Search Through Santa Clara County Grants for Nonprofits in California

The Employees Community Fund (ECF) of The Boeing Company

Qualifying charitable or educational organizations can apply for grants from the Employees Community Fund (ECF) of The Boeing Company, which has been empowering employees to pool their tax-deductible donations for greater impact for more than 60 years. Employee advisory boards work to locally distribute combined employee donations, which are made through recurring payroll deductions or one-time gifts, to nonprofits in their community. Boeing pays all administrative costs so 100 percent of every employee dollar helps strengthen local communities.

ECF grants have gone toward community projects such as aiding the homeless, stocking food banks, helping at-risk children succeed in school, providing job training for the unemployed, funding critical health services, supporting veterans programs and more.

Southern California Chapter

The Employees Community Fund (ECF) of Boeing, Southern California chapter is an employee owned and operated nonprofit organization. ECF of Boeing California funds organizations from the contributions of Boeing employees made through payroll deductions to support charitable organizations in areas where contributors live and work in the Los Angeles, Orange, San Bernardino, Ventura, Riverside, San Diego and Santa Clara counties.

The Employees Community Fund is a unique employee giving program that allows employees and retirees to support the needs of their local communities through tax-deductible recurring payroll deductions or one-time gifts. The Boeing Company provides administrative and system support as an in-kind donation. The ECF pledge to its members is that 100% of the dollars contributed will be returned to the areas where contributors live and work.

Under ECF funding guidelines, all requests for support are studied and reviewed by the Chapter Grantmaking Committee for consideration. Review of grant applications includes compliance with basic funding guidelines, tax exempt status, service area, services provided, as well as financial information to ensure that ECF dollars provide meaningful and necessary services in the most efficient manner.

Focus Areas : Arts & Culture, Civic, Health & Human Services, Education, Environment.

Crystal Vision: The Crystal Vision Grant Award is an annual ECF grant program established in 1990 to direct special funding to specific areas of community need. ECF CA invites organizations closest to the need to suggest new and innovative programs they believe could make significant positive impact in communities. Crystal Vision Awards have focused on youth-mentoring, services to veterans and senior citizens, the homeless, children at risk, environmental and arts education.

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.

Valley Water’s Mini-Grant Program provides funding to support small and impactful projects promoting safe, clean drinking water, water conservation, flood protection, and environmental stewardship in Santa Clara County. These grants allow community members and organizations to lead projects that build awareness and support lasting change.Funding for the Mini-Grants Program is available through the Safe, Clean Water and Natural Flood Protection Program, which Santa Clara County voters approved in November 2020.We’re excited to announce new updates to make the program more accessible and effective for our community.

What’s new in the Mini-Grant Program

• Increased Funding: Eligible projects can now receive up to $10,000 per project, which means more resources for projects to create meaningful change.
• No Matching Funds Required: We’ve removed the 25% match requirement, making it easier for organizations of all sizes to apply.
• Streamlined Application: We’ve launched a new online application through the Fluxx Grants Portal. The process is much simpler and user-friendly.
• Expanded Eligible Project Costs: Grant funding now covers insurance costs, adding flexibility to your project budget.

Projects must focus on at least one of the following:

Water Conservation

• Implement water-saving technologies, run water conservation workshops, or prevent pollution in waterways.

Flood Protection

• Support creek cleanups or flood preparedness outreach.

Environmental Stewardship

• Projects like restoring habitats, promoting native species, and organizing environmental education programs.

Examples of Past Projects

The Mini-Grant Program has funded community gardens, outdoor classrooms, water conservation workshops, watershed education field trips, and habitat restoration. 

Conservation: Committed to conserving irreplaceable Bay Area landscapes

Sustaining the Bay Area’s healthy ecosystems

The San Francisco Bay Area is one of the most biodiverse regions of the United States, and its storied conservation history and role in the environmental movement is unparalleled. Compared with other metropolitan areas, the proximity of significant, biodiverse open space to major economic and residential centers is exceptional.

Our region’s unique role in the history of the conservation and its remarkable network of open space have been the direct result of concerted effort by many individuals and organizations. We are honored to be a part of this community, conserving these landscapes for the future generations who will call this region home.

Strategies

We aim to maintain and, where possible, increase the Bay Area’s remarkable biodiversity, ecosystem services, and nature-based recreation opportunities. In order to do so, we pursue several strategies:

• Prioritize land acquisition and conservation easements that are grounded in science-based regional conservation planning
• Support initial stewardship in order to deliver real, durable conservation outcomes
• Coordinate partnerships across the region to foster effective collaboration among stakeholders
• Develop the most effective conservation finance structures to maximize the impact of our funding and ensure financial sustainability

To protect and steward Bay Area conservation resources for future generations the efforts of local conservation groups and agencies are more critical than ever before. The same technological and financial engine that helps define the Bay Area’s economy also pushes up against the undeveloped and wilderness areas that define its ecology. Threats to natural habitat have become even more acute in recent years due in part to the regional economic boom.

That’s why we’re focused on supporting grantees who, through property acquisition, natural resource use and conservation finance, are working to preserve and enhance habitat for native plant and animal species in the Bay Area. Together with nonprofits, agencies and other funders, we have been fortunate to play a part in more than 80 acquisitions, easements and other conservation-related projects across the 10-county Bay Area.Impact StatementMaintaining and increasing the biodiversity, ecosystem services and nature-based recreation opportunities of the San Francisco Bay Area.

