategy for enhancing impact.

Exploratory Grant

The NSI exploratory grant is designed for organizations ready to move into structured discussions aimed at developing a strategic partnership. Organizations and leadership that receive NSI funds are not committing to a specific outcome, but rather to enter into good faith negotiations. The goal is to ensure that organizations have every opportunity to thoroughly explore all issues associated with a strategic partnership and to reach an informed decision that best serves their mission and how they service the community.For grant administrative purposes, potential partners will submit a joint application. One organization will be identified as the lead applicant and the other organization(s) as the partner(s). The lead applicant organization receives a grant for the partners to collectively hire a consultant of their choice, who supports the exploration, due diligence, and negotiation of issues associated with the form of partnership being pursued.

Funding

Exploratory Grants typically range between $20,000 – $40,000. The funds are designated towards the cost of engaging third-party consultants to support a thoughtful exploratory process.

Nonprofit Sustainability Initiative Overview

The Nonprofit Sustainability Initiative (NSI) is an LA-based fund that invests in nonprofit resiliency during moments of organizational transformation. The NSI is supported by 20 different foundations, including the California Community Foundation.

Sustained Collaboration Fund

Partnerships bring new vitality to an organization. They create opportunities which can help build capacity to sustain your mission and scale your vision. Nonprofit leaders are often tasked with achieving organizational sustainability, but what if we were to relieve them of that burden and instead focus on mission sustainability? This reframing may be the difference between the status quo and innovation. This is the power of partnership and the power of navigating moments of great organizational change from a position of strength and strategic vision.

The NSI helps nonprofits based in Los Angeles County explore and implement formal partnerships leading to greater organizational effectiveness and efficiency. Known as strategic restructuring (SR), these partnerships typically culminate in agreements to combine some (or all) aspects of the organization, ranging from jointly managed programs and back-office consolidations to shared ventures or full-scale mergers. The goal of the NSI is to normalize strategic restructuring by establishing an environment where service providers, funders, and consultants understand and regularly engage in the activity as a strategy for enhancing impact.

Implementation Grant

Implementation Grants are available for organizations who have reached an agreement following a sustained collaboration exploratory process. Examples of costs that may be eligible for funding include: severance packages for departing CEO’s and other staff, IT integration, lease breaking, developing new marketing and communication materials, legal fees, consolidating capital assets, accountant fees, and board development.

Funding

Implementation grants typically range between $20,000 – $50,000. Costs related to the ongoing operation of the organization(s) will not be considered.

Implementation grants do not typically cover the full cost of implementing an agreement.

The Ralph M. Parsons Foundation strives to support and facilitate the work of the region's best nonprofit organizations, recognizing that many of those in need today will go on to shape the future of Southern California, to define it, redefine it, and help it set and achieve new goals.

Los Angeles County is one of the most exciting, dynamic, quickly evolving and challenging environments in the United States. In our diversity — racial, ethnic, cultural and economic — Greater Los Angeles presents extraordinary challenges and opportunities for the nonprofit community.

We are a responsive grantmaker.

Program Areas:

As a responsive grantmaker, we invite organizations serving Los Angeles County to come to us for what they need to do their best work. More than half of our grantmaking is for general support; organizations also come to us for funds to renovate or purchase buildings and equipment, specific programs, and staff positions. Funding is prioritized across four program areas:

Civic & Cultural

Grantmaking in this area values enriching cultural experiences and active civic engagement as essential ingredients for a healthy society. We support organizations and institutions that contribute to Los Angeles’ cultural and civic vibrancy, including performing arts organizations, museums, botanical gardens, arts education programs, and those that promote civic engagement and leadership.

Education

Our Education grantmaking underscores the importance of access to quality learning opportunities for all, with a special focus on underserved populations. Our grantees reflect the full continuum of learning from “cradle to career,” and include organizations that support early care and education, K-12 education, charter schools, academic enrichment, college access and persistence, higher education, and vocational training.

Health

The Foundation’s work in this area is rooted in our belief that all the residents of Los Angeles County need access to essential health services that offer a greater quality of life. We invest in organizations that promote health and well-being among vulnerable populations, placing an emphasis on community clinics, mental health providers, prevention services, emergency and trauma centers, and improvements to health care facilities.

Human Services

Our work in Human Services reflects our commitment to improving the lives of Los Angeles’ most vulnerable community members, including low-income children, families, foster youth, seniors, the working poor, and homeless populations. We fund a broad range of services and programs, including child welfare, youth development, supportive services, and basic needs.

The Rosenberg Foundation works together with our grantees, other funders and experts to dismantle the systemic barriers that stand in the way of equity, freedom and opportunity for far too many Californians.

Priority Areas

Through its grantmaking, the Rosenberg Foundation supports leadership development, policy advocacy and grassroots organizing to dismantle barriers to opportunity for low-income communities and communities of color through the following priority areas.

2022-2024 Leading Edge Fellows

Launched in 2016, the Leading Edge Fund was created to seed, incubate and accelerate bold ideas from the next generation of progressive movement leaders in California. Each fellow receives $250,000 in general support over three years; individualized technical assistance in program development, fundraising and strategic communications, executive coaching; and trainings and retreats. The 2022-2024 Leading Edge fellows are working to end and replace the incarceration and criminalization of young people of color, build economic hubs led by and for transgender people, create alternatives to police response, end child poverty, and much more. These fellows represent the next generation of changemakers with bold ideas for winning justice for Black communities and communities of color. In addition to the Rosenberg Foundation, the fund is generously supported by Hellman Foundation, Meadow Fund, Akonadi Foundation, The California Wellness Foundation, Heising-Simons Foundation and The California Endowment.

Justice & Public Safety

Criminal justice reform is one of the most urgent civil rights issues of our day. Nowhere are the barriers to equal opportunity more visible than in our fractured criminal justice system, which perpetuates an ongoing cycle of crime and discrimination that undermines entire communities. This can, and must, change.

Through its Justice and Public Safety portfolio, the Foundation uses a mix of grantmaking, communications, and direct activities aimed at advancing sentencing reform; promoting alternatives to incarceration; and reducing recidivism through reentry, including by bolstering employment opportunities for the formerly incarcerated.

In 2013, the Foundation joined with other funders, including The California Endowment, The California Wellness Foundation, Ford Foundation, and Open Society Foundations, to spearhead a powerful new campaign, Californians for Safety and Justice, which aims to shrink the prison and jail system and invest the savings in treatment and crime prevention.

The foundation also partners with a number of other funders as part of a funders’ affinity group focused on criminal justice reform: the Funders for Safety and Justice in California. FSJC includes the Open Society Foundations,Ford Foundation, Public Welfare Foundation, The California Endowment, The California Wellness Foundation, Sierra Health Foundation, Fund for Nonviolence, the Women’s Foundation of California, the van Löben Sels/Rembe Rock Foundation, Akonadi Foundation, and Conrad N. Hilton Foundation.

Immigrant Rights & Workers’ Rights

At the Rosenberg Foundation, we believe that California’s future relies on fully engaged and empowered immigrant communities. We have worked with our grant partners to ensure that immigrant populations are part of the civic and economic life of our state by supporting immigration reform, bolstering grassroots advocacy, enforcing voting and language rights, and strengthening the communications capacity of immigrant rights advocates.

