Search Through Oakland Grants for Nonprofits in California

Making community possible

At U.S. Bank, we are dedicated to supporting our communities through responsive and humbled actions focused on addressing racial and economic inequities and creating lasting change in our communities. Through our Community Possible Grant Program, we are partnering with organizations that focus on economic and workforce advancement, safe and affordable housing and communities connected through arts and culture.

The U.S. Bank Foundation is committed to making Community Possible through Work, Home and Play. We advance this work through collaborative grant making to bring equitable and lasting change through our focus on sustainable, high-impact funding with 501c3 nonprofit partners.

How we partner with nonprofits

We focus on collaborative grantmaking and sustainable, high-impact funding with 501(c)(3) nonprofit partners. We partner with organizations that support:

• Economic and workforce advancement
• Safe and affordable housing
• Community arts and culture

Our strategy

Our community affairs and foundation team work closely with U.S. Bank regional leadership, business resource groups and our National Community Advisory Committee to ensure that prevailing needs are addressed in all the communities we serve.

To make the most meaningful impact, we prioritize organizations that:

• Focus on economic development issues related to work, home and play
• Address more than one of the grant pillars (work, home and play)
• Are based in and serve designated U.S. Bank communities
• Advance diversity, equity and inclusion

Crankstart Foundation Grant

Crankstart is a San Francisco-based family foundation devoted to bolstering the foundations of a just society - wider access to better education, jobs with prospects for advancement, housing security, social welfare and the protection of civil rights. Crankstart also supports the arts, basic science and efforts to mitigate climate change. About 60% of grants go to groups in the San Francisco Bay Area.

While the Bay Area is our home, on occasion we have made commitments elsewhere – particularly in Chicago and the United Kingdom. The bulk of our grants fall between $100k - $1m. Once we have developed confidence in an organization, we lean toward making multi-year commitments for general support.

Crankstart envisions a vibrant, thriving Bay Area, where our region’s prosperity is strengthened and shared more equitably by all who live here.

Programs

• Economic Mobility - Everyone should have choices and opportunities that lead to economic stability and security. Crankstart focuses on root causes of economic disenfranchisement, particularly in low-income communities hurt by generational poverty.
  • We support work that:
    • Provides the tools and training needed for careers and economic security.
    • Strengthens safety net programs that provide food and health services.
    • Increases access to public benefits programs serving low-income people.
    • Mitigates the insidious effects of fines and fees that erode wealth.
• Education: Our public education system should provide every child and adult, regardless of circumstances, an opportunity to shape their lives.
  • We support work that:
    • Expands post-secondary access to academic and vocational studies, to help students develop the tools and resilience needed to pursue upward mobility.
    • Develops more opportunities for early childhood education and out-of-school learning, particularly in historically marginalized communities.
    • Strengthens the teacher pipeline, to recruit and retain excellent educators in public schools.
• Democracy: We envision a robust democracy in which elections are held securely and with integrity, every person has the information they need to fully participate in civic life, and the underlying structure of our electoral system is fair.
  • We support work that:
    • Protects voting rights through mobilization and engagement.
    • Supports immigrants, ensuring they have the opportunities they need to thrive.
    • Works to change harmful and unfair criminal justice policies.
    • Develops robust interventions to mitigate recidivism and provide economic opportunity.
• Housing Security: Housing security means all people have a place to call home. They have choices that promote economic well-being, health and safety.
  • Crankstart supports work in San Francisco and Oakland that:
    • Reduces homelessness through preventive measures and targeted services.
    • Provides affordable housing choices that allow people to live near work and become involved in their communities. We emphasize housing opportunities for those who are most affected by displacement and high housing costs.
    • Uses policy, law, public resources and good governance to promote economically integrated communities.
• Environment: Communities disproportionately affected by climate change should be partners and the primary beneficiaries of mitigation efforts.
  • We support work that:
    • Accelerates the transition to clean energy.
    • Restores and protects ecosystems in ways that benefit local communities.
• Medical Science & Innovation: Basic science is a foundation for knowledge and discovery based on facts, hypotheses and replicable results. This painstaking endeavor enhances our understanding of the world around us, which may translate into breakthroughs that benefit humans and life on earth.
  • We support work that:
    • Gives researchers funding and time to test novel hypotheses.

