Search Through Grants for Grassroots Organizations in California in the U.S.

Mission

The DanPaul Foundation will use its resources to help train teachers and parents in early childhood development, protect children from abuse and neglect, stimulate children's personal social responsibilities, and offer them opportunities for enrichment and growth.

The Foundation will also encourage children to be concerned and informed about the environment and the underprivileged, particularly with regard to clean air and water, and adequate housing and nutrition for all.

Beliefs

The DanPaul Foundation believes that children should have ample opportunities for enrichment in their lives, and thus strives to provide many different ways to enrich and expand children's minds through direct programs and monetary support to organizations doing similar work.

We have provided or currently provide grants related to the following program areas:

• Workshops, Conferences, + Seminars: We strive to offer educational workshops, conferences, and seminars for parents and teachers on topics related to early childhood development.
• Student Scholarships: We aim to help students attending post-secondary education institutions by providing need-based and academic scholarships.
• Scientific Endeavors: We desire to advance scientific endeavors which seek to improve the quality of life for everyone in the world.
• Clean Air + Water: We hope to pass on knowledge and practical life skills to youth regarding their personal responsibility to the environment, teaching them about issues surrounding clean air and water.
• Child Advocacy: We believe in protecting children from abuse and neglect and particularly love to support programs that provide education and assistance to children as well as organizations advocating or caring for vulnerable children.
• Homelessness: We want to encourage young people to take a personal interest in seeing that adequate housing and proper nutrition, especially for the underprivileged and homeless, are available.
• Poverty + Neglect: We seek to help those in poverty as well as educate youth about their responsibility to consider the underprivileged and take care of those most in need of life's basic essentials like adequate housing and proper nutrition.
• Refugee Enrichment: We wish to help refugee youth by supporting programs that provide them enrichment and help them transition to life in a new country.

The DanPaul Foundation provides grants to 501(c)3 tax-exempt non-profit organizations as defined by the IRS. The Foundation is interested in providing funding to programs that directly serve the health, education, development, and welfare of the world's youth.

Grants range from a few hundred dollars up to $15,000 per calendar year.

Background

De Colores Rapid Response Fund (RRF) has been established at PDF in honor of retired Development Officer, Ray Santiago. In his many years working in the farmworker movement, “De Colores,” a traditional Mexican folk song that celebrates nature and diversity, was and still is one of Ray’s favorite tunes. It is a great example of solidarity.

Ray recalls, “If I remember correctly, the song came to the Americas from Spain back in the 16th or 17th century. The song became very popular within the Latino community for special celebrations and occasions. It became the anthem of the United Farm Workers in California in the early 1960s. In time, it became the anthem of the larger farmworker movement, including the Farm Labor Organizing Committee (FLOC) in the Midwest, Florida and Texas. We would cross arms and sing it at rallies and picket lines. It’s a very uplifting song and always brought comfort to me.”

De Colores RRF is looking to impact positive, dynamic-shifting opportunities, rather than provide emergency response for humanitarian crises or technical assistance. It is designed to make funds available for quick, short-term delivery to hot spots of opportunity for organizing in marginalized urban and rural communities.

Criteria for grants from the fund include:

• Organizing in U.S. grassroots communities, with a focus on communities of color, poor and working class; 
• Opportunities for strategic intervention (i.e. Ferguson and Baltimore moments);
• Opportunities to impact new and strategic shifts (i.e. Occupy); and
• Opportunities to amplify the effects of in-the-moment issues (i.e. Hurricane Maria or #MeToo). The event or situation you are responding to was unanticipated and requires urgent action that is well thought out with clear goals and desired outcomes.

Junior Board Grants

The Junior Board of the Frieda C. Fox Family Foundation is proud to support nonprofit organizations in Los Angeles County that “maximize the potential of youth”. Each year, the Junior Board chooses a grantmaking theme to guide the focus of its giving.

Past themes have been:

• S.T.E.M. Through the Arts
• Life and Leadership Ready
• Mentoring: Support to Success
• Girls, Forward

Funding

The grant amounts vary, but do not exceed $10,000.

The Labcorp Charitable Foundation

We believe every person deserves equitable care and education.

In 2020 Labcorp established a private charitable 501(c)(3) foundation to advance our desire to bring quality healthcare access to all by supporting education and our local communities. 

Common grant opportunities include:

• Supporting food pantries and meal programs
• Providing healthcare and patient services for underserved populations
• Encouraging STEM programming
• Advocating for healthy lifestyles through ongoing medical research and screening

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

Michael & Susan Dell Foundation Grants

The Michael & Susan Dell Foundation only accepts unsolicited proposals for specific areas within the education, family economic stability and childhood health sectors in select countries where we work, namely the United States, India and South Africa.