Community Investments

While charitable investments are tailored to local needs, Applied Materials and the Foundation provide funding focused on Girls Empowerment, Education, Civic Engagement, Arts and Culture and the Environment. We also contribute to relief and recovery efforts when natural disasters affect our communities around the world.

Focus Areas

We provide funding to organizations providing programs and services in the following focus areas:

• Education, Arts & Culture, Civic Engagement, Environment and Girls Empowerment.

We prioritize projects that address community needs in sites where Applied Materials does business and welcome opportunities to engage employees with local grant recipients.

Education 

Education inspires young minds, opens new doors and paves the way to more promising futures. We recognize that many communities and schools lack the resources and programs required to prepare their students for meaningful careers. For this reason, the majority of our education grants are directed to neighborhoods with the greatest need.

We have a special interest in funding Education grant proposals that:

• Benefit students in grades K-12
• Focus on traditional skills such as reading, writing, math, science and technology, and other subjects that prepare young people for college and career
• Address critical education needs through innovative approaches to learning
• Expand existing efforts in order to reach more students or a wider geographic area
• Actively partner with other nonprofit groups to create, implement or evaluate shared programs

Arts and Culture

Creativity sparks the imagination and drives the development of new ideas that can transform the way we live. We support efforts that bring the full spectrum of artistic expression to the greater community, from visual and performing arts to community events and workshops.

We have a special interest in funding Arts and Culture grant proposals that:

• Have broad community appeal
• Take arts and culture outside traditional settings to reach young people of diverse backgrounds, particularly in economically disadvantaged neighborhoods
• Support nonprofit organizations in bringing the arts to educational programs and organizations

Civic Engagement

When people are actively involved in improving the quality of life in their neighborhoods, they help to create more vibrant, livable communities. With our civic engagement grants, we support organizations that help people find stability in difficult times and develop strength of NGO/nonprofit sector to address community challenges.

We have a special interest in funding Civic Engagement grant proposals that:

• Meet basic needs such as access to nutritional food, clean water and affordable housing
• Support systemic, collaborative approaches to eliminating homelessness
• Stimulate innovations that improve efficiency and effectiveness of service delivery
• Support the infrastructure of the nonprofit sector and its leadership 

Environment

To engage employees and community members in working toward a more sustainable future, we invest in environmental education and community-based projects that demonstrate the importance and value of protecting the environment.

We have a special interest in funding Environment grant proposals that:

• Focus on environmental education for young people, especially in underserved communities
• Encourage hands on opportunities for employee volunteers and their families

Girls Empowerment

See separate grant page here

The Kimball Foundation

The Kimball Foundation supports college access and persistence, workplace & vocational training, cultural enrichment, and environmental education programs serving the residents of San Francisco, Marin, San Mateo, and Sonoma counties and to a limited extent Santa Clara County as far south as Palo Alto.

Our Mission

We support college access and persistence, cultural enrichment, environmental education, and workplace success programs.

What We Fund

The Kimball Foundation supports college access and persistence, cultural enrichment, environmental education, and workplace success programs.

We work to ensure that students who come from low-income backgrounds persist on a pathway through secondary school and into and through two- or four-year college with the support of high-quality academic and college-bound programs. Attributes of successful grantee organizations and programs:

• Serves students ages 10-24 who demonstrate a commitment to achieve despite backgrounds that may include significant risk factors (e.g., first-in-family to attend college or status as an English language learner) and few supports
• Strong program model based on recognized best practices in the field that is offered in or after school, including summers
• Provides sequential support that bridges one or more critical transition phases over a number of years (e.g., middle to high school and/or high school to college) to ensure persistence and success
• When academic support is provided to students, it is articulated to promote A-G course attainment
• The foundation does not support scholarship programs unless they have a structured in-depth academic support component

We provide youth who face significant obstacles to employment with comprehensive training and services that prepare them for job placement with increased earnings potential. Attributes of successful grantee organizations and programs:

• At least 50% of program population served should be students aged 15-24 who demonstrate a commitment to employability despite backgrounds that may include significant risk factors  (e.g., poor academic preparation or former foster youth status) and few supports
• Skills training includes soft-skills development as well as vocational/technical skills training that leads to living-wage and career building jobs in growth industries
• Strong program model based on recognized best practices in the field that incorporates skills training and wraparound support services
• Provide opportunities for academic or marketable credentials, including GEDs, high school diplomas, and industry-recognized certificates and coursework

: We provide students with equal access to participatory arts education to foster an appreciation of the arts while promoting community engagement through cultural experiences. Attributes of successful grantee organizations and programs:

• Serves students ages 5-18 from low-income backgrounds
• Promotes an understanding of the arts and development of art skills (includes but is not limited to literary, media, performing, and visual)
• Long-term focus on program depth through in-school, after-school and/or out-of-school opportunities with priority given to programs with a robust, sequential curriculum or training that help students meaningfully build artistic performance or skills.

: We provide youth with high engagement programs that provide outdoor experiential, wilderness, and environmental science education. Attributes of successful grantee organizations and programs: Serves students ages 10-18 from low-income backgrounds

• Provides free or subsidized fees to program services and camps
• Create meaningful opportunities for youth to build careers in Environmental Preservation and addressing Climate Change with access to mentors, program leaders, internships and other paid employment.

Rest Year Policy

The Kimball Foundation seeks to provide both ongoing support for effective nonprofit organizations, and to identify and support new and promising organizations. To achieve this goal, the foundation employs the following “rest year” policy: organizations that receive four years of consecutive funding need to take a one-year rest before receiving additional support.