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

Draper Richards Kaplan Foundation seeks to dramatically improve the lives of underserved communities across the globe by supporting scalable, innovative, and impact-first solutions that leverage existing systems and stakeholders. Our goal is to find social entrepreneurs with dynamic products or services that have a proven ability to positively impact the lives of underserved people, and nurture those organizations at the early stages by providing capacity, capital, and community.

Our application process is designed to be open and accessible, and we accept applications year round from across our priority geographies and sectors. Borrowing from our venture capital legacy, we find exceptional entrepreneurs and provide them with: 

Capacity

• The core of DRK’s model is deep and extensive operational and technical support for each portfolio organization, both through dedicated hands-on Board service and specialist capacity-building resources for fundraising, board and organizational development, leadership, financial support, and scaling strategy,

Capital

• DRK provides up to $300,000 USD in either unrestricted grant funding or investment capital over a three-year period, and

Community

• DRK convenes our portfolio and alumni annually, facilitating connections and community. 

What We Fund

DRK Foundation funds early-stage social impact organizations solving the world’s biggest social and environmental problems using bold, scalable approaches.

What stage of growth does DRK Foundation typically fund?

Early stage: Organizations who are early stage, which we define as post-pilot and pre-scale. This typically means: 

• Your program, product or service is already being used in the market or in the field, 
• You have early indication that your model is having its intended impact on the beneficiary populations,
• Your organization is relatively young (ideally between two and five years old, although we will consider both younger and older organizations).

Venture funding: In the case of for profits, we typically support Seed to Series A organizations, and never lead rounds; we also generally but not exclusively refrain from participating in financings exceeding a $15M USD post-money valuation.  

Community Grants

State Farm is committed to helping build safer, stronger and better-educated communities.

• ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​We are committed to auto and home safety programs and activities that help people manage the risks of everyday life.
• We invest in education, economic empowerment and community development projects, programs and services that help people realize their dreams.
• We help maintain the vibrancy of our communities by assisting nonprofits that support community revitalization.

Good Neighbor Citizenship company grants focus on safety, community development and education.

Focus Areas

Safety Grants

We strive to keep our customers and communities safe. That's why our funding is directed toward:

• Auto safety — improving driver, passenger, vehicle or roadway safety
• Home safety — shielding homes from fires, crime or natural disasters
• Disaster preparedness and mitigation
• Disaster recovery

Community Development

We support nonprofits that invest and develop stronger neighborhoods. That's why our funding is directed toward:

• Affordable housing — home construction and repair
• Commercial/small business development
• Job training
• Neighborhood revitalization
• Financial literacy
• Sustainable housing and transportation
• Food insecurity

Education

Our education funding is directed toward initiatives that support the following programs:

• Higher education
• K-12 academic performance
• K-12 STEM
• Pathways for college and career success

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

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. 

Ameriprise Financial Grantmaking

At Ameriprise Financial, giving back is deeply rooted in our culture. We’ve initiated positive change in the communities where we live and work for more than 120 years. We believe our community involvement enables us to actively live our values. Through grant making, volunteerism and employee and financial advisor gift matching programs, we support a diverse group of over 6,000 nonprofits across the country.

Focus Areas

Awarding grant dollars to nonprofits is one way we strengthen our communities and help individuals on a path to financial independence. To ensure we're meeting the needs of our communities and making an even greater collective impact, we focus on three key giving areas when awarding grants.

Volunteer engagement is a priority across all focus areas:

The engagement of Ameriprise employees and financial advisors is a critical component of our philanthropy. Whether it’s serving on a nonprofit board, engaging friends, clients and community members in volunteering or providing skills-based support, our relationships with nonprofits go deep. For this reason, we give priority across all focus areas to applications where there is active volunteer engagement of Ameriprise advisors and employees. 

Meeting Basic Needs

At Ameriprise Financial, we help clients achieve financial security and peace of mind. That’s satisfying, meaningful work. We also help the people in our neighborhoods who struggle to meet basic needs such as where their next meal comes from, where they’ll sleep tonight or how they’ll find a higher wage job. We’re here to help them through the three platforms of our Meeting Basic Needs focus area.