As a guideline, the foundation does not fund more than 25% of a project’s budget or more than 10% of an organization’s total annual operating expenses.

The Michael & Susan Dell Foundation has always recognized the power of providing grants to partner organizations that we knew were already working hard to improve the lives of urban children living in poverty. By aligning with organizations that are already making a difference, we continue to make an immediate impact on the lives of thousands of children.

Foundation priorities:

We fund social enterprises that directly serve or impact children or youth from urban low-income communities in the areas of education, health, and family economic stability (including livelihoods and financial inclusion). These social enterprises may be structured as for-profit or nonprofit entities.

Partnerships

We collaborate with a range of organizations focused on creating opportunities for children and families living in urban poverty, with a deep emphasis on measuring impact. Our funding advances projects already making an impact in education, health, and family economic stability. Through these enduring and long-standing partnerships, we create lasting change together.

PNC Foundation

Strengthening and enriching the lives of our neighbors in communities where we live and work.

Vision & Mission

For decades, we have provided resources to seed ideas, foster development initiatives and encourage leadership in nonprofit organizations where imagination and determination are at work enhancing people's lives everyday.

The PNC Foundation's priority is to form partnerships with community-based nonprofit organizations in order to enhance educational opportunities, with an emphasis on early childhood education, and to promote the growth of communities through economic development initiatives.

Foundation Grant

The PNC Foundation supports a variety of nonprofit organizations with a special emphasis on those that work to achieve sustainability and touch a diverse population, in particular, those that support early childhood education and/or economic development.

Education

The PNC Foundation supports educational programs for children and youth, particularly early childhood education initiatives that meet the criteria established through PNC Grow Up Great. Specifically, PNC Grow Up Great grants must:

• Support early education initiatives that benefit children from birth to age five; and
• Serve a majority of children (>50%) from low- to moderate-income families; and
• Adhere to all other standard PNC Foundation guidelines, as outlined on the PNC Foundation website, applicant eligibility quiz, as well as the Foundation policies and procedures; and
• Include one or a combination of the following:
  • direct services/programs for children in their classroom or community;
  • professional development/workforce development for early childhood educators;
  • family and/or community engagement in children’s early learning
• Additional considerations:
  • The grant focus should include math, science, reading, vocabulary development, the arts, financial education, or social/emotional development.
  • The grant recipient, or collaborative partner, should have early childhood education as an area of focus. If the organization’s focus is beyond birth to age five, the specific grant must be earmarked for birth to age five.
  • Incorporate opportunities for PNC volunteers in classroom or non-classroom-based activities.

Economic Development

Economic development organizations, including those which enhance the quality of life through neighborhood revitalization, cultural enrichment and human services are given support. Priority is given to community development initiatives that strategically promote the growth of low-and moderate-income communities and/or provide services to these communities.

• Affordable Housing
  • The PNC Foundation understands the critical need for affordable housing for low-and moderate-income individuals.
  • We are committed to providing support to nonprofit organizations that:
    • give counseling and services to help these individuals maintain their housing stock;
    • offer transitional housing units and programs; and/or
    • offer credit counseling assistance to individuals, helping them to prepare for homeownership.
• Community Development
  • Because small businesses are often critical components of community growth and help foster business development, the PNC Foundation provides support to nonprofit organizations that
    • offer technical assistance to, or loan programs for, small businesses located in low-and moderate-income areas or
    • support small businesses that employ low-and moderate-income individuals.
• Community Services
  • Support is given to social services organizations that benefit the health, education, quality of life or provide essential services for low-and moderate-income individuals and families.
  • The PNC Foundation supports job training programs and organizations that provide essential services for their families.
• Arts & Culture
  • Support is given for cultural enrichment programs benefitting the community.
• Revitalization & Stabilization of Low-and Moderate-Income Areas
  • The PNC Foundation supports nonprofit organizations that serve low-and moderate-income neighborhoods by improving living and working conditions.
  • Support is given to organizations that help stabilize communities, eliminate blight and attract and retain businesses and residents to the community.

Philanthropy is our commitment to communities in which we operate and broader society. We focus our resources on a limited number of key projects that can deliver valuable benefits from our contributions and those of our partners. We give priority to innovative, high-quality projects that meet the following criteria:

• promote sustainable development
• offer an opportunity for Roche to use its expertise and logistics capabilities
• involve Roche actively at an early stage with local authorities and established partners
• engage Roche employees in cultural (focus on contemporary arts), educational and social activities
• managed by an accredited charity

Our four focus areas

Humanitarian and Social

We direct the majority of our philanthropic donations to humanitarian and social development projects.