Safety and Security Fund

This crucial new initiative will support the safety and security of the LGBTQ community in the San Francisco Bay Area. Please review the priorities and guidelines below to ensure your organization is eligible before visiting the application portal.

About the Safety and Security Fund

With a maximum award of $2,500, Horizons Foundation’s Safety and Security Fund (SSF) is a rapid response small grants program designed to support the safety and security of Bay Area LGBTQ community organizations. We encourage applications from LGBTQ-primary organizations seeking to secure and repair their physical space and enhance the safety of public events, their staff, and the community. It has been seeded with $40,000 and will be making grants from September 16, 2024, to January 31, 2025, or when funds are depleted.

Why Now?

Horizons Foundation is deeply concerned about the escalating anti-LGBTQ hate crimes–including vandalism, threats, and harassment–targeting our grantee partners and the wider LGBTQ community in the San Francisco Bay Area. To address immediate needs, when possible, Horizons has historically provided emergency funding to help our grantee partners mitigate the damage and threats associated with these incidents. It is clear that more action is needed today.

The San Francisco Bay Area is not immune to anti-LGBTQ incidents. Community organizations and events have continued to report hate-based threats, attacks, and vandalism into this year.

Horizons Foundation is taking action by launching the Safety and Security Fund (SSF) to address the alarming surge in anti-LGBTQ threats and hate crimes in the San Francisco Bay Area, especially as the 2024 election season rhetoric heats up. This rapid response grants program aims to bolster the safety and security of Bay Area LGBTQ organizations and programs. The SSF aligns with Horizons Foundation's vision to create a world where all LGBTQ individuals can live freely and fully, which is impossible so long as we live with threats, crime, and harassment against us.

Safety and Security Fund

With a maximum award of $2,500, Horizons Foundation’s Safety and Security Fund (SSF) is a rapid response small grants program designed to support the safety and security of Bay Area LGBTQ community organizations. We encourage applications from LGBTQ-primary organizations seeking to secure and repair their physical space and enhance the safety of public events, their staff, and the community. It has been seeded with $40,000 and will be making grants from September 16, 2024 to January 31, 2025, or when funds are depleted.

Why Now?

Horizons Foundation is deeply concerned about the escalating anti-LGBTQ hate crimes–including vandalism, threats, and harassment–targeting our grantee partners and the wider LGBTQ community in the San Francisco Bay Area. To address immediate needs, when possible, Horizons has historically provided emergency funding to help our grantee partners mitigate the damage and threats associated with these incidents. It is clear that more action is needed today.

The San Francisco Bay Area is not immune to anti-LGBTQ incidents. Community organizations and events have continued to report hate-based threats, attacks, and vandalism into this year.

Horizons Foundation is taking action by launching the Safety and Security Fund (SSF) to address the alarming surge in anti-LGBTQ threats and hate crimes in the San Francisco Bay Area, especially as the 2024 election season rhetoric heats up. This rapid response grants program aims to bolster the safety and security of Bay Area LGBTQ organizations and programs. The SSF aligns with Horizons Foundation's vision to create a world where all LGBTQ individuals can live freely and fully, which is impossible so long as we live with threats, crime, and harassment against us.

LGBTQ Donor Engagement Program

Horizons seeks to support LGBTQ donor engagement opportunities of large LGBTQ-primary organizations (annual budget over $1 million) based within the nine counties of the SF Bay Area. With a maximum award of $5,000, the LGBTQ Donor Engagement Program exists to support annual fundraising events(s), but if an organization does not have an annual fundraising event, it may be eligible for efforts that engage donors through alternative events (e.g., house parties, annual donor thank-you events, etc.). 

Selective Criteria

Horizons supports events that:

• Offer inspiring, engaging programming for and about the LGBTQ community 
• Incorporate strategies to build new relationships and increase giving, especially from individuals 
• Have clear goals for what a successful event looks like and a plan for measuring success 
• Are inclusive of people across the breadth of the LGBTQ community, e.g., geography, gender, race/ethnicity 
• Are closely aligned to Horizons Foundation’s mission

About Teichert

We are a construction company operating in California since 1887. Over the years, Teichert has grown into a diverse mix of businesses, most notably Teichert Construction and Teichert Materials. With our commitment to our family of employees, high quality of work, strong customer satisfaction, and giving back to the community, Teichert will continue to flourish in the 21st century and beyond.

Teichert Foundation

Teichert Foundation expresses the company’s commitment to build and preserve a healthy and prosperous region.

We make grants to organizations that create beauty, foster culture, nurture children, provide access to food and housing for those in need, preserve nature, increase awareness of our environment, build an educated citizenry and a well-prepared workforce, and strive to provide better health for all.

Teichert Foundation will consider grant requests in the following categories:

• Civic improvement and historical restoration
• Community and social services
• Culture and the arts
• Education and workforce development
• Environmental sustainability
• Rehabilitation and health service
• Youth and elderly

The Foundation directors may also, from time to time, identify areas for special emphasis when emerging needs require extraordinary attention.

While deciding how much to grant to whom, the Foundation will give careful consideration to:

• The number of people that will benefit from the project
• The number of local volunteers supporting the organization and the project
• The extent to which the applicant complements the services of other community organizations
• The extent to which the program addresses underlying causes, rather than just symptoms of specific problems
• The outcomes of monitoring and evaluating the organizations projects
• The commitment and composition of the organization’s Board of Directors or Board of Trustees
• The current budget and the prior year actuals to show the organization’s fiscal responsibility and management qualifications; and
• The ability of the organization to provide ongoing funding after the term of the grant

Grants are generally made for one year only.