We also are focused on building the capacity of California’s “Dream” movement to engage in immigrant related policy issues in California both for the short- as well as long-term. California has been described as the epicenter for the Dream movement with a quarter of the nation’s Dreamers (over 500,000) and a majority of its leadership living in the state. California’s Dreamers have accomplished much with limited resources, including the successful enactment in 2011 of the California Dream Act, which provides state public funding for student grants and loans. Dream youth represent the future of the immigrant rights movement in California and are a critical part of the immigrant rights advocacy infrastructure in the state. California’s Dreamers have already established themselves as visionaries; our job is to continue to support them in their pioneering work.

The Rosenberg Foundation also has long supported work at the intersection of economic justice and immigrant rights.

Supporting California’s farmworkers has been a priority of the Rosenberg Foundation since the 1950s, when its work in the area was launched by a grant to a citizen’s group near Fresno to establish seasonal clinics for the children of farmworkers. Given that California agriculture is now a $43 billion dollar industry that in turn generates at least $100 billion in related economic activity, and that the vast majority of the farmworkers in the state are immigrants, fighting for farmworkers’ civil and human rights is both an economic and moral imperative. Discrimination in labor laws, low wages, and poor working, health and and job safety conditions are ongoing issues for many of California’s farmworkers, as are broken immigration laws that fracture families and have a significant negative effect on the U.S. economy; at the Rosenberg Foundation, we regard these issues as matters of civil and human rights.

The Foundation invests in strategies that support pathways to legalization for California farmworkers who are undocumented, that strengthen labor protections for agricultural guest workers, and challenge unfair wages and unsafe, exploitative working conditions.

We also invest in efforts to improve wages and conditions for day laborers; those who work in the garment, restaurant, and car wash industries; and domestic workers. Strategies we support include labor organizing, impact litigation, and policy advocacy.

Civil Rights & Civic Engagement

As recent events around the country have demonstrated, the nation’s work in civil rights is far from finished. At the Rosenberg Foundation, we believe that strengthening civil rights advocacy in California is of paramount importance; indeed, it is at the heart of our overall aim to improve the lives of Californians in every way.

California is a minority-majority state, meaning that no single racial or ethnic group forms a majority. And yet California is home to between seven and ten million registered voters who rarely vote, the majority of whom are people of color. Increasing civic participation among underrepresented populations, particularly in communities of color and among low-income communities, is critical.

The Rosenberg Foundation is one of the founding members of the California Civic Participation Funders Collaborative, which was spearheaded by the Evelyn and Walter Haas, Jr. Fund. Other funders active in the roundtable include The California Endowment, The James Irvine Foundation, the Women’s Foundation of California, the McKay Foundation, and the Kapor Center for Social Impact. The funders came together in early 2010 with the shared goal of increasing civic participation among underrepresented populations, and now is working in four counties in California to increase civic participation in communities of color and among low-income populations.

The foundation also invests in longstanding California civil rights organizations, builds the individual and collective capacity of a new generation of young leaders at the helm of these venerable civil rights institutions, and seeds innovative efforts to make voting accessible.

Background

The Foundation’s primary grantmaking strategy is place-based. We seek opportunities to make clusters of complementary grants in specific communities, supporting public and nonprofit organizations that serve essentially the same children, youth, and families.

We respond first and foremost to the capacities and vision of the community and to expressed community needs. Then we seek ways to build on the insights, resources, and achievements generated through our grantees’ efforts.

We prioritize places in Northern or Central California that are experiencing acute and widespread poverty, where people of color likely experience disparate outcomes. Our goal is to achieve more capable, responsive, and effective community organizations and institutions.

Through the sustained, concerted efforts of those organizations, we expect community residents to realize benefits including:

• The healthy development and education of children
• The economic and social advancement of their families
• The opportunity to influence the conditions that shape their lives

Funding Priorities

The Foundation’s primary grantmaking strategy is place-based. We seek opportunities to make clusters of complementary grants in specific communities, supporting public and nonprofit organizations that serve essentially the same children, youth, and families.

Families

We support programs that honor lived experiences and incorporate resident voices in the design, implementation, and governance of family-support services.

We fund programs and community-building efforts that help families build on their strengths and increase their self-efficacy, and that implement trauma-responsive practices. We also support comprehensive programs that safeguard equitable access to concrete services such as food, shelter, childcare, and safety.

Examples of grant-funded activities include, but are not limited to:

• Family resource centers that promote physical health and wellness, child development, and parenting;
• Organizations that build pathways for families to attain financial literacy, employment, and economic mobility;
• Community-organizing initiatives focused on emerging issues prioritized and led by residents.

Education

We believe that high-quality public schools, available to all, are essential for society to thrive.

We fund initiatives within schools and school districts to provide equitable learning for all students, particularly students of color and those living in poverty. We support engaging students in relevant, immersive learning that prepares them for college, career, and citizenship, equipping them to help solve complex challenges in their communities and the world. We also invest in organizations outside of school districts that, along with community residents, hold public schools to account and help them improve.

Examples of grant-funded activities include, but are not limited to:

• Efforts within schools to improve teaching and academic support, particularly for underserved students, by fostering teamwork, adaptation, and organizational learning;
• Organizing efforts among students and families to effect positive changes in their schools and expand learning opportunities;
• Programs promoting reconciliation and mental and emotional health among students and educators;
• Outdoor education and stewardship programs that link academics to life and deepen students’ understanding of the environment, climate, and community health.

Youth

We support youth development organizations that provide safe spaces for youth to explore their interests and aspirations, build confidence and resilience, and solidify a commitment to lifelong learning and community engagement.

We prioritize programs focused on the mental health and well-being of young people and supporting their agency and leadership, as well as their readiness for higher education and careers. We support organizations implementing trauma-responsive practices in their programs and services for youth.

Examples of grant-funded activities include, but are not limited to:

• Addressing the mental health and well-being of students through school-based wellness centers;
• Providing afterschool and/or summer programming that engages youth academically and in special interests such as the performing arts;
• Developing youth leadership, training them in community organizing skills, and supporting them to create solutions for their communities around issues such as educational equity, racial justice, and environmental health.

Supporting Programs

Through our active engagement in communities, we often learn about critical needs and opportunities that lie outside our main program areas.

Leadership & Organizational Health: Cowell commonly funds the direct costs of delivering services and operating programs for community residents; but we are keenly aware that the scope and quality of those services, and ultimately their effectiveness, depend on the vitality of our grantee organizations. Accordingly, grantees in the Families, Education, and Youth program areas may inquire about complementary grants through the Leadership & Organizational Health program.

In addition, Cowell supports organizations whose mission and core capability is leadership development.

Community Resources: Through our active engagement in communities, we often learn about critical needs and opportunities that lie outside our main program areas. For that purpose, we maintain a budget for responsive grants in communities where we are active. This complementary program is necessarily broad, but likely areas of focus include:

• Affordable housing construction and preservation;
• Small business and workforce development;
• Access to banking services, credit, and other supports for economic security;
• Neighborhood infrastructure such as parks, gardens, and greenways.

Across our programs, the funding guidelines incorporate four themes:

• Racial Equity
• Economic Advancement
• Community Health
  • Environmental Health and Justice
  • Mental Health
• Resident Voice and Agency

Types of Grants

Place-Based

• Grants awarded to organizations in active Cowell communities across program areas and initiatives.

Resource Capacity-Building

• Resource Capacity-Building grants from a secondary strategy that supports our primary, place-based investments.
• These grants enhance the resources, practices, and cohesiveness of the program fields in which Cowell operates, and to create access to such resources on behalf of place-based grantees

Exploratory

• Types of work that currently lie outside the program area guidelines.
• These grants are awarded while Cowell is prospecting and developing relationships in a community, before determining whether it is appropriate to fully engage there under the place-based guidelines.
• Exploratory grants may also be awarded as Cowell seeks to learn about emerging fields of work beyond the current program guidelines.