Science and education

We are dedicated to programmes that promote scientific interest and provide educational opportunities for young people around the world.

Community and Environment

We are committed to building stronger communities and responding to natural disasters sustainably.

Arts and Culture

We support groundbreaking contemporary art, cultural projects and activities that explore the parallels between innovation in art and in science. 

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.

Mission

Driven by a philanthropic calling to support marginalized communities throughout the world, the Semnani Family Foundation partners with on-the-ground organizations and leverages its resources in a cost-effective and efficient manner that delivers the maximum benefit.

History

Guided by his grandmother Maliheh’s example and teachings, Khosrow Semnani and his wife Ghazaleh established the Semnani Family Foundation in 1993. The foundation’s first grant was issued through CARE International to an orphanage in Romania that cared for newborns affected by HIV. Over the last few decades, the foundation has continued to build upon its mission to empower the disaffected, partnering with a variety of organizations in different countries who can make the greatest impact.

In addition to its global influence, the Semnani Family Foundation established roots within the state of Utah with the founding of Maliheh Free Clinic in 2005 to provide free healthcare to thousands of uninsured people in the Salt Lake City area.

Where We Work

The Semnani Family Foundation focuses primarily on promoting health, education, and disaster relief for marginalized communities all around the world. Driven by a clear mission to adapt and serve at the global level, we have leveraged our resources to make a meaningful impact in the following countries so far:

• Afghanistan
• Bosnia
• Colombia
• England
• Ethiopia
• Ghana
• Guatemala
• India
• Iran
• Kenya
• Madagascar
• Mali
• Mexico
• Pakistan
• Philippines
• Romania
• Somalia
• South Africa
• Tanzania
• Tonga
• Uganda
• United States
• Yemen

At the heart of the Foundation lies a fervent commitment to human welfare, always prioritizing health and the needs of society’s most vulnerable.

We have strong partnerships with nonprofit organizations across the country that are working to advance economic mobility and social progress in low- and moderate-income communities. Our focus areas include basic needs like food and housing, workforce development and education, and community development. In addition to our philanthropic investments, we also encourage our employees to make a difference by offering robust employee giving and volunteering programs, including the opportunity to direct funds to organizations they support through volunteer efforts, and a matching gifts program that doubles their individual giving to causes they care about. Last year, we invested $350 million in the communities we serve, and employees contributed more than 1 million volunteer hours and directed $65 million through individual giving and matching gifts to support nonprofits.Through our regional U.S. sponsorships, we support the economic, social and cultural life of the places we live and work. We provide an extensive program of arts and sports sponsorships to help maintain vibrant, healthy communities.Sponsorships supporting communitiesBank of America welcomes your sponsorship proposal for opportunities that make our communities a better place to live and work. We are particularly interested in providing support to address needs vital to the health of our communities through a focus on:

• preserving neighborhoods;
• educating the workforce for 21st century jobs;
• addressing critical needs such as hunger and emergency shelter;
• arts and culture;
• the environment; and
• diversity and inclusion programs.

Grants are made at the Foundation’s discretion based on our current funding strategies focused on housing, jobs and hunger. 

Women's Foundation of California Grant

Women’s Foundation California’s grantmaking is dedicated to fostering a multiracial, feminist democracy where grassroots communities have the resources, networks, and support needed to thrive. By investing in racial, gender, economic, and environmental justice, we help build a healthier, safer, and more prosperous California for all.

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.

The Dudley T. Dougherty Foundation Vision

The Dudley T. Dougherty Foundation, "A Foundation for All", was established in 2002. It was begun in order to give a clear voice for those who wish to be a part of the many, worthy, forces for change in our world.

We are a foundation whose purpose is to look ahead towards the future, giving the past its due by remembering where we came from, and how much we can all accomplish together. We aim to make the critical difference on our planet by recognizing and having respect for our ever changing world. We respect all Life, the Environment, and all People, no matter who they are.

Max and Victoria Dreyfus Foundation Grant

The Foundation will consider requests to support museums, cultural and performing arts programs; schools and hospitals; educational, skills-training and other programs for youth, seniors, and persons with disabilities; environmental and wildlife protection activities; and other community-based organizations and programs.

Centene Charitable Foundation

Successful corporate citizenship happens when companies invest in the local organizations that know their communities best. The Centene Foundation works with our local partners on initiatives that focus on inclusion, the whole person and community development.

Vision

Centene’s purpose is transforming the health of the community, one person at a time. The Centene Foundation is an essential part of how we pursue this purpose. We achieve measurable impact for the communities we serve through partnerships and philanthropy efforts that invest in initiatives with holistic approaches to dismantling barriers to health.