About Us

The Peaceful World Foundation was founded by the late Sami Sunchild and established in 2006. Sami’s mission was to foster a culture of global peace through the promotion of hosted conversations, the arts, and mindful education.

Today the Peaceful World Foundation strives to carry on her vision of mindful conversations while supporting, assisting, and encouraging organizations and communities in their peace building efforts.

Our charitable goal is to promote peace by supporting nonprofit organizations in their peace building efforts in the field of the arts and mindful education. We seek to fund peacebuilding programs which align to our mission and requesting an amount between $5,000-$20,000.

The Foundation however does not provide ongoing support. The Foundation only funds programs twice within a five-year period, upon submission and receipt of a financial summary.

COMMUNITY PEACE BUILDING

The Foundation aspires to collaborate with organizations in their community-based peace building efforts and fund programs which embrace any of the following practices within an art or mindful education program:

• Encouraging ecologically sustainable practices
• Innovative healing tools for community peace-making
• Participatory approaches to mindful leadership and community building

Arts

The Foundation is interested in art programs that build on global peace and social consciousness through visual and media art, music, and the performing arts. We are particularly invested in supporting art programs that contribute to:

• World Peace
• Diversity
• Integration
• Inner Peace

Mindful Education

The Foundation seeks to fund mindful educational and well-being programs that promote any of the following:

• Cultivating attention, compassion, and well-being across all peoples and ages
• Alternative methods to manage stress and increase inner awareness

Who We Are

As a community foundation, SVCF brings together the resources and skills of donors, businesses, government, and community members to address the most pressing challenges in San Mateo and Santa Clara counties.

We actively pursue solutions to the region’s housing, childhood education and economic disparities. Alongside community partners and donors, we use tools such as grantmaking, advocacy, research and policy work to drive lasting, positive change and create a future where every community member can thrive.

SVCF Community Action Grants

Using an equity lens, the Community Action Grants Program identifies and supports organizations across issue areas that foster creativity and help build the community’s power to promote an equitable, economically secure and vibrant Silicon Valley.

SVCF awards grants under the Community Action Grants program through an open Request for Proposals (RFP). Through this RFP, nonprofits may apply to multiple strategies through one application. The application is designed to recognize the important intersectional and intersectoral work of nonprofits in the region and provides organizations one entry to be considered for grants across the multiple focus areas.

This application is open to organizations engaged in the following focus areas:

• Arts and Culture
• Environment
• Faith and Neighborhoods
• Health
• Local Journalism
• Movement- and Power-Building

Community Action Grants - Arts and Culture

Underserved communities have not held equitable roles in shaping and deciding on our region's future. Across sectors, artists, cultural workers and arts organizations – are increasingly being called upon to activate social change. This work is critical to engage communities in creative processes to broaden the spectrum of community voices.

SVCF’s Arts and Culture: Community Action Grants Program aims to support arts organizations that are working to strengthen the social fabric of communities and deepen civic engagement. In this focus area, SVCF will support arts organizations that nurture artistic and cultural expressions, and partner to create community-driven solutions and catalyze social change.

Who We Are

As a community foundation, SVCF brings together the resources and skills of donors, businesses, government, and community members to address the most pressing challenges in San Mateo and Santa Clara counties.

We actively pursue solutions to the region’s housing, childhood education and economic disparities. Alongside community partners and donors, we use tools such as grantmaking, advocacy, research and policy work to drive lasting, positive change and create a future where every community member can thrive.

SVCF Community Action Grants

Using an equity lens, the Community Action Grants Program identifies and supports organizations across issue areas that foster creativity and help build the community’s power to promote an equitable, economically secure and vibrant Silicon Valley.

SVCF awards grants under the Community Action Grants program through an open Request for Proposals (RFP). Through this RFP, nonprofits may apply to multiple strategies through one application. The application is designed to recognize the important intersectional and intersectoral work of nonprofits in the region and provides organizations one entry to be considered for grants across the multiple focus areas.

This application is open to organizations engaged in the following focus areas:

• Arts and Culture
• Environment
• Faith and Neighborhoods
• Health
• Local Journalism
• Movement- and Power-Building

Community Action Grants - Environment

As the world’s climate crisis accelerates, residents in San Mateo and Santa Clara counties need to adapt to a future that is endangering their communities. But many residents – particularly underserved communities – do not have the resources to adapt to factors such as sea-level rise and frequent wildfires. Meanwhile, the changing climate and other environmental conditions influence health outcomes and intersect with many other social issues.

SVCF’s Environment: Community Action Grants Program aims to fund organizations that demonstrate an understanding of environmental policy processes and are defining pathways for underserved communities to participate. In this focus area, SVCF will support organizations that are building the power of communities most impacted by environmental disparities. These organizations should be creating roles for community in the design and implementation of solutions to change environmental policy and build a resilient and just environment for all.

Who We Are

As a community foundation, SVCF brings together the resources and skills of donors, businesses, government, and community members to address the most pressing challenges in San Mateo and Santa Clara counties.

We actively pursue solutions to the region’s housing, childhood education and economic disparities. Alongside community partners and donors, we use tools such as grantmaking, advocacy, research and policy work to drive lasting, positive change and create a future where every community member can thrive.

SVCF Community Action Grants

Using an equity lens, the Community Action Grants Program identifies and supports organizations across issue areas that foster creativity and help build the community’s power to promote an equitable, economically secure and vibrant Silicon Valley.