Consideration is given to applications addressing the following: 

• Hunger
• Food banks, food shelves and food pantries, daily meal programs or meal services for the homebound
• Hunger-relief programs targeted to meet the special needs of children, ethnic populations or veterans
• Food programs run by nonprofits where hunger is not their sole focus, for example a youth meal program at the YWCA or a backpack program run by a Boys & Girls Club
• Shelter
• Emergency shelter, including youth homelessness
• Transitional housing, permanent supportive housing and efforts to end chronic homelessness
• Housing-first models (programs quickly providing housing and then addressing needed services)
• Achieving and maintaining home ownership, repair and maintenance efforts helping keep seniors, veterans and other populations in their homes 
• Adult Self-Sufficiency: Programs serving adults age 21 and older that help address the following areas:
• Basic hard and soft skills that help adults achieve economic and family stability
• Basic financial and budgeting skills
• Increase employability and wages, including work readiness and job transitions
• Employment of disabled adults

Supporting Community Vitality

We believe communities should be strong, healthy and resilient. We want livable places for all, where neighbors look out for one another, cultural events are well-attended and people pull together in times of crisis and joy. We work to create economic vitality and cultural enrichment through the following areas of focus.

Consideration is given to applications addressing the following: 

• Community Development
• Neighborhood revitalization
• Economic development
• Strengthening and supporting small businesses and nonprofits through technical expertise
• Cultural Enrichment
• Arts education
• Access for underserved populations
• Diverse artists and performances that spark topical community conversations 

Volunteer Driven Causes: Ameriprise employees and financial advisors are outstanding volunteers who serve in teams and also as individuals bringing personal skill-sets to nonprofits. Volunteering is part of the culture at Ameriprise and we are proud to support communities through contributions of both service and financial resources. 

Funding for Volunteer-Driven Causes is determined by current Ameriprise volunteerism. In general, funding is in proportion to the size of the Ameriprise volunteer team supporting a nonprofit. A team may include employees, financial advisors and/or staff or a combination of any Ameriprise volunteers. 

The Foundation is dedicated to providing financial assistance to organizations committed to improving our world. Solutions to the problems of today's world still lie in the values of innovation, practicality, hard work, and compassion.

The Foundation considers applications for grants in the following areas:

• Education
• Social Service
• Health care
• Civic and cultural
• Environmental

The categories above are not intended to limit the interest of the Foundation from considering other worthwhile projects. In general, the Foundation guidelines are broad to give us flexibility in providing grants.

The majority of our grants are made in the U.S. However, like Dr. Scholl, we recognize the need for a global outlook. Non-U.S. grants are given to organizations where directors have knowledge of the grantee.

Our Mission

Our mission is to continue and further the philanthropic legacy of Gardner Cowles, Jr. and the Cowles family, which includes promotion of education, social justice, health, and the arts.

The Founder

The Cowles Charitable Trust was first established in 1948 by Gardner “Mike” Cowles, Jr. (1903-1985). Born into the Cowles publishing family of Des Moines, Iowa, Mike was the youngest of Gardner Cowles and Florence Call Cowles’ six children. A newspaper editor and publisher by trade, he was committed to his family’s traditions of responsible, public-spirited, and innovative journalism as well as philanthropy. 

The Cowles Charitable Trust supports the arts, education, the advancement of ethical journalism, medical and climate research.

About the Foundation

Jesse W. Couch lived a life of zeal, honor, and dedication to the betterment of his community. The Couch family now humbly stewards the foundation he created to carry on his legacy of service for future generations. We believe that impact is best accomplished through partnerships with local organizations that know the people and communities they serve. We invest in and support efforts to protect the environment, further conservation and preservation initiatives, and save historical architecture that preserves community heritage. We also support initiatives that promote wellness and mental health and organizations seeking to provide and further education for all communities.

Annual Grant Focus

Each year, we seek to partner with and support non-profit organizations making an impact in the focus areas listed here.  The focus areas for 2025 are:

• Animal Wellbeing: We are dedicated to helping nonprofit organizations that nurture compassion and respect for all living animals. We must have animal-focused organizations that advocate for animal rights and provide humane treatment across all spectrums.
• Early Childhood Education: We are looking for schools that are providing young children with a creative and balanced approach to education. Things we love in early childhood curriculums:
  • Life Skills
  • Collaboration With Their Peers and Teachers   
  • Having Fun   
  • Montessori Teachings   
  • Project Based Teachings   
  • Diversity   
  • More Time Outside   
  • Less Screen Time
• Teachers: Teachers are essential to providing children with the best possible education. We must invest in their future and are always looking for teams that help them succeed in educating future generations.
• Get Outside: Being outside can improve memory, fight depression, lower blood pressure, and more! We support organizations that facilitate and encourage more outdoor activities that help create healthier communities. 