Areas of Focus

Reflecting Centene’s commitment to the needs of those who rely on government-sponsored health care and to addressing social determinants of health and health equity, preference will be given to initiatives in three distinct areas of focus.

• Healthcare Access
• Social Services
• Education

The Foundation embraces the protection of biodiversity as its overarching priority.

Frank Weeden, the Foundation’s founder and original benefactor, established the Weeden Foundation to address the impact of growing human populations and overuse of natural resources on the biological fabric of the planet. Since his death in 1984, the Foundation has helped preserve more than 6 million acres of biologically important habitat worldwide and provided financing for the first debt-for-nature swap in Bolivia in 1992, a strategy that is now widely used by international conservation organizations. Program efforts have supported projects in environmentally sensitive regions of the western United States, Alaska, Russia, Bolivia, Chile, Peru, Columbia, Ecuador, Belize, Namibia, Mexico, and various Caribbean nations.

Focus Areas

On a more general scale the Foundation supports the following focus areas.

Bird Conservation

Our goal in the Bird Conservation program area is to conserve wild birds and their habitats throughout the Americas. In particular we seek to fund grantees that work to prevent bird species extinctions and to prevent declining populations of bird species from becoming endangered. We specifically focus on protecting and restoring public and private bird habitat and we assist in acquiring land for threatened bird species. Finally we support protection of bird migration corridors in North and South America.

Systemic Support program at the U.S. national policy level for wildlife corridors, the Endangered Species Act, and additional wilderness designation.

Our goal in Systemic Support is to improve the effectiveness of environmental efforts through specialized services. Specific objectives include:

• support the Endangered Species Act through litigation, lobbying, grassroots campaigns and public education generally,
• promote organizations providing support for groups engaged in wilderness protection, land conservation, endangered species protection, wildlife corridor issues, and management of public lands, an
• improve federal and state support for environmentally sustainable practices, wilderness designations, and wildlife corridors. 

Global Biodiversity

Our goal in Global Biodiversity is to support campaigns and/or groups in biodiversity hotspots. Specific objectives are to

• protect global temperate rainforests,
• support creation of wildlife corridors,
• land acquisition and protection for endangered species and,
• support projects that involve indigenous peoples in the process and stewardship of conservation projects.

Environmental Education

The Foundation’s Environment Education program area focuses on supporting grantees that will provide future leaders with the tools to effect environmental policies. These policies complement the other grantees of the Foundation including biodiversity and habitat protection. Sustainable environmental policies must include both immediate actions as well as education to anticipate and to prevent future environmental impact.

Marine Wildlife Conservation

The Marine Wildlife Conservation Program Area focuses on helping to protect endangered marine species in the Americas through research, advocacy, policy change, and habitat conservation.

To address the adverse impact of economic and human population growth on biodiversity, the Foundation’s grantmaking includes both Consumption and Population programs.

The Foundation’s Sustainable Consumption program currently focuses on promoting greater use of environmental paper. Grantmaking in this area aims to broaden the market for environmental papers and packaging through markets campaigns, shareholder activism, consumer-targeted education, and dialogue with the corporate sector. This year we have expanded our packaging program to include efforts to reduce plastics in the waste stream, through strategies such as eliminating single use plastic disposables by promoting reusable packaging for grocery stores, take-out, and delivery.

The Foundation’s International Population program area is focused on reducing population growth rates in countries recognized for their rich biodiverse landscapes and that have a total fertility rate exceeding replacement levels. To achieve this goal, the Foundation funds groups that facilitate initiatives related to family planning, women’s education and women’s empowerment in countries with such rich and recognized biodiversity. The Foundation also supports advocacy efforts addressing global population growth in the context of environmental sustainability.

Background

A family foundation that believes in strategic infusions of funding, we dedicate nearly 100% of our grant dollars to the environment. As citizens of the planet, we are compelled to participate in the protection of natural resources in the communities where we live.

The Campbell Foundation was established in 1998 to improve the conditions of America’s largest and most ecologically diverse and productive estuary systems: the Chesapeake and Atlantic Coastal Bays. In 2003, Keith expanded the geographic focus of The Campbell Foundation to include Northern California and the San Francisco Bay watershed under the leadership of his daughter and the Foundation’s President, Samantha Campbell.

Chesapeake

The Campbell Foundation’s Chesapeake Initiative seeks to accelerate the pace of nutrient reduction in the Bay through engagement of diverse stakeholders and partnerships between agricultural interests and environmental concerns that forge new paths of working together.

The Campbell Foundation endeavors to identify, broaden and enhance leadership and grassroots advocacy by building capacity for those who chart a sensible course for the future, with 360° view of the needs and tradeoffs.