Our Program Areas

The Sills Family Foundation’s primary grants program intends to help children from low income families live up to their highest promise by concentrating on the following four areas:

Comprehensive Services to Families in Crisis- With a special focus on families impacted by incarceration

The Sills Family Foundation has a major focus on programs that support families impacted by the criminal justice system. We partner with programs that work to strengthen the parent/child bond during incarceration through facilitating transportation for prison visits, creating child-sensitive visiting areas in correctional facilities, providing parenting education classes to incarcerated parents, as well as supporting families through the re-entry period. This effort extends to addressing the inequities in the bail system, preventing juvenile detentions, and providing high quality legal services to low income populations.

In considering the rehabilitative opportunities so rarely provided to incarcerated individuals, the Foundation supports higher education and arts programming inside correctional facilities. The Foundation has begun to play a role in deepening policy makers and service providers’ capacity in this field. The Sills Family Foundation is proud to be a member of the NY Initiative for Children with Incarcerated Parents, as well as the New York Youth Justice Initiative.

Support to Underserved Communities- Through improved access to early education and reduction of neighborhood violence

Low income neighborhoods and schools experience a disproportionate amount of school suspensions, violence, arrests and damage to the community through involvement in the criminal justice system. We support programs that seek to intervene in this destructive cycle and help young people stay on the path to success.

Early education can make a world of difference in how a child goes on to succeed in school, work and life. This is especially true for children challenged by poverty, homelessness and other forms of trauma. Children who start kindergarten behind their peers may continue to face problems throughout school. Getting kids off to a good start is critical to their future.

We are committed to high-quality education experiences that help children live up to their highest potential. We want to improve chances for all children to succeed in life through access to education, early intervention and family supports such as mental health counseling and job skills classes for their parents.

Programs Supporting Immigrants, Refugees and Asylees

We believe all human beings have the right to pursue their dreams of building a better home for themselves and their families, and that newcomers to the US should have access to necessary legal, educational, and material needs.

Environmental Justice- With a focus on contaminants that harm the developing embryo, fetus and infant

Toxic chemicals are released into our environment every day. Children consume pollutants in their food, air and water, their toys, candy, even baby bottles. These hazards can cause serious health problems, ranging from asthma and cancer to brain impairment and behavioral problems. They take a greater toll on the most vulnerable: pregnant women, fetuses and children.

We want to protect families from lead, mercury and other toxic compounds. The foundation supports organizations that embrace the ideals of environmental justice and that protect against poor communities carrying a greater share of the toxic burden. We invest in programs that work to reduce pollutants in our air, water, food and homes so that the minds and bodies of our infants and children stay healthy and strong.

Arts and Culture- Arts education and other creative opportunities to support underserved populations

Arts and cultural activity can provide people of all ages important tools of self expression, can open paths to new forms of communication and can strengthen self esteem. We believe that high quality arts programming in schools, community centers and senior centers can be a powerful tool of social justice. The Foundation seeks to support culturally sensitive collaborations between teaching artists, educators and community leaders to bring the positive power of the arts to under-resourced schools and communities.

Funding Priorities

The Sills Family Foundation funds nonprofits that support early childhood education, environmental justice, arts and culture, and families in crisis, with a focus on families and communities impacted by the criminal justice justice system as well as refugees, migrants and asylees.

Funding Criteria

The organizations we invest in support families and communities to overcome obstacles created by poverty, racism and other forms of marginalization. The programs we support have passionate leaders, are community based and offer potential for systemic, sustained change, including the possibility of replication. We seek to fund organizations for whom our grantmaking capacity will make an impact.

Grant Making Budget

Most of our grants range from $10,000 to $25,000. The Foundation accepts applications for one-year grants only, with the possibility of renewal grants for extended periods. Many of our grants support general operating needs.

Grant Funding Priorities

We aspire to a future where all  rural families provide childcare with a nurturing, safe, and stable foundation for life. A child’s early years are the most critical time for setting a positive trajectory for life. Research shows that trusted relationships with caring adults make all the difference. We want to help families access the supports they need.

What we prioritize:

• Parent and caregiver supports build nurturing and healthy attachments that allow children to thrive. Our communities have identified a need for programs that better match the demographics of families and the emotional needs of children. We prioritize home visiting, parenting education, early childhood mental health and other community supports for parents and caregivers.
• Family financial stability helps parents access programs that exist to assist low-income families, such as the Earned Income Tax Credit. We also offer educational scholarships for parents.
• Child abuse prevention protects children and improves outcomes for future generations. We fund and partner with local organizations and regional and statewide networks to prevent abuse and neglect, build awareness and strengthen systems that bring stability and safety to the most vulnerable among us.Grants aligned with our Education impact area aim to ensure that rural children have the supports and opportunities they need to succeed in their education. Our emphasis is on early childhood education, helping children start strong in their early grades, and preparing students for the transition from high school to postsecondary education or a career.

We envision a future in which all rural young people experience educational success. Education has always been at the top of The Ford Family Foundation’s priorities. We invest in high-quality, affordable early childhood education all the way to our scholarship programs, which have helped thousands of aspiring college students achieve their dreams.

Our emphasis is on ensuring that children and their families benefit from targeted support across two key transitions — from the early years to the schoolroom, and from K-12 to educational and career opportunities after high school.

What we prioritize: 

• Early childhood education allows children to develop the habits, skills and healthy brains that will help them succeed academically as they enter their K-12 school pathway.
• P-3 alignment helps children and families transition from early childhood education settings to more structured classrooms. This ensures children can read independently, problem solve and manage their social-emotional needs.
• Supports and pathways build K-12 students’ knowledge, skills and awareness to plan for life after high school and to improve their long-term economic opportunities.
• Postsecondary completion for students, especially those who are the first in their families to attend and complete college, improves economic and social outcomes for them and their families.

We commit to a future where rural communities are vibrant places that provide opportunities for everyone to thrive.  The Ford Family Foundation is a community building organization. We support rural residents as they work together to develop a shared vision for their community’s future and implement plans that enable them to attract and retain a diverse population, especially working-age families.

What we prioritize:

• Community building catalyzes efforts by rural residents to address needs and improve their communities. Community building fosters leadership, relationships, capacity and collective action to create well-being for all, especially children and families. From scholarship alumni to business leaders, community builders are everywhere. Learn more about the rural Community Building Approach.
• Community economic development builds a vibrant rural economy, improves the economic well-being of families and makes the community a place where people choose to live. Rural business retention and expansion is at the heart of our work in this area.
• Organizational capacity building across the region supports a range of stable and effective organizations that contribute to more resilient rural communities. Nonprofits are the backbone of providing essential services to rural families.

Good Neighbor grants

They’re called Good Neighbor grants for a reason. Good neighbors help each other, learn from each other and lift each other up.

Good Neighbor grants are designed to support the initiatives that matter in your community in a way that works for your organization, including unforeseen emergencies that interrupt programming or services. We fund both program and capital requests.