How and Why Giving Back to Communities is Important to O’Reilly

From O’Reilly Auto Parts’ inception, O’Reilly co-founder C.H. “Chub” O’Reilly instilled the culture of maintaining high standards for every endeavor, including the area of building civic pride. With Chub’s good example to guide them, all four of his children adopted a business and family philosophy of “giving back” to the community as the Company grew and prospered. Supporting a large number of charitable organizations in all communities in which we operate has long been a focal point for O’Reilly Auto Parts. In order to make an even greater impact, the O’Reilly Automotive Foundation was established in 2020.

O’Reilly Automotive Foundation, Inc.

Impact

The O’Reilly Automotive Foundation complements O’Reilly Auto Parts’ role as the Friendliest Parts Store in Town. The Foundation serves as an additional conduit to connect with, support, and strengthen the communities in which O’Reilly Auto Parts’ team members and customers live and work. The Foundation continues the philanthropic legacy of the O’Reilly family as dependable community partners, seeking to support critical services in times of need to build stronger communities.

Mission

The O’Reilly Automotive Foundation strives to have a lasting, positive impact in the communities where O’Reilly Auto Parts’ team members and customers live and work by supporting organizations and programs which address issues critical to improving the quality of life for underserved and underrepresented individuals and families. In particular, the Foundation will concentrate its giving in support of organizations and programs addressing economic stability and mobility, workforce development, health and social services, and disaster relief.

Economic Stability and Mobility

Advocating for and endowing programs which provide assistance with issues including hunger, homelessness, and poverty for the economic betterment of the communities in which we operate.

Workforce Development

Promoting programs which aid in workforce readiness, technical training, and literacy, including children’s literacy, to ensure the continuance of an educated society and a capable, innovative workforce.

Health and Social Services

Championing and prioritizing matters of health, including mental and behavioral health, access to basic needs such as medical and dental care for underprivileged communities, and providing funding for organizations focused on childhood development and children’s advocacy as well as care and support for victims of domestic violence.

Disaster Relief

Providing funding and visibility to organizations specializing in providing relief from natural disasters and state of emergency, including providing temporary shelter, food, water, and hygiene or sanitation products to those affected and aiding in cleanup efforts.

Application Requirements

We will consider three principal types of grants:

Project Support Grants support specific projects or programs aligned with our mission. These requests may include some funds earmarked for the overhead costs associated with running a project.

General Operating Support Grants provide limited general operating support for the core operations or organizations whose missions and activities are aligned with our mission. These grants will often help the grantee build organizational, programmatic, and fundraising capacity. Operating support is not intended to help organizations in fiscal crisis. Applicants must have a current strategic or business plan that clearly outlines the organization’s goals and presents a plan for achieving results. Operating support grants must not exceed 15% of an organization’s total agency budget.

Capital Support Grants provide limited support for capital campaigns to fund the acquisition and construction of facilities, existing property renovation, or the purchase of major equipment. The program has a comprehensive approach to funding capital initiatives, which also includes funding for increased program capacity. A feasibility study may be required for capital initiatives to be considered.

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.

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.

Open Spaces Program

The Kenneth Rainin Foundation’s Open Spaces Program supports artist-driven temporary, place based public art projects that resonate with communities. This grantmaking program funds projects at different stages of development that feature generative collaboration between artists, communities and nonprofit organizations to realize ambitious, risk-taking projects.

The Open Spaces Program prioritizes:

• Visionary and timely projects that expand the boundaries of public art and support artists in advancing their practices.
• Collaborations across various disciplines, diverse media and technology.
• Projects that are relevant to and engage communities in Oakland and San Francisco.
• Projects that leverage civic and neighborhood resources and cultural assets, including outdoor and nontraditional sites accessible by public transportation.
• Compensating artists at a significant level.
• Mutually beneficial partnerships between artists and collaborators.
• Projects that are accessible to the widest possible audience, including historically underserved audiences.
• Projects that are temporary in nature but are publicly accessible for at least a month.
• Tracking outcomes and project evaluation.