The grantees we support are thoughtful, inclusive and coordinated, with an enthusiasm for consensus-based solutions.

Our mission in the Chesapeake Bay Region is to improve water quality and ecological balance in the Bay and its rivers, as a healthy Bay fosters a vibrant regional economy and provides exceptional recreational opportunities.

Pacific

The Campbell Foundation’s Pacific Initiative strives to identify opportunities in the field that a) are gaining political momentum, b) present a great opportunity to leverage resources of all kinds, and c) are innovative from a business and social perspective.

We allocate the resources of our California office to projects in these areas:

• Water Quality (California)
• Land-Sea Connection (California)
• Protection of Special Places (California)

Our mission in the Pacific Region is to safeguard the ocean environment of the Pacific Coast and elevate environmental issues in our culture by promoting the implementation and enforcement of adequate policies, leveraging the power of markets to advance sustainable economies and supporting innovative communication.

Cycle 1 & Cycle 2

We offer two unsolicited grant cycles per year. The budget for each of our cycles is $50,000. Individual grants will vary in size, but will be no greater than $25,000. We accept proposals for any type of program in any geography. The maximum amount you can request is $25,000.

The California Environmental Grassroots Fund supports small and emerging local groups across California that are building climate resilience and advancing environmental justice. Grassroots Fund grantees tackle the toughest environmental problems facing their communities from toxic pollution, urban sprawl, sustainable agriculture, and climate advocacy, to the environmental degradation of our rivers and wild places and the health of our communities. They are rooted in the communities they serve and committed to building the environmental movement through broad outreach, engagement, and organizing.

Priorities

Movement–building: Preference is given to groups building broad community support and engaging in effective public outreach. 

Impacted and Underserved Communities: The fund prioritizes groups that serve and represent historically marginalized or impacted communities, especially BIPOC, frontline, immigrant, and low-income communities.

Community-Oriented with a Big Picture Vision: Priority is given to organizations grounded in the communities they serve and addressing important local problems, but who are also thinking strategically about how their work fits into the larger landscape of environmental challenges we face today. 

Climate Resilience and Environmental Justice: We see these as the priority issues of our time, and they are deeply interconnected. The same extractive systems that have caused our climate crisis have heaped disproportionate harms on marginalized communities. Sustainable solutions must come from the communities that have born the most harm. On a practical level, these priority areas encompass a wide scope of work, from fighting to protect our forests and natural biodiversity, planning for sustainable and equitable management of our water resources, reimagining our food and transportation systems, and addressing the disproportionate effects of pollution and climate impacts on poor, BIPOC, and immigrant communities.

Anthony Grassroots Prize

The Anthony Grassroots Environmental Prize was established in 1999 by environmental activist Juliette Anthony. Every year, the Prize recognizes an outstanding example of grassroots environmental activism in California with public recognition and a $1,000 cash award.

About Juliette Anthony

The Anthony Grassroots Prize was established in 1999 by environmental activist, Juliette Anthony. Ms. Anthony devoted most of her life to protecting natural habitats and promoting renewable energy – almost always as a volunteer helping to mobilize grassroots community power. She is recognized for helping to prohibit a development in the Santa Monica Mountains which successfully resulted in the acquisition of the 2000 acre Ahmanson Ranch in 2005, and the 440 acre Soka University property (the former Gillette Ranch) in early 2005 for permanent dedicated open space.

Her long and varied professional career included working as a Research Librarian at Harvard College Library, the New York Public Library on 42nd Street, the University of Virginia Library, and the UCLA Theatre Arts Library. She also served as Film & Music Librarian at the Beverly Hills and Santa Monica Libraries. But her true passion in life was the preservation of our fragile planet, and she was a politically active and passionate supporter of environmental causes and social justice. In addition to her long tenure on the Rose Foundation’s Advisory Board, over the course of her lifetime she maintained deep volunteer relationships with Heal the Bay, Coalition for Clean Air and Communities for a Better Environment, and numerous successful movements to preserve open space in California. She was a long-time renewable energy consultant and was an early advocate for solar power. In addition to her environmental work, she volunteered at the Venice Family Clinic, Lieu-Cap Shelter for Women and Children in Venice, CA and CLARE Foundation and most recently, for the REST program in San Rafael, CA.

Juliette’s commitment to the power of grassroots environmental stewardship led her to serve on the Rose Foundation’s pre-launch Advisory Board, helping catalyze the launch of the Rose Foundation in 1993. She endowed the Anthony Grassroots Prize in 1999 and for many years Juliette led the Prize’s annual review of nominations. Juliette passed away in 2022, and the Rose Foundation is proud to continue the Anthony Grassroots Prize as a living testament to Juliette’s activism: caring for other people and fighting for a more just, healthy and compassionate world.