SVCF awards grants under the Community Action Grants program through an open Request for Proposals (RFP). Through this RFP, nonprofits may apply to multiple strategies through one application. The application is designed to recognize the important intersectional and intersectoral work of nonprofits in the region and provides organizations one entry to be considered for grants across the multiple focus areas.

This application is open to organizations engaged in the following focus areas:

• Arts and Culture
• Environment
• Faith and Neighborhoods
• Health
• Local Journalism
• Movement- and Power-Building

Community Action Grants - Health

Preventative medicine experts estimate that only about 20 percent of a person’s health is related to healthcare. The remaining 80 percent stems from what are called “social determinants of health” —behavioral, environmental and social factors that deeply influence health outcomes, such as whether a person has enough to eat, where and how they live, and their income, education, civic participation and physical environment.

Grassroots, community-driven programs delivering both health and social care significantly contribute to improved health outcomes in underserved and low-income communities. As highly impactful and trusted resources, people and organizations rooted in communities are uniquely positioned to identify and execute strategies that improve the health and well-being of the people they serve. Many use advocacy as a tool to influence public health policy and shift the power to determine health outcomes back to communities.

SVCF’s Health: Community Action Grants RFP aims to address health disparities. This grant program is administered in partnership with The Health Trust, a health foundation dedicated to building health equity through investments in organizations, programs, and projects that tackle disparities affecting the most impacted communities in Santa Clara and Northern San Benito counties. In this focus area, SVCF will support organizations that prioritize community-based, equity-driven solutions to improve access to care, strengthen primary care systems, and expand culturally responsive mental health services.

Who We Are

As a community foundation, SVCF brings together the resources and skills of donors, businesses, government, and community members to address the most pressing challenges in San Mateo and Santa Clara counties.

We actively pursue solutions to the region’s housing, childhood education and economic disparities. Alongside community partners and donors, we use tools such as grantmaking, advocacy, research and policy work to drive lasting, positive change and create a future where every community member can thrive.

SVCF Community Action Grants

Using an equity lens, the Community Action Grants Program identifies and supports organizations across issue areas that foster creativity and help build the community’s power to promote an equitable, economically secure and vibrant Silicon Valley.

SVCF awards grants under the Community Action Grants program through an open Request for Proposals (RFP). Through this RFP, nonprofits may apply to multiple strategies through one application. The application is designed to recognize the important intersectional and intersectoral work of nonprofits in the region and provides organizations one entry to be considered for grants across the multiple focus areas.

This application is open to organizations engaged in the following focus areas:

• Arts and Culture
• Environment
• Faith and Neighborhoods
• Health
• Local Journalism
• Movement- and Power-Building

Community Action Grants - Local Journalism

In recent years, there has been a push to reimagine how to tell the stories of underserved communities. The structures of mainstream media continue to exclude local community voices. In response, journalists and storytellers in underserved communities have empowered themselves to share their narratives and amplify the voices of those who have been historically left out. They offer us stories that inspire, inform and mobilize us all.

SVCF supports organizations at the intersection of journalism and civic engagement.

SVCF’s Local Journalism Fund: Community Action Grants Program aims to address the gaps in news and information in underserved communities by supporting coverage of hyper-local issues. In this focus area, grants prioritize local nonprofits working on accurate and inspiring community stories designed to inform, engage and activate residents to strengthen our democracy.

Who We Are

As a community foundation, SVCF brings together the resources and skills of donors, businesses, government, and community members to address the most pressing challenges in San Mateo and Santa Clara counties.

We actively pursue solutions to the region’s housing, childhood education and economic disparities. Alongside community partners and donors, we use tools such as grantmaking, advocacy, research and policy work to drive lasting, positive change and create a future where every community member can thrive.

SVCF Community Action Grants

Using an equity lens, the Community Action Grants Program identifies and supports organizations across issue areas that foster creativity and help build the community’s power to promote an equitable, economically secure and vibrant Silicon Valley.

SVCF awards grants under the Community Action Grants program through an open Request for Proposals (RFP). Through this RFP, nonprofits may apply to multiple strategies through one application. The application is designed to recognize the important intersectional and intersectoral work of nonprofits in the region and provides organizations one entry to be considered for grants across the multiple focus areas.

This application is open to organizations engaged in the following focus areas:

• Arts and Culture
• Environment
• Faith and Neighborhoods
• Health
• Local Journalism
• Movement- and Power-Building

Community Action Grants - Movement- and Power-Building

Across a range of issues, from housing affordability to the post-pandemic mental health crisis, the people feeling the most pain should have the power to fix the problems. SVCF is focused on supporting organizations that are building power and movements among local residents to ensure that the future of our region is in the hands of those who know what needs to be fixed.

SVCF makes targeted investments in two areas that are vital to achieving the civic participation that will result in systemic change: movement-building and power-building.

SVCF’s Movement- and Power-building: Community Action Grants Program aims to fund organizations that utilize strategies central to building power, including policy advocacy, voter engagement and others. In this focus area, SVCF supports organizations working to address systemic disparities and increase civic participation through base-building strategies that engage people in dialogue, decision-making and collective action.

The NEW Program provides unrestricted and artist fee support grants of $5,000-$30,000 to small and mid-size dance, theater and multidisciplinary arts organizations that enable Bay Area artists to produce visionary projects relevant to the communities they serve. Since 2015, this program has awarded over $4 million to 149 arts organizations.