Program Grant Tracks

Applicants can apply for one of two Open Spaces Program grant tracks:

• Development Support Grants:
  • $15,000-$20,000 to fund projects in their initial stages over a 24-month grant period.
    • In addition to the grant amount, grantees receive support to document their project and will be paired with an experienced public art advisor for the project’s duration.
  • Development Support Grants fund the research, design and planning phases of a large scale, temporary public art project.
    • Projects must feature a partnership and include community engagement activities to be competitive for funding.
• Production Support Grants:
  • $100,000-$175,000 to fund the implementation of late-stage projects over a 24 month grant period.
    • In addition to the grant amount, grantees also receive support to document their project and will be paired with an experienced public art advisor for the project’s duration.
  • Production Support Grants fund the production and premiere of a temporary public art project that has been thoroughly developed and planned.
    • Projects must feature strong, authentic partnerships as a vehicle for creating impactful temporary public art, include relevant community engagement activities and have a sustained public presence of at least a month to be considered for funding.

Criteria

Applications will be evaluated on the following:

• Evidence of strong, authentic partnerships as a vehicle for creating and premiering groundbreaking temporary public art;
• Timeliness and compelling nature of the project;
• A meaningful understanding of the unique context of place and relevance to communities it seeks to serve;
• Demonstration of a thoughtful approach to community engagement;
• Rigor of past work;
• The degree to which the project expands the boundaries of public art and supports artists in advancing their practice;
• Demonstrated ability to successfully execute a complex project of this nature, including evidence of technical and logistical know-how (i.e., the staff, consultants, fabricators and engineers that will be involved; the strategy for permits and regulatory approvals, et);
• Capacity to fulfill all grant requirements.

Levitt Music Series Grants - VIBE

Levitt VIBE is a multi-year matching grant opportunity that brings the joy of free, live music to public spaces in city neighborhoods where access to arts experiences may be limited.

Geared to large cities with a population over 250,000, Levitt VIBE (Vibrant Inclusive Beats for Everyone) brings the free outdoor concerts to neighborhoods where there is limited access to arts programming and live music. Each Levitt VIBE concert series features a diverse lineup of acclaimed, emerging talent to seasoned, award-winning artists on the local, regional, and national circuits, ensuring access to high-caliber performances for people of all ages and backgrounds.

Levitt VIBE Music Series create a community destination, connecting people to each other and inspiring neighborhood pride of place. Levitt VIBE was launched as a two-year pilot program this past year with three city neighborhoods: the Belmont Cragin neighborhood of Chicago; the Near Southside neighborhood of Indianapolis; and the East Oakland neighborhood of Oakland, California. 

In addition to financial support, the Levitt Foundation provides grant recipients with valuable resources including best practices, program frameworks, toolkits, and trainings to deepen impact in their communities.

Funding

U.S.-based 501(c)(3) nonprofits are eligible to receive a three-year matching grant of up to $40K/year (up to $120K total) to bring 7-10 free concerts to your community each year!

Zoo Labs

Zoo Labs was founded in West Oakland in 2013 with a vision to build startup entrepreneurship infrastructure in a space where it was largely absent. Over the last decade+ we helped pioneer a new artist-led ecosystem, continually evolving our programming to empower a strong and vibrant community of 1,000+ artists and mentors.

Our unique value comes from our founding vision of supporting the whole person – addressing healing, team dynamics, personal strengths, and wellbeing. We believe entrepreneurs thrive when they're happy at work and when they preserve their creative light rather than burning out. Today we support artists by removing barriers to access practical and affordable business training.

And with the launch of the Zoo Labs: FUND, we have moved downstream to support Bay Area culturally-rooted artist teams with a music business through focused mentorship and unrestricted grants, allowing awardees to self-determine their own economic priorities in building capacity with their creative small businesses. To date, we have awarded $910,000 to 53 culturally-rooted artist teams representing 160 individuals from across the Bay Area.

Zoo Labs: Fund

Zoo Labs: FUND is a grant and investment program designed to support Bay Area entrepreneurs who are building businesses that center music. By providing funding, mentorship, and educational resources, the FUND helps creative business owners in the Bay Area begin or scale their ventures in ways that contribute to cultural enrichment, economic empowerment, and community benefit.