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.

Through this Solicitation, the California Air Resources Board (CARB or the Board) is soliciting a Grantee to serve as the Access Clean California Administrator (the Grantee). The overarching purpose of this program is to increase consumer awareness of the State’s clean transportation and related clean energy incentive programs through coordinated outreach and technical assistance provided by community-based organizations in the State’s most impacted and underinvested communities. Access Clean California is an existing, multi-faceted outreach effort that helps streamline access to California Climate Investments' consumer-facing, equity-focused clean transportation and clean energy incentive programs for low-income and disadvantaged communities. Access Clean California provides resources to nonprofits, community-based organizations (CBO), and similar grassroots organizations to help families in low-income and disadvantaged communities learn about, apply for, and participate in clean transportation and clean energy incentive programs. Access Clean California is part of California Climate Investments, a statewide initiative that puts billions of Cap-and-Trade dollars to work reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, strengthening the economy, and improving public health and the environment — particularly in disadvantaged and historically underrepresented communities.

D3 URJGENT Grants

Since 2021, D3 URJGENT Grants have supported the great work happening locally to meet the needs of our residents - focused on several key areas.

URJGENT is an acronym for our D3 policy priorities of: 

• Unhoused
• Racial Justice
• Green
• Equity
• Neighborhoods
• Transparency

Applications for this grant will only be considered if they fall under one of these six categories. Additionally, proposals submitted for this grant must be project-based or supply a material need for technology or equipment. If material or technology based, the request must be for one-time purchases. Specific requests for salaries, rent, or other ongoing expenses may be included in the application so long as they are related to the provision of services or support that benefits our residents.

Our grants program funds local community projects that help enhance our quality of life and expand the outreach of County services and resources - the grant program process is done through budget inventory items.

Grants will be reviewed and evaluated on a rolling basis, so please submit your application as soon as you are able. The goal of the URJGENT Grant Program is to support the smaller grassroots organizations and efforts that are growing and meet the important needs of our residents.

There are three grant tiers, and each has its own eligibility requirements.

Tier Maximum grant amount Eligibility

• $5,000
  • Organization Annual budget of no more than $100,000
•  $15,000
  • Organization Annual budget of  no more than $250,000
•  $25,000
  • Organization Annual budget of no more than $500,000

Please note: If your organization does not meet the eligibility requirement for an URJGENT Grant, you may submit your request through the same application form. Please specify it is a non-URJGENT grant or other funding request application. It will be considered separately from organizations that are eligible for URJGENT Grants. Please be aware that Supervisor Lee is committed to supporting and uplifting organizations whose budgets are under $500,000 and meeting critical URJGENT priorities.

Community Ties Giving Program

As part of the Community Ties Giving Program, Local Grants help us achieve our mission by providing small and medium-sized grants within our priority cause areas to local organizations spread widely across Union Pacific's footprint.

Funding Priorities & Objectives

Throughout its existence, the success of Union Pacific's business has been inextricably linked to the economic and community wellbeing of cities and towns across the nation. We take pride in the role we have played in helping communities thrive and believe the impact we can have on local communities is greatest when it is authentic to our history and reflective of the diverse company we are today.

As such, we have carefully aligned our Local Grants cause areas to our company's unique heritage, strengths, and assets. Specifically, we prioritize funding for direct services and efforts that build the capacity of organizations focused on the following causes within our local operating communities. Within each focus area, we aim to support programs and organizations working to advance the diversity, equity and inclusion of underrepresented populations within the local context and issue areas addressed. Find more information about our commitment to DEI in our FAQs.

Safety

In order for communities to thrive, all residents must feel safe. Just as the safety of our employees and community members is paramount to how we operate, Union Pacific is committed to helping communities prevent and prepare for incidents and emergencies, and helping residents get home safely at the end of each day. As such, we prioritize funding for projects and programs that seek to: 

• Encourage safe behaviors and prevent incidents through education and awareness, particularly projects which focus on rail, driver, bike, and pedestrian safety, and ensure outreach efforts reach underserved populations.
• Eliminate risks and improve safe and equitable access to community spaces through infrastructure improvements, such as signage, proper lighting, and public trail improvements.
• Prepare and equip residents and emergency responders* to effectively respond to incidents and emergencies if or when they occur.
  • *Union Pacific supports publicly funded emergency responders through a variety of corporate programs; only independent nonprofit, 501(c)(3) emergency response organizations, such as volunteer departments, are eligible for funding through this grant program
• Prevent crime and violent incidents and support survivors of domestic violence through efforts that address the root causes of these issues and seek to mitigate their occurrence.
• Build the capacity of safety-focused organizations to integrate practices that improve upon the diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts of the organization. This can take the form of internal capacity building or the creation/expansion of culturally relevant programming and services that seek to impact a broad and diverse audience. 