The NEW Program prioritizes:

• Small and mid-size arts organizations with annual budgets of $10,000-$2 million. 
• Projects that support artists to deepen or experiment within their individual practice and/or expand the boundaries of dance and theater. 
• Compelling projects relevant to the communities they serve. 
• Unique artistic collaborations. 
• Projects that compensate artists at a significant level. Projects are required to designate at least half of the grant funds to the artistic project team and their direct expenses for creating the work. The remaining half is unrestricted to the applicant organization.
• Productions in outdoor, site-specific or alternative venues. 
• Projects with activities in San Francisco and Oakland. 

Please preview this page for additional informations.

Standard Grants Program

The Standard Grants Program supports projects that promote safe, clean drinking water, water conservation, flood protection, and environmental stewardship in Santa Clara County. This program offers $1.87 million in funding for diverse project types that serve residents, empowering communities to address local water and environmental challenges through education, planning, and stewardship.

Education Grants

Education grants support curriculum and community learning to spread awareness of the importance of safe, clean water, water conservation, flood preparedness, environmental stewardship, and other water-related topics. Valley Water seeks projects that provide the public with high-quality learning experiences that empower participants to engage in water-focused solutions within their communities.

Activities could include presentations, curriculum or material development, classroom activities, educational videos, field trips or tours, etc.

Eligible Applicants may seek grant funding for more than one project; however, Valley Water will only award one grant per project. Projects must also directly benefit Santa Clara County residents and align with Valley Water’s mission.

Standard Grants Program

The Standard Grants Program supports projects that promote safe, clean drinking water, water conservation, flood protection, and environmental stewardship in Santa Clara County. This program offers $1.87 million in funding for diverse project types that serve residents, empowering communities to address local water and environmental challenges through education, planning, and stewardship.

Whether you are a public agency, government entity, nonprofit organization, or educational institution, this program provides the financial resources needed to create meaningful impacts.

Stewardship Grants

Stewardship grants provide funds for a wide variety of projects that will advance Safe, Clean Water Program priorities and support Valley Water’s mission. The Stewardship Grant opportunity is Valley Water’s broadest grant category and can encompass many different activities and multi-benefit elements related to Valley Water’s mission. These projects must demonstrate public benefits and require a 15% funding match.

Activities could include smaller-scale implementation projects such as litter/pollution cleanups, community gardens, minor habitat restoration (under 5 acres), minor construction of structures/facilities, or alteration/improvement to existing facilities (such as structures, walls, small park amenities, museum exhibits, etc.).

Under the Stewardship Grant category, projects with educational or planning elements that include implementation activities, such as soil removal, small-scale construction, and plantings, can apply. 

Proposed Stewardship Grant projects must demonstrate support for Valley Water’s mission. Example projects may include, but are not limited:

• Water conservation projects that provide, enhance, or install innovative water conservation technologies in public spaces, such as parks, gardens, government facilities, schools, utility facilities, and community buildings.
• Pollution prevention projects that reduce contaminants, including emerging contaminants, in surface or groundwater, such as public education and technical assistance to help growers protect groundwater and keep agricultural pollutants away from surface water, and partnerships to reduce litter and graffiti.
• Volunteer cleanup and stewardship projects that support creek cleanup and litter removal, or that provide hands-on watershed stewardship activities.
• Small-scale wildlife habitat projects that support, restore, and/or conserve native plant and wildlife habitat; protecting special status species; removing non-native/invasive plant species; and planting native species.

Match Requirement

Matching funds of fifteen percent (15%) are required for Stewardship Grants.

• Matching funds may include staff hours, cash or in-kind services, other non-Valley Water grants, or partnerships with other organizations.
• Matching funds must not include other Valley Water resources, such as grants, volunteer programs, supplies, contracts, agreements, etc.
• To calculate the in-kind value of volunteer hours, please use the Independent Sector’s estimated hourly rate for volunteer time.
  • In 2023, the California volunteer value was estimated at $38.61 per hour, per person. Please visit the website here:

About the County of Santa Clara, California

The County of Santa Clara government serves a diverse, multicultural population of 1.9 million residents in Santa Clara County, Calif., making it more populous than 14 states in the United States. The County provides essential services to its residents, including public health protection, environmental stewardship, medical services through the County of Santa Clara Health System, child and adult protection services, homelessness prevention and solutions, roads, park services, libraries, emergency response to disasters, protection of minority communities and those under threat, access to a fair criminal justice system, and many other public benefits.

County of Santa Clara Community Fireworks Grant

“This grant helps our communities fund safe and responsible Fourth of July celebrations,” said Chief Operating Officer Greta Hansen. “We want all Santa Clara County families to celebrate without the potential for injuries or accidently setting fires to buildings or vegetation. This is a great way to help communities and non-profits give residents a fun alternative to consumer fireworks.” 

A total of $25,000 in grants for up to two fireworks events in each of the five supervisorial districts ($5,000 per district) are available. The events must be open to all people of Santa Clara County, be family-friendly, and consider both public and fire safety educational elements.

Unrestricted Operating Grants

SVCREATES operating grants, offered in partnership with the County of Santa Clara, provide general operating support for small nonprofit arts and culture organizations that:

• Reflect the dynamic, diverse, and innovative character of Santa Clara County
• Demonstrate commitment to equity, inclusion, and artistic vibrancy and relevance
• Positively impact the County’s cultural ecosystem through active and sustained engagement with audiences, volunteers and artists
• Pursue organizational sustainability in service to the local community

In 2022, SVCREATES established a two-year application cycle for this grant program. In alternating years, current grant recipients may have the opportunity for grant renewal, dependent on the completion of their grant report and funding available to SVCREATES.