For Good Neighbor Grants, applicants should note the following:

• 25% committed before applying (in-kind can play a role but strongest requests have other funding at the table)
• Can request up to 1/3 for programs/operations and up to 50% for capital
• Clearly need to see the community at the table where services will be provided
• We also look for a clear plan in place for sustainability
• You will typically hear back from us in six to 10 weeks

Grant amount: Up to $25,000

Grant examples

• Emergency repairs to essential equipment at a food bank, library, fire hall or other community service provider
• Updates to facilities at a beloved community gathering place, including ADA accessibility and technology
• Community events such as celebrations, clean-ups or summer festivals (Events and celebrations must be free to the public and multi-day or annual, such as a music or art series.)
• New or special programs for the children and families in your communities
• Studies or research on a community need
• Playgrounds or recreational facilities
• Translation of materials or outreach to special populations
• Basic needs for vulnerable children and families
• Feasibility studies for economic development projects (e.g., business incubator, makerspace, commercial kitchen)

Larger funding requests

For requests that exceed $25,000, applications should be aligned with our funding priorities. We fund programs, operations and capital projects. 

Grant Funding Priorities

Family

Grants aligned with our Family impact area help strengthen connections between a parent or other primary caregiver and a child. We focus on ensuring that children have nurturing attachments from their earliest years, including preventing child abuse and neglect. We also focus on promoting financial stability so that families have the resources they need to care for their children.

Current grant funding examples

• Children’s mental health supports
• Parenting support programs
• Domestic violence programs and shelters for families with children
• Child abuse prevention and intervention programs
• Supports for children in foster care
• Maternal-child health programs
• Two-generation family literacy programs
• Family financial education and access
• Earned Income Tax Credit access and utilization
• Scholarships for parents to complete their college education
• Statewide networks and systems reform to support all of the above

Education

Grants aligned with our Education impact area aim to ensure that rural children have the supports and opportunities they need to succeed in their education. Our emphasis is on early childhood education, helping children start strong in their early grades, and preparing students for the transition from high school to postsecondary education or a career.

Current grant funding examples

• Child care and early childhood education
• Early literacy programs
• Family engagement in their children’s education
• Programs that support social-emotional learning
• Youth development and summer learning programs
• Programs supporting students of color and marginalized populations
• College and/or career preparation programs
• Scholarships for aspiring low-income rural and urban students to attend and complete college
• Programs to support low-income, first-generation rural student success beyond high school

Community

Grants aligned with our Community impact area support conditions that help children and families thrive in rural communities. This includes focusing on their local economies, social capital, community visioning and planning capacity, and public gathering spaces.

Current grant funding examples

• Community building and engagement efforts
• Community centers and convening spaces
• Community social service centers (Where direct youth programming is provided)
• Arts and culture centers
• Libraries
• Rural health centers (Federally Qualified Health Centers)
• Disaster resiliency planning and fire halls
• Community economic development planning, feasibility studies
• Community supports for entrepreneurs, including start-ups, business retention, and youth and women entrepreneurs
• Business development services

Applying for a capital project?

We offer support for large capital projects (usually up to $250,000) aligned with our impact areas. Capital grants can fund up to one-third of a project’s total budget. Successful applications include significant community support in the form of local or regional dollars. Fifty percent of the budget should be raised before applying. This process can take three to six months.

Capital projects aligned with our impact area are limited to the following:

• Community centers and gathering spaces
• Social services centers (when direct youth programming is provided)
• Libraries
• Children’s museums or children’s exhibitions
• Small business incubators
• Fire halls
• Rural health centers (Federally Qualified Health Centers)
• Art and cultural centers

In addition, we support capital projects aligned with our Family and Education impact areas.

What we support

We look for projects rooted in Oregon and Siskiyou County, California that aim to make a difference in the lives of rural children, ensuring the family, educational and community supports they need to thrive.

Grant Funding Priorities

Family

Grants aligned with our Family impact area help strengthen connections between a parent or other primary caregiver and a child. We focus on ensuring that children have nurturing attachments from their earliest years, including preventing child abuse and neglect. We also focus on promoting financial stability so that families have the resources they need to care for their children.

Current grant funding examples

• Children’s mental health supports
• Parenting support programs
• Domestic violence programs and shelters for families with children
• Child abuse prevention and intervention programs
• Supports for children in foster care
• Maternal-child health programs
• Two-generation family literacy programs
• Family financial education and access
• Earned Income Tax Credit access and utilization
• Scholarships for parents to complete their college education
• Statewide networks and systems reform to support all of the above

Education

Grants aligned with our Education impact area aim to ensure that rural children have the supports and opportunities they need to succeed in their education. Our emphasis is on early childhood education, helping children start strong in their early grades, and preparing students for the transition from high school to postsecondary education or a career.

Current grant funding examples

• Child care and early childhood education
• Early literacy programs
• Family engagement in their children’s education
• Programs that support social-emotional learning
• Youth development and summer learning programs
• Programs supporting students of color and marginalized populations
• College and/or career preparation programs
• Scholarships for aspiring low-income rural and urban students to attend and complete college
• Programs to support low-income, first-generation rural student success beyond high school

Community

Grants aligned with our Community impact area support conditions that help children and families thrive in rural communities. This includes focusing on their local economies, social capital, community visioning and planning capacity, and public gathering spaces.

Current grant funding examples

• Community building and engagement efforts
• Community centers and convening spaces
• Community social service centers (Where direct youth programming is provided)
• Arts and culture centers
• Libraries
• Rural health centers (Federally Qualified Health Centers)
• Disaster resiliency planning and fire halls
• Community economic development planning, feasibility studies
• Community supports for entrepreneurs, including start-ups, business retention, and youth and women entrepreneurs
• Business development services

Technical Assistance grants

Strengthen your organization’s internal capacity to make a positive impact with a Technical Assistance grant. These grants can be used to attend a conference, develop leadership expertise, engage in strategic planning or hire an outside consultant with specialized expertise. You will typically hear from us in six to 10 weeks.

Grant amount: Up to $5,000

Grant examples

• Paying for staff members to attend a training or conference that builds their skills and capacity or hiring a trainer for your board and/or staff
• Contracting with a consultant to develop a strategic plan, create a transition plan for outgoing leadership or set up new organizational financial systems
• Hiring a facilitator to carry out community engagement activities to inform your organization’s project or program
• Contracting with a consultant to develop a capital campaign plan

About The Wonderful Company

Being “Wonderful” goes beyond our consumer promise of growing, harvesting, and distributing wholesome, high-quality fruits, nuts, and other products for customers around the world. We strive to make The Wonderful Company true to its name with a wide range of philanthropic activities that focus on investing in and collaborating with the communities where our employees live and work.

Central Valley Community Grants

Now, more than ever, The Wonderful Company is focused on the health and well-being of Central Valley communities. In the past 10 years, Wonderful Community Grants has funded over $8.5M across 142 nonprofits and 165 schools in the San Joaquin Valley. This year, we will be funding $1 million in grants to schools and organizations serving our priority communities.

A successful applicant will demonstrate a commitment to making the rural communities of the San Joaquin Valley in California a more equitable place to live, work, and play.

Proposed projects must be aligned with the organization’s current mission and overall goals, and culminate into something visible and tangible in the community.

Grant Amounts

• $1,000–$50,000 grants, awarded until funds are exhausted.
• Up to two $100,000 grants, awarded funds to be used over two years.

The Michelson Smart Justice Initiative

Our Approach: We support rehabilitative models that reduce recidivism and promote the successful re-entry of system-impacted individuals through improved access to education, employment, and economic opportunities both in prison and post-release.

Our Focus Areas

We are interested in supporting projects that advance:

Efforts that scale and increase higher education and workforce development pathways for incarcerated individuals pursuing firefighting careers.

• Projects that facilitate employment in firefighting careers for incarcerated firefighters, including efforts that fully certify them to pursue a firefighting career upon release and those that facilitate their employment in these careers post release.
• Policy advocacy work that supports incarcerated firefighters.