Workforce Development

For more than 160 years, Union Pacific has helped stimulate economic growth in cities and towns throughout the nation by training and providing employment to millions of workers. More than ever, we are committed to helping underrepresented residents in our communities achieve family-supporting careers like those offered by Union Pacific. As such, we prioritize funding for programs that seek to:

• Put youth on the right track by creating awareness of and pathways toward employment opportunities; building foundational skills, especially in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM); establishing necessary technical skills and life skills; and providing mentorship and positive role models for the future.
• Raise awareness of, educate and prepare young adults for middle skills jobs like those Union Pacific offers, for instance through community colleges, vocational and career training programs, workforce readiness initiatives, and programs that assist with job placement and/or on-the-job experience.
  • Programs that develop proficiency in areas relevant to Union Pacific operations such as welding, electrical work, machine operations, and civil and electrical engineering are given priority.
• "Up-skill" the existing workforce by providing training and resources that enable them to reach the next level of their career.
  • Programs that develop proficiency in areas of relevance to Union Pacific operations are given priority.
• Resolve barriers to employment such as transportation, childcare, acquiring necessary equipment for work, and second chance employment programs.
• Build the capacity of workforce development-focused organizations to integrate practices that improve upon the diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts of the organization. This can take the form of internal capacity building or the creation/expansion of culturally relevant programming and services that seek to impact a broad and diverse audience. 

Community Vitality

Union Pacific Railroad is committed to establishing vibrant, healthy and inclusive communities for employees, customers and residents to work, visit and call home. Just as the railroad opened avenues for economic development and opportunity more than 160 years ago, we maintain this tradition by cultivating unique cultural and recreational experiences and equipping community members with opportunities to live healthy, vital lives. As such, we prioritize funding for projects and programs that seek to:

• Create, sustain or expand artistic and cultural experiences offered to a broad and diverse audience (e.g., museums, theaters, zoos, cultural and local heritage, visual and performing arts, etc.)
• Provide recreational opportunities that foster wellbeing, enrichment and/or an appreciation for our natural environment (e.g., parks, libraries, senior centers, recreation centers, learning centers, etc.).
• Revive neighborhoods and main street areas, especially in historically underinvested neighborhoods, to improve livability, promote commerce and attract more residents, businesses and visitors to town.
• Ensure residents’ basic needs are met and barriers are overcome (e.g., safe shelter and homelessness prevention, hunger relief, mental health and community health needs, etc.).
• Offer youth development and educational opportunities to ensure young people can thrive into healthy and productive community members (e.g., mentoring, leadership development, tutoring, services for youth in foster care, etc.).
• Build the capacity of community vitality-focused organizations to integrate practices that improve upon the diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts of the organization. This can take the form of internal capacity building or the creation/expansion of culturally relevant programming and services that seek to impact a broad and diverse audience. 

Environmental Sustainability

The future of our business, communities and planet depends on bold, collective action to reduce and slow the impacts of climate change while building a more sustainable economy for the next generation. Union Pacific is taking deliberate steps to reduce our environmental impact and helping our partners improve their own. Extending this commitment to our community investments, we seek to support leading environmental nonprofits and community-based organizations to advance the health of our environment. As such, we prioritize funding for projects and programs that seek to:

• Preserve and restore nature, including programs focused on natural habitats, ecosystems, and biodiversity.
• Protect and enhance water, soil and air quality through innovative and proactive solutions such as water conservation, carbon sequestration and emission reduction programs.
• Reduce waste through initiatives focused on promoting recycling and circularity throughout the community, including recycling and composting programs and other efforts that reduce waste.
• Develop environmental stewards through youth programs focused on fostering environmental appreciation, responsibility, and leadership.
• Advance a sustainable economy by helping communities accelerate their transition to environmental jobs and renewable energy, as well as helping nonprofits and small businesses build their own capacity to operate more sustainably.
• Promote environmental justice through initiatives that ensure access to clean air, water, and land and protect underserved populations from disproportionate and adverse environmental effects.
• Build the capacity of sustainability-focused organizations to integrate practices that improve upon the diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts of the organization. This can take the form of internal capacity building or the creation/expansion of culturally relevant programming and services that seek to impact a broad and diverse audience.

The Foundation supports grassroots groups with a strong community base that are addressing critical issues in Santa Barbara and Ventura Counties through community organizing strategies. We fund projects that mobilize affected populations to create social and economic justice. Projects should be initiated and led by economically and politically disenfranchised groups including low-income, working poor, and marginalized individuals. Empowerment of the economically and politically marginalized and inclusion of such people in an organization’s leadership structure is a requirement for funding.