The FUND prioritizes culturally-rooted artists (i.e., artists whose work is deeply influenced by their cultural heritage, traditions, and community experiences, and who draw upon the stories, symbols, practices, and values of their cultural background to inform their art) who face challenges or structural hurdles to accessing capital, and aims to create more opportunities in the local creative economy. Investing in these businesses fosters innovation, preserves cultural and artistic expression, and generates jobs. It also works against displacement by creating stable economic opportunities that enable individuals to thrive in the Bay Area. Through this support, Zoo Labs: FUND advances a fair and sustainable creative ecosystem for the public good.

Awards will range from $5,000 to $50,000. Selected teams will also receive focused mentorship and community support.

THE 2025 FUND

The Zoo Labs: FUND celebrates its fifth year of grantmaking in 2025! The application process and funding distribution will be administered in partnership with Center for Cultural Innovation (CCI), a trusted nonprofit intermediary focused on the financial well-being of artists, arts workers, culture bearers, and creative entrepreneurs. In 2025, Zoo Labs: FUND will make available $230,000 in unrestricted grants to Bay Area culturally-rooted artist teams with a music business.

Pacific Gas and Electric Company

Pacific Gas and Electric Company, incorporated in California in 1905, is one of the largest utility companies in the United States. Based in Oakland, the company is part of PG&E Corporation. There are approximately 23,000 employees who carry out Pacific Gas and Electric Company's primary business—the transmission and delivery of energy. The company provides natural gas and electric service to approximately 16 million people throughout a 70,000-square-mile service area in northern and central California.

PG&E Corporation Foundation (Giving Locally)

We are dedicated to building safer and more resilient communities. Through our charitable giving program, we invest in:

• Emergency preparedness; safety and resiliency; food insecurity; and justice and inclusion
• Climate resiliency; environmental stewardship; and land, air and water quality
• STEM education, workforce development and support for small business

In 2024, we made nearly 1,000 grants to nonprofit organizations and schools, totaling more than $36 million. Our coworkers volunteered over 43,000 hours while donating nearly $3 million themselves to organizations in their communities.

Better Together Nature Positive Innovation Grant program

PG&E will begin accepting applications for their 2025 Better Together Nature Positive Innovation Grant program on May 21, 2025. For the fourth year, the PG&E Corporation Foundation will award $100,000 to a project in each of PG&E's five regions. Grant proposals should address one of the following environmental focus areas:

• Land stewardship
• Air quality
• Water stewardship

Priority will be given to projects that address the needs of disadvantaged and/or vulnerable communities. Strategies and solutions resulting from the grants will be made available to the public.

One grantee will be selected from each region. Grants can cover any stage of a project, including but not limited to planning, construction, design, education, and coordination. 

About The Kenneth Rainin Foundation

Kenneth Rainin Foundation is a family foundation that collaborates with creative thinkers in the Arts, Education, and Health. We believe in taking smart risks to achieve breakthroughs. In 2024, the Foundation is celebrating 15 years of formal grantmaking that supports visionary artists in the Bay Area, creates opportunities for Oakland’s youngest learners, and funds researchers on the forefront of scientific discoveries. Since 2009, the Foundation has awarded over $46 million in funding to support evidence-based practices to help children become confident, capable, and joyful learners. Learn more about the Rainin Foundation’s grantmaking.

Grant Opportunity For Early Language & Literacy Development

The Kenneth Rainin Foundation announces the launch of Early Care Spaces. This new program will provide grants of up to $100,000 to support organizations promoting early language and literacy development for Oakland children from birth to five years old.

Research suggests that the opportunity to help children grow and improve literacy is greatest from early care through second grade. The Rainin Foundation supports equitable approaches to literacy during these early years. Early Care Spaces commemorates our 15th anniversary of formal grantmaking and honors our vision of a world where all Oakland children read at or above grade level by third grade. This will be an annual program that aims to advance work that focuses on:

• Supporting children to expand their vocabulary and comprehension skills and increase confidence in listening and speaking.
• Opportunities that recognize parents and caregivers as leaders in their children’s education and increase their capacity to support early literacy.
• Career advancement and upskilling for Black early care providers to lead language-rich, developmentally appropriate and culturally affirming care.  