Initiatives with innovative approaches to higher education in prison (HEP) programming

• Innovative efforts that address housing for individuals reentering the community including efforts centering specific underrepresented populations.
• Transfer pathways that help HEP programming participants with Associates degrees to seamlessly enroll in programs offering Bachelors degrees.
• Efforts that expand HEP programming at the California State University and/or University of California systems
• Policy advocacy efforts that facilitate the scaling of HEP programming across California higher education systems and carceral facilities.

Projects that help ensure the quality of education being provided in HEP programs

• Efforts that promote/improve consistency in data collection to better understand the impact and tell the story of HEP programs.
• Programs that promote, ensure, or evaluate race equity in accessing HEP programs.
• Projects that improve training for HEP program educators and include appropriate pedagogy/practice that ensures a quality education for incarcerated students.
• Efforts focused on increasing higher education retention and completion rates for individuals in prison and individuals being released from prison.
• Policy advocacy work that help ensure the quality of education being provided in HEP programs.

Efforts that analyze the landscape of HEP programming in California to support the launching of a California HEP consortium, a group that will advance recommendations on best approaches in HEP/Reentry programming and policy statewide.  

Guidelines

Grants from National Trust Preservation Funds (NTPF) are intended to encourage preservation at the local level by supporting on-going preservation work and by providing seed money for preservation projects. These grants help stimulate public discussion, enable local groups to gain the technical expertise needed for preservation projects, introduce the public to preservation concepts and techniques, and encourage financial participation by the private sector.

A small grant at the right time can go a long way and is often the catalyst that inspires a community to take action on a preservation project. Grants generally start at $2,500 and range up to $5,000. The selection process is very competitive.

Eligible Activities

National Trust Preservation Fund grants are awarded for planning activities and education efforts focused on preservation. Grant funds can be used to launch new initiatives or to provide additional support to on-going efforts.

Planning: Supporting existing staff (nonprofit applicants only) or obtaining professional expertise in areas such as architecture, archaeology, engineering, preservation planning, land-use planning, and law. Eligible planning activities include, but are not limited to:

• Hiring a preservation architect or landscape architect, or funding existing staff with expertise in these areas, to produce a historic structure report or historic landscape master plan.
• Hiring a preservation planner, or funding existing staff with expertise in this area, to produce design guidelines for a historic district.
• Hiring a real estate development consultant, or funding existing staff with expertise in this area, to produce an economic feasibility study for the reuse of a threatened structure.
• Sponsoring a community forum to develop a shared vision for the future of a historic neighborhood.
• Organizational capacity building activities such as hiring fundraising consultants, conducting board training, etc.

Education and Outreach: Support for preservation education activities aimed at the public. The National Trust is particularly interested in programs aimed at reaching new audiences. Funding will be provided to projects that employ innovative techniques and formats aimed at introducing new audiences to the preservation movement, whether that be through education programming or conference sessions.

Capacity Building Grants

Capacity Building grants assist nonprofits in achieving new levels of organizational strength and effectiveness. Their purpose is to help nonprofit organizations directly serving older adults in California to strengthen internal systems; execute needed IT infrastructure updates; and improve efforts to mobilize older adults in their communities. Capacity Building grants are not intended to pay for existing client-facing programs and services, nor are they intended to provide general operating support to the organization. The goal of a successful capacity building grant is to enhance an organization’s level of financial and operational sustainability.

Capacity building support offered through this RFP is limited to the following (one project type per application and one application per organization):

Internal Operations, which may include:

• Improvements to financial management, internal controls and chart of accounts, human resources, or volunteer management;   
• Onboarding new staff, training and technical assistance on quality improvement, or facility planning;     
• Building evaluation capacity to improve outcome evaluation methods and metrics;
• Conducting organizational assessments and strategic planning, fundraising assessment and development, communications/marketing planning, contingency/disaster planning, or business planning;       
• Building strategic relationships, such as helping two or more organizations work through collaboration and strategic restructuring, or positioning for merger or affiliation;       
• Developing new sources for earned income, which may include business planning, social enterprise, contracting, startup costs for a new program, legal services, accounting, or actuarial services.

Technology Improvements, which may include:

• Enhancing IT capacity through upgrades to hardware and software, cybersecurity, networking, websites, and staff training to optimize the use of technology.

Community Mobilizing, which may include:

• Enhancing organizational ability to provide and receive information directly to/from older adults in their communities to address existing and emerging needs;
• Developing community advisory boards or hosting town hall meetings that result in actionable insights;       
• Forming or maintaining coalitions that elevate lived experiences of older adults;       
• Creating and strengthening advocacy efforts that incorporate voices of older adults;       
• Conducting community needs assessments to better understand how to serve older adults and include their perspectives.

Funding

Capacity Building grants offer up to $50,000 to support direct service organizations that serve older adults in California, helping them improve internal structures and operations.

About the Fund

The California Wildlands Grassroots Fund (Cal Wildlands) supports the heroic efforts of grassroots activists to preserve California’s wildlands and natural habitat.

The Fund champion’s conservationists advocating for the permanent protection, including restoration and stewardship, of intact wildlands on both public and private lands, to help preserve California’s wilderness and native biological diversity. This includes policy advocacy, litigation and regulatory watchdogging at the local, state and federal levels; efforts to advance wildlands and open space protection through county general plans and local planning; as well as direct stewardship and maintenance of intact wild areas.

Issues and Activities We Support

• Projects that protect and preserve wildlands and open space, or support the good stewardship, restoration and management of wild areas.
• Cal Wildlands defines “wildlands” as natural habitats, privately or publicly owned, that are (or have the potential to be) permanently preserved through legislation or deed restrictions, and are on a scale necessary to support significant native plant and animal life.
• Projects in urban or suburban settings, must feature connectivity to larger protected areas and/or be located along critical wildlife corridors.
• Activities such as grassroots organizing and outreach; communications campaigns; regulatory advocacy; lawsuits; wildlands restoration and stewardship (including trail maintenance); scientific research; organizational capacity building and equipment purchases.
• Environmental education programs must include a strong element of environmental advocacy to be considered.

Priority Areas

• Community-based advocacy and organizing efforts steered by affected community members.
• Efforts predominantly driven and staffed by volunteers.
• Projects in areas that have not received significant foundation support, including rural communities.
• Projects that build diverse constituencies for wildlands protection and engage non-traditional stakeholders, especially communities of color.
• Project-specific requests, though general support requests will be accepted from strong organizations whose work is well aligned with the fund’s objectives.
• Projects that will establish or combat a critical precedent that will influence other wildlands protection efforts.

Duration of Support and Grant Size

• Maximum grant award is $10,000, and typical grants range between $4,000-$8,000.
• If your organization’s actual annual income and expenses are $30,000 or less, we strongly encourage you to request a grant of $5,000 or less.
• Organizations seeking the maximum grant size of $10,000 must be able to articulate a clear project and budget that justifies the full grant.
• Grants are for a one year period.

First Tech community grants and sponsorships

We fund innovative solutions for children and their families. Our grants program focuses in two key areas: education and fundamental needs. Working with our community partners, our funding provides access to STEM education for underserved communities and fuels new programs to address our communities’ most urgent needs.

We provide charitable grants focused on programmatic and capacity building support, as well as nonprofit sponsorships, to organizations within our Oregon, Washington and Northern California footprint. These grants and sponsorships support programs focused on education and fundamental needs.