Project & General Operating Support grants are offered for projects that grow social capital and enhance a community’s capacity to mobilize residents to solve problems. 

Grant Guidelines

The McCune Foundation was established in 1990 by George D. McCune and Sara Miller McCune, the founders and principal management team of SAGE Publications, Inc. Our mission is to be an agent of productive change in society by supporting the growth of social capital in communities. The Foundation supports projects and community-based organizations that are addressing critical issues in Santa Barbara and Ventura Counties through community organizing strategies. We are especially interested in funding grassroots groups which seek to empower excluded populations.

Social Change

The Foundation is interested in creative grassroots projects which address the causes of a problem, rather than treating symptoms. We support organizations that see their work in the context of whole systems and causes, and exhibit solution-oriented approaches to addressing critical issues and creating social justice. (The Foundation does not fund the provision of direct services or purely educational programs.)

Empowerment

A core value for the Foundation is the empowerment of the excluded populations and inclusion of such people in an organization’s leadership structure. We support groups which are “doing with others” rather than “doing for others” – grassroots, bottom-up organizations in which the “clients” are the initiators and involved in the decision making.

Social Capital & Community Capacity

The Foundation supports grassroots organizations with a strong community base and efforts to grow social capital and enhance a community’s capacity to mobilize and solve problems. We support a focus on community capacity building rather than personal growth or development of leadership skills in individuals, except where such training is directly linked to community action and participants are committed to remaining in the community and using their skills to affect public policy. We also wish to encourage networking and coalition building within communities.

California Community Foundation

CCF is focused on finding long-term, comprehensive solutions that address the vital issues concerning quality of life in Los Angeles County.

Our Mission

We invest in, partner with, and amplify the power of community toward a good life.

Wildfire Recovery Fund: Community Healing & Restoration

The California Community Foundation’s Wildfire Recovery Fund in partnership with Pasadena Community Foundation and UniHealth Foundation invites grant applications from nonprofit organizations, grassroots groups, healing practitioners, and community-led initiatives or coalitions to support efforts that foster community healing and restoration. We seek proposals for projects that provide community and peer-based, culturally affirming services aimed at strengthening connections, promoting collective well-being, and addressing the emotional, spiritual, and social needs of those impacted by the 2025 Los Angeles wildfires.

We seek to fund projects that:

• Build and deepen social connections and collective resilience through shared, joyful, and culturally meaningful activities that nurture community well-being and restoration.
• Restore and strengthen the emotional, spiritual, and social bonds within impacted communities, fostering a renewed sense of safety, dignity, and hope.
• Support mental health and collective healing through culturally affirming, creative, and alternative practices that honor shared experiences and resilience.

Background

The California Watershed Protection Fund supports projects designed to improve water quality and protect watersheds across California.

The fund originated with a $50,000 mitigation payment from a Clean Water Act (CWA) enforcement case brought by San Francisco Baykeeper, and out of this humble beginning, the SF Bay Citizens Action Fund was created. Within a few years, the fund expanded to cover watersheds throughout the State as several other groups including the California Sportfishing Protection Alliance and Los Angeles Waterkeeper among others, directed their mitigation payments to Rose. The fund continues to be enabled by settlements in CWA citizen suits and supports projects which benefit the surface water quality where enforcement actions have been brought.

Due to funding fluctuations, the specific watersheds eligible for grants may vary – please check the list of currently eligible watersheds. The maximum grant amount is $40,000 with most grants expected to range between $10,000 and $30,000. All applicants must be able to demonstrate a strong track record of community-based water quality stewardship.

Allowable Projects and Activity Focus

• Projects must benefit the surface water quality of the watershed in question.
  • Eligible activities include water stewardship, conservation, outreach and education, restoration, and watershed protection.
• Projects focusing exclusively on groundwater quality are only eligible if there is known interconnectivity to surface waters.
• We especially encourage projects that involve impacted communities, benefit vulnerable populations, and are centered around principles of equity and environmental justice.
• Please note: Any projects with an education component must have a palpable water quality benefit. 
  • Applicants should consider the inclusion of hands-on activities such as planting, restoration, or trash cleanups as part of their projects or other activities that will have a more immediate impact and should be a substantive part of the project proposal.
• The applicant must demonstrate the capacity to complete the proposed project, including experience in successfully conducting similar or otherwise related work in the past.

Most grants are for a one-year period; however, you do not have to ask for a one-year grant. It is permitted to request a shorter or longer grant period if that is what you need. Project proposals must protect or benefit the surface water quality of an eligible watershed.