Funding

Operating grant applicants do not request specific grant amounts. Rather, grant awards are determined by the following factors:

• Panel ranking and funding recommendation
• Organization’s annual operating budget
• The amount of funds allocated for organizational support by the County of Santa Clara

The grant award amounts represented in the chart below are based on projections for the grant cycle; changes in external economic factors impacting available County funding could shift these amounts.

• Budget Category: $10K - $100K
  • Award Range - $2,000 - $4,000
    • " Middle" Award - $3,000  
      • Award Increments - $2,000; $3,000; $4,000
• Budget Category - $100 - $250K
  • Award Range - $4,000 - $6,000
    • " Middle" Award - $5,000
      • Award Increments - $4,000; $5,000; $6,000

The In-N-Out Burger Foundation’s mission is to assist children and youth who have been victims of child abuse and neglect, and to prevent others from suffering a similar fate. The Foundation will only consider requests from organizations that closely align with our mission and that serve communities where In-N-Out Burger does business.

The In-N-Out Burger Foundation is happy to consider the following types of grants:

Traditional Grants: Grant awards range from $5,000 - $25,000.

Program: Restricted funding to support the development, expansion, or enhancement of programs within an existing organization.

General Operating Support: Unrestricted funding to support the overall operations and sustainability of your nonprofit. Applicants must present a strong case on how this funding will help sustain the organization’s mission and provide benefits to the children in their care. *Please note that all of your organization’s programs must align with our mission to be considered for this type of support.

Capital Grants: Grant awards range from $5,000 - $50,000.

Capital Campaign: Restricted funding for the construction of new facilities, renovations or upgrades to existing buildings, and other special projects that will enhance the organization’s mission.

Capital Purchase: Restricted funding to purchase equipment, furnishings, or any other major material purchases that will enhance the organization’s mission.

Capital grants are awarded on a very limited basis each year. The Foundation will only consider requests from organizations that meet all other funding criteria and who already have an established long-term funding relationship with the Foundation (minimum of 2 years).

Please carefully review the Capital Grant Guidelines above to ensure that your organization meets the requirements to apply. Capital Grants are invitation-only. Please contact us to set a 30-minute meeting to discuss your project and be prepared to send a draft summary of the project for review beforehand. 

Gilroy Elevate the Arts Grant Program

Background

This grant program is made possible through a partnership with the City of Gilroy, the David and Lucile Packard Foundation, and the County of Santa Clara. In alignment with the mission of SVCREATES, these grants aim to elevate artists and the arts community in Gilroy by demonstrating the role arts can play in equitable community empowerment, activation and revitalization.

Objectives for Gilroy Elevate the Arts Grants

• Support the creation and presentation of culturally relevant artistic work
• Raise the visibility and voice of local artists
• Engage the community and activate public spaces through the arts
• Catalyze capacity and resilience in our historically under-resourced arts ecosystem
• Rally public support of the arts as a fundamental part of Gilroy’s economic & urban development

Funding

Artists and arts organizations based in the greater Gilroy area are invited to apply for projects and/or programs to be delivered in Gilroy between the specified dates. Grants are competitive and limited by the available funding. Partial funding may be awarded. Grant request range will be $5,000 - $15,000

Education Focus

The Foundation intends to award grants for paid internships at nonprofits for

• students enrolled in community college, four year college undergraduate and/or college graduate school or
• "young professionals" defined as a person who graduated from community college, four-year college undergraduate, or college graduate school within the last two years.

Grants distributed in calendar year 2025 may be utilized for calendar year 2026 internships as needed. These internships must provide an above minimum wage stipend. The internship experience should include enrichment opportunities which should include skill building, visibility into nonprofit management, peer networking, professional seminars, capstone project/report, etc.

Priority will be given to internships that recruit using a DEI lens. Average size grants in this area of focus are $8,000-$12,000 per internship. You are welcome to request funding for more than one internship in an application if you have previously received funding from the Foundation.

Please note that grant recipients who received awards from us in this focus area each year for the last 3 consecutive years (2022, 2023, 2024) are not eligible for a grant in 2025. You will be eligible to reapply in 2026.​

Health & Human Services Focus (No new applications are being accepted in 2025. You are welcome to introduce yourself )

The Foundation is committed to supporting elders living in our communities by encouraging self-sufficiency and aging in place. We will be awarding two-year $20,000 grants (payouts of 2024: $10,000; 2025: $10,000) to organizations. We fund both projects and general operating support.

Funding is focused on housing specifically around aging in place:

• Home modifications for accessibility and home maintenance;
• Assistance with household tasks;
• Affordable permanent housing;
• Collaborative partnerships that advocate for age-friendly communities.

San Jose Mercury News Wish Book Fund

About Us

In 1983, The Mercury News launched Wish Book, a non-profit philanthropy that connects their readers to Bay Area organizations that provide laudable causes such as assisting seniors, alleviating homelessness, providing food and counseling abused people.

Every September, Wish Book selects about 20 local non-profit groups that have applied for assistance. Those selected will have their stories and “Wishes”, their hopes and needs, published in the Mercury News in print and online from Thanksgiving to the end of the year. During this holiday fundraising drive, readers are encouraged to help fulfill these wishes by donating. Since its inception, Wish Book has raised over $12 million — thanks to the generosity of donors.