You can request First Tech’s grant or sponsorship support for 501(c)3 charitable organizations through our online application.

Education

We focus on helping underserved communities build the infrastructure and resources to think creatively, problem-solve and innovate—to succeed today and lead tomorrow. We target our support for education in three key areas:

• Science, technology, engineering and math (STEM)
• Early childhood literacy
• Financial education

Liberated Paths Grantmaking Program

Building a More Just and Sustainable Outdoor and Environmental Movement Together

Black, Indigenous, and People of Color-led organizations are on the frontlines of the grassroots work being done to build a better planet but our work is chronically overlooked and underfunded. We know that when our voices are left out, our communities suffer, and our planet does too. With the Liberated Paths Program, we envision a way to bridge that gap.

Through this program, we are working to create a more just and sustainable outdoor and environmental movement by shifting resources to and building power with Black, Indigenous, and Communities of Color. The Liberated Paths Program supports outdoor initiatives and organizations that cultivate and celebrate the contributions of Black, Indigenous, and Communities of Color and affirm the many experiences and identities our communities hold, through grantmaking, capacity building, and network building.

Through our Liberated Paths regional grants, we support organizations and initiatives of all sizes located in California, the Pacific Northwest (Oregon and Washington), the Southwest (Arizona and New Mexico), and the Delaware River Watershed that work at the intersection of racial justice, outdoor experiences, and the environment. In 2023, we will also launch grantmaking in North and South Carolina. Our Liberated Paths: Youth Access to Nature Fund supports efforts in the San Francisco Bay Area that increase safe and equitable access to the outdoors for Young People of Color.

We work with leaders and organizations who are rooted within their communities with the lived experiences to understand how to best advance justice and center the needs of the community. We support Leaders of Color to design and lead the types of joyful outdoor experiences and environmental efforts that are most meaningful to them and their communities. 

Liberated Paths support looks like:

• Relationship-driven and trust-based support
• Multi-year grants of $1,000 to $20,000 per year when possible
• Long-term, deep engagement in financial, operational, and fundraising capacity building
• Network building with a cohort of grantees to facilitate shared learning and systems-level changes
• Eligibility that is not hinged on organization size, ability to do impact reporting, or 501(c)(3) status
• Support for organizations and initiatives of all sizes and in all stages of their development
• Prioritized funding for organizations and initiatives led by Black, Indigenous, and People of Color
• Capacity building trainings and workshops for grantee partners

Capacity Building

Our model offers financial grants, as well as consistent coaching and mentorship. We want to connect our grantee partners with the tools and resources they need to sustain their vital work. To that end, in addition to trainings and workshops for all grantee partners, we work with each partner to identify areas where they want to grow and tailor our support to their needs. These areas could include: board recruitment, financial sustainability, staffing and hiring considerations, executive leadership coaching, budget planning, program design, insurance and liability considerations, safety, guidance on applications for additional grants, and more.

Network Building

Through Liberated Paths, we seek to bring together organizations and leaders working at the intersection of environment and racial justice. We do this through virtual get-togethers and information sessions. We facilitate network building within each cohort of grantees to facilitate shared learning and systems-level changes.

We also bring together funders and partners through a webinar series to connect, share information about the Liberated Paths Grantmaking Program and to also hold critical conversations regarding topics such as the explicit role of race in Liberated Paths, the racial funding gap, and racial bias and its impact in philanthropy.

Our Vision & Mission

Our vision is for every resident of California to enjoy good health and experience wellness. Our mission is to protect and improve the health and wellness of the people of California by increasing access to health care, quality education, good jobs, healthy environments and safe neighborhoods.

Our Work

• We use our resources to advance our mission through grantmaking, investments, sharing our learning and lifting our voice.
• We fund direct services that address the urgent needs people are facing in their communities, particularly the needs of low-income individuals, people of color, youth and residents of rural areas.
• We recognize, encourage and strengthen leaders to be powerful agents of change.
• We support advocacy and civic engagement so that communities can build power and create public policies that reflect their vision, will and needs.
• We trust and invest in nonprofit organizations so that they can operate at full capacity.
• We partner with community-led organizations, philanthropic organizations, businesses, government and individuals who want to improve health and wellness for Californians.

What We Fund

Our vision is that every person in California enjoys health and wellness. That means living in a safe and healthy community. Having access to quality education and good jobs. Drinking clean water. And having access to healthy foods.

But we know that a lot gets in the way of people enjoying health and wellness. The barriers are many and they are systemic. Wellness is directly affected by our race, class, gender and disability. By our zip code. By our family history. By our immigration status and past involvement with the criminal justice system.

That’s why we partner with community organizations to remove barriers to individual and community wellness. And to put in place more equitable processes and systems that improve individual and community wellness.

Through our grantmaking program—Advancing Wellness—we support organizations that are increasing access to health care. Innovative organizations that are advocating for quality education. Organizations big and small that are fighting for good jobs with fair wages and benefits. Local organizations that are working to make our streets and neighborhoods safe.

Equity in Access Fund

All people deserve to be healthy and experience wellness. And all Californians should be able to receive the health benefits and services they need to live healthy lives. We believe that health care is a human right. While California has made significant progress in expanding quality, affordable health care coverage and access, we recognize that due to systemic racism, persistent health disparities remain for people of color. Therefore, we center racial justice in our work as we work toward high-quality universal health care that expands the ability of all Californians, especially people of color, to obtain necessary health care and related services.

Our Equity in Access portfolio champions health care coverage and access for all and defends the rights of immigrants to enjoy access to health services, coverage and other benefits. All people, regardless of immigration status, deserve access to public benefits. Our portfolio also supports the rights of women to access comprehensive sexual and reproductive health care services.

We will support:

Universal coverage and access to care

All Californians should have the ability to see a medical provider when and how they need to. But there are currently many barriers in place that make it difficult for people of color and immigrants to access needed high-quality health care. And universal coverage means more than seeing a doctor once a year. It means having the access to comprehensive services for staying healthy, such as oral and behavioral health services, as well as having medical providers close by — whether in person or via telemedicine — and the means to get to them. We are one of the -few funders in the country investing in oral health care for low-income adults and seniors, despite the critical importance of oral health to overall physical well-being. Finally, people without health insurance need to know their options for getting coverage, and how to use their benefits once they’re enrolled. That’s why we invest in organizations that reach out to communities to both educate and help eligible people sign up for health insurance, help patients retain coverage from year to year, and facilitate full use of benefits.

System transformation

To realize our vision, we will have to help transform the health care system. But what does transforming the health care system require? It requires designing and implementing new models of health care that take a whole-person view while integrating the patients’ clinical and social needs. This also includes intentionally allocating resources and interventions to improve health and wellness for Black, Brown, and indigenous communities that are due justice for past systemic harm. Transforming the health care system also means improving the programs currently in place, such as making Medi-Cal and Covered California easier to access for those who need it. Transformation also requires reimagining how direct service providers collaborate and partner to better meet the needs of community residents . Government health coverage programs, community-based organizations and safety-net health care providers all need to work better together to improve health and equity for vulnerable populations.

Priority Populations

We want to overturn decades of injustice so that communities too long ignored receive both the health care and social services they need. And we want to see communities of color, immigrants, and low-income communities treated with respect and dignity by all governmental and private institutions, including health care institutions.

Because California is a border state and home to the highest number of immigrants, it is important that we pay attention to immigrants’ needs. We’re determined to champion the rights of immigrants. That means supporting organizations that are working to advance and defend immigrant rights, beating back deportation efforts, helping to counter the surge in negative narratives about immigrants, and challenging the rise in racially charged attacks and threats against immigrants.