Gupta Family Foundation is a private, nonprofit foundation headquartered in Herndon, Virginia, USA. Our mission is to support organizations that provide focused intervention in the lives of people who have been disadvantaged in some way to help them become self-reliant. We take a very broad view of “disadvantage” to include anything that holds a person back from realizing their potential, such as poverty, physical or mental disability, social alienation, etc. The foundation also supports relief agencies that serve people affected by emergencies such as natural disasters.

The foundation evaluates and awards annual and multi-year grants ranging from $5,000 to over $250,000 (USD). Our focus is on funding smaller organizations all around the world that are led by individuals with a deep personal commitment to their missions. 

Our selection criteria include:

• Mission alignment
• The organization is run by the founder or, if not, by a successor who embodies the original inspiration, passion and commitment of the founder.
• At least 90% of grant monies reaches the intended beneficiaries.
• The organization is non-sectarian, i.e.,
  • It does not, directly or indirectly, support or condone the proselytization of any religion,
  • It is not supported by or affiliated to a religious organization.

LISC and Foot Locker, Inc., through the Foot Locker Foundation, are launching a third round of grants for the Foot Locker Foundation Community Empowerment Program, a multi-city initiative to support nonprofit community organizations that empower youth in underserved communities. The program aims to bridge gaps driven by racial inequity and promote youth empowerment and community wellness—all while supporting community-based organizations led by people of color. 

What we’re offering 

The Foot Locker Foundation Community Empowerment Program offers two types of grants: 

• Grants to support current youth programming, create new programming or extend existing programming. These grants will range from $25,000 to $75,000 over one year. 
• Grants to support capital improvement projects that enhance the impact of youth programming. These grants will range from $25,000 to $100,000 over one year. 

Corporate Contributions

Community involvement and corporate citizenship are an example of Insperity’s mission in action. We are committed to helping the communities where we live and work because together, we know we can make great things happen.

Grants

Philanthropic grants are a strong part of our community outreach and aid institutions needing financial support to meet important service goals.

Event Sponsorship

Fundraising events are an important part of nonprofit support. Insperity provides event sponsorships to approved charities to assist them in meeting their financial and community goals.

Our History

Headquartered in Oakland, California, Ability Central is the philanthropic division of the California Communication Access Foundation, a registered 501(c)3 nonprofit founded in 2003. Ability Central is committed to improving communications and information access for individuals who are D/deaf or disabled and their families and caregivers.

Our Mission

To serve as an educator, convener, and resource that works collaboratively to ensure communications and information access in service of individuals who are D/deaf or disabled.

Our Vision

Transforming the field of communications and information access so that all individuals can realize their right and ability to access information and express themselves.

Our Goals

• To promote the expansion of quality communication access programs and services to individuals with disabilities
• To strengthen the entire sector providing communication access for people with disabilities
• To educate other grantmakers about the communication access needs of people with disabilities

Rapid Response: Access Improvement Grants

Ability Central offers rapid response Access Improvement Grants on a rolling basis for organizations or projects serving people with communication disabilities.

These mini grants provide short-term funding ranging from $1,000 to $5,000 with a turnaround of roughly one month from application receipt. These rapid response grants aim to help smaller nonprofits (especially those with a budget less than $1 million) increase the participation of people with disabilities in their events and programs.

Examples of expenses covered by rapid response Access Improvement Grants:

• Staff accessibility training
• Audio description of materials
• ASL interpreters
• DeafBlind Co-Navigators
• Captioning
• Sensory or tactile experience rooms for socio-emotional learning

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.

Georgia-Pacific Foundation

Established in 1958, the Georgia-Pacific Foundation sets aside resources to improve life in the communities where we operate. We’ve worked with thousands of outstanding community-based programs, service projects and disaster relief efforts, focusing our investment in four areas we believe make the most impact:

• education
• entrepreneurship
• enrichment of community
• environment

Investment Priorities

• Aligns with GP’s mission and values
• Aligns with GP’s Four Focus Areas of giving: Education, Environment, Enrichment of Community and Entrepreneurship
• Serves communities where GP has manufacturing facilities
• Creates value by contributing to and positively impacting long term well-being and sustainability of GP communities

Social Well-being Program

One of the greatest challenges our region faces is that alongside economic instability and injustice, too many people do not feel they are included in the Bay Area’s brighter future. We are living within a crisis of belonging. The newly announced Social Well-being program joins the profound legacies of the Fund’s Arts, Jewish Life, and Racial Justice grantmaking to address community fragmentation. The program recognizes that while the racial and gender wealth gap is often framed as an economic problem, its implications extend deeply into social cohesion.