Wish Book Grant

Wish Book provides grants to local organizations and nonprofits from their holiday fundraising campaign from November to January. Every year, about 20 grantees are selected through a competitive application and review process. Those selected will be featured in stories in The Mercury News and used for fundraising efforts throughout the holiday season.

Organizations and nonprofits interested in receiving a grant for the upcoming Wish Book holiday campaign are encouraged to apply.

Wish Book is interested in funding initiatives or organizations that:

• Provide excellent story topics to highlight good work of individuals and/or organizations, with special consideration given to submissions with specific program participants willing to be interviewed by The Mercury News or Bay Area News Group affliate.
• Expose readers/influencers to community needs and specific populations.
• Represent diverse populations and geographic areas within San Mateo, Santa Clara or Santa Cruz counties.
• Create meaningful impact for residents of San Mateo, Santa Clara or Santa Cruz counties, and reflect well on the nonprofit sector.
• Address priority areas including systemic racism, climate change, unsheltered residents, food insecurity, community activism.

Community Issues Funding Program

Horizons’ flagship grantmaking program, Community Issues provides support to LGBTQ nonprofit organizations and programs based in our local community: the nine counties of the San Francisco Bay Area. Central to our mission, supporting these organizations’ programs, services, and advocacy helps advance a world where all LGBTQ people live freely and fully.

This year, Horizons expects to award substantially more funding than ever through Community Issues. We are committing these additional resources to respond to two critical and interconnected realities: the sharp decreases in funding from federal, state, county, and city sources, and the growing strain on LGBTQ organizations and programs caused by the current presidential administration and escalating anti-LGBTQ sentiment nationwide.

In light of these profound challenges, Horizons will provide more stable, sustained, multi-year support to help LGBTQ organizations continue their essential work in increasingly difficult conditions.

As we have since our founding, Horizons remains committed to ensuring that these grants deepen investment in historically under-resourced parts of the LGBTQ community, particularly those most impacted by the current anti-LGBTQ political climate and persistent inequalities. Through Community Issues, Horizons utilizes a systems-based grantmaking model that reflects our commitment to sustainability, equity, and responsive support for the SF Bay Area LGBTQ nonprofit ecosystem and the LGBTQ community it serves. We continue to focus on trust-based philanthropy and multi-year funding. 

We know that the LGBTQ community’s needs and opportunities constantly evolve, and it is essential to examine our grantmaking approach and priorities. Horizons 2018 LGBTQ Community Needs Assessment underscored the continuing significant challenges and often disproportionate needs the LGBTQ community faces in the SF Bay Area.

To help target our funding and achieve greater impact for the LGBTQ community, Horizons Foundation has updated our grantmaking strategy. Horizons seeks to strengthen our Community Issues grantmaking emphasizing the centrality of supporting organizations that are based in our community and led by LGBTQ people.

We proudly reaffirm our commitment as a community foundation to an “Open Door” policy in our community grantmaking, intentionally offering a wide range of LGBTQ nonprofits opportunities to seek funding.

Open Door Policy

Community Issues is open to all nonprofits and fiscally sponsored programs that meet eligibility criteria and whose work falls within these overall funding areas: 

• Advocacy and Civil Rights
• Arts and Culture
• Community Building and Leadership
• Health and Human Services

Key Updates to the 2025 Community Issues Program

Lift the $1 Million annual budget cap eligibility

For 2025, the Community Issues program will accept applications from LGBTQ-primary organizations of any organizational budget size. This change will maintain alignment with the LGBTQ-primary definition while expanding access to organizations with a range of capacities and infrastructure. LGBTQ-primary organizations are defined as organizations:

• whose missions include the LGBTQ population as the primary focus of the work;
• whose staff and boards predominantly reflect the LGBTQ community (65% or more);
• and which primarily serve LGBTQ people (65% or more).

Broaden Funding Priorities

The Community Issued program has expanded its priorities beyond the current focus on specific populations and organization types. This shift enables Community Issues funding to support a more ecosystem-wide strategy that encompasses a broader and more integrated range of LGBTQ organizations across four interconnected areas: Arts, Health and Wellness, Community Building, and Advocacy.

Arts Access Grants

The Arts Access Grant program is driven by the need to increase access to relevant and impactful arts experiences by historically marginalized communities throughout Santa Clara County. The program provides project support for programming specifically designed to reach historically underserved audiences. Arts Access Grants are made possible through a partnership with the County of Santa Clara and with support from the County Board of Supervisors, with additional funding from the National Endowment for the Arts.

Examples of alignment and access include:

• Access to arts exhibitions and performances by County clients such as foster youth, social services clients, etc.
• Art that thematically addresses County priorities such as intimate partner violence, anti-obesity, literacy, suicide prevention, etc.
• Art supplies and instruction for clients of County programs such as The Hub, domestic violence shelters, etc.
• Artistic programs serving historically marginalized populations and aligned with Santa Clara County values of inclusion, diversity, equity and heritage.

Funding

The grant will fund your delivery of a program each year to a specific population. The shift to multi-year funding is intended to support your capacity to deepen relationships with the communities you serve, and learn through project challenges and successes year over year. So while you might modify your project scope in year two, you are expected to serve the same community over both years of the grant program. Grant award amounts will be comparable in year one and year two.

Grants will be competitive and limited by the available funding. Approximately 10-15 grants will be awarded. Partial funding may be awarded. Due to the competitive nature of this grant program and the two-year program cycle, organizations must demonstrate a history of programming with the community to be served. This is not an opportunity to develop initiatives with audiences you have not previously engaged.