In this portfolio, we also support the rights of women to access comprehensive sexual and reproductive health care services, which have been under intense attack during the past few years. In particular, we strive to ensure that women of color have access to the care they need.

Please note we currently are not accepting unsolicited letters of interest for the priority populations goal of this portfolio.

Albertsons Companies is one of the largest food and drug retailers in the United States, with over 2,200 stores in 34 states and the District of Columbia. Our rich history is built on a long-standing commitment to serving customers and communities across the country since 1860 when we were founded by George Clinton Shaw in Portland, Maine.

Albertsons Companies Foundation

Albertsons Companies Foundation supports causes that impact our customers’ lives. Our stores provide the opportunity to mobilize funding and create awareness in our neighborhoods through our associates’ passion, partnerships with our vendors and the generous contributions by our customers. Our priority is eradicating hunger in our neighborhoods. Specifically, we actively seek out organizations that feed our neighbors today, help connect them to resources to feed themselves tomorrow, and end hunger forever.

About Nourishing Neighbors

Albertsons Companies Foundation's Nourishing Neighbors program is dedicated to fighting food insecurity and ensuring that at-risk children, adults, seniors, and families have access to the food they need to succeed. The program supports various initiatives, including providing nutritious breakfasts for children, holiday dinners, and school pantries. Since inception in 2014, Nourishing Neighbors raised and donated over $300 million, enabling more than 1 billion meals to be donated to communities, including those affected by disasters. The program also focuses on long-term solutions to hunger, such as connecting people to federal meal programs like SNAP and WIC. Through these efforts, we aim to create sustainable and lasting change in the fight against hunger.

We have set a bold new goal: to enable 1.5 billion meals and invest $10 million annually to break the cycle of hunger by 2030.

Nourishing Neighbor O Organics Fight Hunger Serve Hope Grant

This grant is generously funded by O Organics, part of Albertsons Companies’ Own Brands portfolio, to support organizations that are actively working to reduce food insecurity for low-income individuals, including children, families, women, and seniors.

In particular, we are seeking proposals for programs that increase access to meals and/or boost participation in federal nutrition programs, such as school meals, Summer EBT etc.

Funding will support programs including, but not limited to:

• Summer Meals: Providing free, nutritious meals and snacks to children and teens 18 and under during the summer months.
• After School Meals: Ensuring children receive free, nutrition meals during the school year, after regular school hours.
• Capacity Building: Training, technical assistance, and outreach to help organizations start or expand meal programs.
• Connecting People to Summer EBT: Programs that help eligible families access and use Summer EBT, conduct outreach, and assist with enrollment.
• Food Distribution: Support programs that help provide food to individuals and families experiencing food insecurity.

The funding period is one year from the date funds are received. 

Background

The CalMoneySmart program provides annual grants of up to $200,000 to nonprofit organizations to provide financial education and financial empowerment programs and services for unbanked and underbanked Californians.

CalMoneySmart began when Governor Gavin Newsom signed Senate Bill 455 (Bradford) in October 2019, which created the Financial Empowerment Fund to fund a grant program for nonprofit organizations. The CalMoneySmart program was launched with an initial $4 million fund, and the program was authorized to award up to $1 million each year to nonprofits for financial empowerment programs focusing on unbanked and underbanked consumers in California. In 2021-22, Assembly Bill 137 expanded the Financial Empowerment Fund by an additional $10 million, increasing the annual amount available for grants to $2 million with a maximum grant award to $200,000 per fiscal year until the program sunsets on January 1, 2030.

Unbanked households have disproportionately lower incomes and levels of education than banked households. Black and Hispanic households, single mothers, working-age adults with a disability, and immigrants are also disproportionately represented among the unbanked. Due to their credit status, unbanked and underbanked households often pay high fees for everyday financial services and find it difficult to build savings, establish credit, and build wealth.

Financial education programs, like those funded by CalMoneySmart, are cost-effective means to improve both financial knowledge and financial behaviors that promote stability, protect consumers, and generate wealth (Kaiser, FINRA Foundation, 2022). Individualized counseling reinforces and empowers consumers to participate in financial services and build assets and financial security. Access to free financial products provides a pathway to mainstream financial services and helps to develop habits to increase financial well-being.

Community-based nonprofit organizations that have received CalMoneySmart funding over the past four years have implemented diverse and innovative approaches to reaching underserved communities by supporting and educating Californians about creating a better future for themselves and their families. Reports of previous CalMoneySmart cycles can be found at https://dfpi.ca.gov/calmoneysmart-grant-program/.

Since the program’s inception, grant funds have been awarded on an annual basis through a competitive application process. Beginning in the 2024-25 fiscal year, applications will be accepted for a two-year period. Funding will be announced in advance for two consecutive fiscal years, with funds disbursed separately at the beginning of each year. This program change has been introduced to improve the sustainability of funding for community-based organizations, allowing them to recruit and retain qualified staff and build organizational capacity to meet program objectives.

Use of Funds

The grants may be used to:

• Design, develop, or offer free classroom- or web-based financial education and empowerment content intended to help unbanked and underbanked consumers achieve, identify, and access lower-cost financial products and services, establish or improve their credit, increase their savings, or lower their debt.
• Provide individualized, free financial coaching to unbanked and underbanked consumers.
• Design, develop, or offer a free financial product or service intended to help unbanked and underbanked consumers identify and access responsible financial products and financial services, establish or improve their credit, increase their savings, or lower their debt.

Every project funded with a CalMoneySmart grant must:

• Promote and enhance the economic security of consumers.
• Adhere to the Five Principles of Effective Financial Education described in the June 2017 report issued by the federal Consumer Financial Protection Bureau titled Effective financial education: Five principles and how to use them.
• These five principles are:
  • Know the individuals and families to be served
  • Provide actionable, relevant and timely information
  • Improve key financial skills
  • Build on motivation and,
  • Make it easy to make good decisions and follow through.

ABOUT 

Decolonizing Wealth Project is an Indigenous-led racial justice organization that envisions a world where racial equity has become a societal norm – where new systems ensure everyone can live their best lives, thrive in their cultures, and heal from generations of colonial trauma. Decolonizing Wealth Project (DWP) was established in 2018 to disrupt the existing systems of moving and controlling capital by offering truth, reconciliation, and healing from the ails of colonization through education, radical reparative giving, and narrative change. 

The California Truth & Healing Council (the “Council” or “CTHC”), created by Executive Order N-15-19, bears witness to, records, examines existing documentation of, and receives California Native American narratives regarding the historical relationship between the State of California and California Native Americans in order to clarify the historical record of such relationship in the spirit of truth and healing. The Council’s mission is facilitated by the Governor’s Tribal Advisor and includes representatives from California Native American tribes, relevant state and local agencies, and other relevant non-governmental stakeholders. The Council works in consultation with California Native American tribes to shape the overarching focus and develop the work of the Council and will endeavor to accurately represent the diversity of experience of California Native Americans within the State of California. 

To support this process, Liberated Capital, a fund of Decolonizing Wealth Project, is launching a new multi-year grantmaking initiative, the California Truth and Healing Fund, to support the engagement of California Native American families, communities, tribes and organizations in the healing opportunities presented in this process and advance the broader objectives of the Council, including to galvanize philanthropy to support the recommendations from the Council’s report. Funding decisions will be guided by an advisory board of CA Native Americans.