The Social Well-being program aims to cultivate and sustain belonging by fostering connection, creativity, and culture. The program recognizes that we need each other to imagine and build a better future together.

Our hope is that investments in the Social Well-being program will address the roots of social disrepair, uplift cultural identity and stories, and support collaborative and community-led action for our collective joy.WE Initiative

The WE Initiative is a new grantmaking strategy under the Walter & Elise Haas Fund’s recently launched Social Well-being program that focuses on activating and sustaining a sense of belonging among Bay Area residents. It builds upon our purpose to support community well-being in Oakland and San Francisco so that all people can reach their fullest potential with dignity and joy.

We-Making, a term coined by culturalist Carole Bebelle, states that “we have known in our gut for decades and decades that arts and culture are fabulous and magnetic ways to unite people.”

This grantmaking strategy will support organizations that celebrate culture and bring people together in solidarity to work towards positive community-led change. The WE Initiative imagines a future where Oakland and San Francisco pulse with vitality, where communities are deeply interconnected across generations, identities, and issue areas, and hope and possibility feel close. This vision restores a true sense of belonging, creating a Bay Area where every person sees themselves reflected and celebrated.

What We Are Looking For

We seek nonprofit organizations and fiscally sponsored projects committed to collaboration and community-building, as WE Initiative grantees will participate in a cohort experience — a learning and relationship-building journey designed to deepen exchange, expand networks of care, and spark collective impact with each other over the funding period. Organizations will commit to a series of meetings in the first year, with the intention of co-designing proceeding years with grantee-informed feedback in an iterative process that supports grantee insights.

Pathways

We seek nonprofit organizations and fiscally sponsored projects committed to collaboration and community-building, as WE Initiative grantees will participate in a cohort experience — a learning and relationship-building journey designed to deepen exchange, expand networks of care, and spark collective impact with each other over the funding period. Organizations will commit to a series of meetings in the first year, with the intention of co-designing proceeding years with grantee-informed feedback in an iterative process that supports grantee insights.

Pathway 1. Cultural Identity, Visibility, & Celebration

• Cultivate opportunities and spaces where joy, healing, and culture may thrive.
• Uplift stories that proactively and boldly take up space in the face of othering, bigotry, and polarization.

Cultural identity is a powerful force for justice and inclusion. We are looking for organizations and fiscally sponsored projects that use creative, joyful, and artistic approaches to promote community, cultural inclusion, and representation in the Bay Area. Ideal applicants foster a sense of belonging, particularly in response to challenges posed by such forces as racism, xenophobia, antisemitism, and all forms of bigotry and polarization. We seek organizations and fiscally sponsored projects whose work celebrates shared dignity and helps diverse communities feel a sense of belonging. By investing in cultural celebration, the Walter & Elise Haas Fund recognizes that joy, healing, and shared experiences are essential to social well-being.

Pathway 2. Collective Action and Solidarity

• Actively power-build to identify and enact community-led solutions.
• Bring people together across issues, identities, and communities to build solidarity, foster healing, and create shared belonging.

This pathway supports diverse groups working together. We are seeking organizations and fiscally sponsored projects that build meaningful connections across lines of difference (including but not restricted to race, faith, disability, sexual orientation, class, or immigration status), and utilize collaborative approaches to address community-identified challenges happening at the intersections. True belonging is realized through shared ownership of community-driven solutions. We aim to fund organizations and fiscally sponsored projects that build solidarity, empower people to work together to change systems and shape their future, and create positive, lasting, community-led transformation.

We recognize that organizations may work in both pathways and we do not expect anyone to discount or downplay the ways in which your organization may uplift both. However, we encourage you to think of which pathway best speaks to your organization’s mission, values, and programming and apply under one.

These two pathways recognize and build upon the Bay Area’s legacy of creativity, mutual aid, and collective leadership. They reflect our belief that true progress is made not through isolated efforts, but through the power of people collaborating, honoring histories, and imagining new possibilities together.

Funding

Twenty-five organizations will be selected to receive $100,000 annually as general operating funds over a five-year period, totaling $500,000 each. Grantees will not need to reapply during the five-year period to continue receiving funds.