Funding Priorities

Funding priorities of the California Truth and Healing Fund are listed below in order of priority and will shift over time as the work progresses. Current funding priority will be given to activities that advance truth and healing efforts for California Native communities, utilizing the following strategies: capacity-building & technical assistance, advocacy and movement-building, and healing. More information on the strategies are below: 

Capacity-Building & Technical Assistance: for Tribes and Native-led organizations interested in capacity-building efforts as they relate broadly to truth and healing efforts, such as:

Tribal history, research, and narrative work to document truth-telling towards healing and repair, such as digitizing tribal history, research, narratives, documentation of land loss, cultural items, or archival material, etc. This may include efforts to record first-hand accounts and first-person narratives that capture oral history, clarify and correct the historical record, address grievances, and/or promote truth-telling.

Capacity-building for Tribes, including resources for legal support, capacity-building for Land Back claims, retrieving historical documentation, engaging anthropological or scientific support to support claims, capacity building for how to create tribal land trusts, capacity building regarding tribal co-management, and/or other tribal planning needs. This does not include resources to purchase land.

Advocacy and Movement-Building: for Tribes and Native-led organizations to hold policymakers accountable to adequately fund and implement community recommendations, including:

Efforts to spread awareness and increase community engagement of CA Native Americans in opportunities for truth and healing, including logistical or capacity support to address barriers to attending and engaging in the Council meetings and hearings. The fund will prioritize statewide and regional organizations and coalitions that can provide awareness and create community engagement and logistical or capacity support to engage and influence the Council.

Efforts to bring together California Native Americans intra or inter-tribally to engage with the Council process or to engage in independent truth and healing work with and among tribes.

Healing: Support for traditional healing programs or efforts connected to tribal or intra-tribal Truth and Healing processes.

About Our Program

Our investments are guided by the fundamental belief in the power of live theatre to spark dialogue, bring different viewpoints together on challenging subjects, and provide a lens to process the critical issues of contemporary society.  

Through our Social Impact Theatre grant program, we proudly recognize organizations with production-specific support that are intentional and innovative in engaging with their audiences around these issues and are committed to reaching new audiences. This year, in addition to production-specific grants, we are introducing a new opportunity reflecting our value to support the health and sustainably of the American theater ecosystem.

We understand the current climate for theatres is incredibly challenging – with decreasing revenue sources and increasing costs, many theatres are struggling (and even those thriving face seemingly insurmountable challenges). And yet, we know that in times of challenge, the sector will apply its boundless creativity to adapt models and practices to remain sustainable.

This year, in addition to production specific grant awards, we will be selecting a small number of theatres to receive change capital grants of $10-$25K to kickstart new plans or to adapt and deepen strategies already in process. Awardees will form a cohort to share insights and to support each other and will commit to sharing lessons learned with the Foundation so that we can reshare information to more broadly support the field.

Given our available resources and in the spirit of focusing on our own learning, we will be considering change capital grants in the following three categories:

• Business models. We hear “the current model is broken!” and want to learn how you are experimenting economically. Ex. Letting go of spaces or activating new spaces, shared leadership, cost-sharing partnerships, alternatives to the subscription model etc.
• Building and deepening connection with your community. Are you exploring new programs or projects to increase interconnectivity between your community and the art on stage?
• New leaders. Does your theatre have a leader who has started within the last year who needs capacity to enact their vision and implement necessary changes?

 Grant Process

Interested organizations may request funding for one production and, if interested, one project for which change capital is needed, by submitting an LOI when our grant cycle is open. From this applicant pool, select organizations will be invited to submit a full application. Social impact theatre grants can cover artistic, production, and community engagement expenses.

Our Vision & Mission

Our vision is for every resident of California to enjoy good health and experience wellness. Our mission is to protect and improve the health and wellness of the people of California by increasing access to health care, quality education, good jobs, healthy environments and safe neighborhoods.

Our Work

• We use our resources to advance our mission through grantmaking, investments, sharing our learning and lifting our voice.
• We fund direct services that address the urgent needs people are facing in their communities, particularly the needs of low-income individuals, people of color, youth and residents of rural areas.
• We recognize, encourage and strengthen leaders to be powerful agents of change.
• We support advocacy and civic engagement so that communities can build power and create public policies that reflect their vision, will and needs.
• We trust and invest in nonprofit organizations so that they can operate at full capacity.
• We partner with community-led organizations, philanthropic organizations, businesses, government and individuals who want to improve health and wellness for Californians.

What We Fund

Our vision is that every person in California enjoys health and wellness. That means living in a safe and healthy community. Having access to quality education and good jobs. Drinking clean water. And having access to healthy foods.

But we know that a lot gets in the way of people enjoying health and wellness. The barriers are many and they are systemic. Wellness is directly affected by our race, class, gender and disability. By our zip code. By our family history. By our immigration status and past involvement with the criminal justice system.

That’s why we partner with community organizations to remove barriers to individual and community wellness. And to put in place more equitable processes and systems that improve individual and community wellness.

Through our grantmaking program—Advancing Wellness—we support organizations that are increasing access to health care. Innovative organizations that are advocating for quality education. Organizations big and small that are fighting for good jobs with fair wages and benefits. Local organizations that are working to make our streets and neighborhoods safe.

Leading for Power & Change Fund

We have been inspired by and invested in the vision of communities of color and organizations led by people of color. In addition, the events of 2020 have made all too clear that racism and structural inequities permeate every institution and system in our nation, resulting in disproportionate illness and death for people of color.

We are energized by the Black-led, multi-racial, multi-generational protests calling for racial and social justice at a scale we haven’t seen in a generation. Because dismantling racism and anti-Blackness requires coordinated and unified multi-racial coalitions for social justice and progressive change. And it requires powerful organizations that are led by people of color.

But leaders of color face many barriers to achieving their bold visions. Historically, philanthropy does a poor job of getting funds to these leaders and their organizations, which makes organizational financial stability very challenging. A Race to Lead report found that leaders of color have smaller organizational budgets than their White peers and have a difficult time accessing and raising funds from foundations, government and individual donors. Bridgespan and Echoing Green report that funders are subject to implicit bias that shows up as mistrust toward leaders of color – mistrust of their strategies and their vision. In addition, the nonprofit sector is overly represented by White leadership even though nonprofit organizations led by people of color are more likely to understand and strive to address systemic injustices through building power and making demands for policy and structural change. Yet only seven percent of nonprofit chief executives and 18 percent of nonprofit employees are people of color. And the percentage of people of color on nonprofit boards remains at just 15 percent, a number that has not changed in nearly two decades.

To advance systemic and progressive change while improving community outcomes and health, our Leading for Power and Change portfolio seeks to amplify the voices, leadership, and power of people of color, and other people who have historically been excluded from full participation in civic society.

Equity in the Nonprofit Sector

We’ll support leadership development and capacity building that will help people of color-led organizations, and organizations with a racial justice analysis, to be stronger and more resilient. We’ll support organizations to increase their assets, and recruit and retain talented staff of color. For example, we will fund leaders to take sabbaticals while their organizations strengthen the next level of leadership.

Mobilizing Movements and Power Building ( not accepting Letter of Inquiry at thie time) 

We want to make sure that organizations have the resources to mobilize, advance health and racial equity, and hold public and private sector leaders and policymakers accountable. We’ll support integrated civic engagement, along with opportunities for people to organize, advocate and speak out for policies that affect their lives. 

Reimagining Social Justice

Initiatives and or/strategies to increase the inclusion of communities of color in fields that influence decision making in philanthropy and the sustainability and effectiveness of non-profit organizations including, finance, research and communications.