Best Santa Cruz County Grants for Nonprofits in California

The WaterSMART Cooperative Watershed Management Program offers funding to eligible entities for developing local solutions to water management issues. This initiative supports watershed group development, restoration planning, and project design, promoting stakeholder cooperation and improving water reliability. It aligns with key priorities from the Trump administration, addressing complex water challenges and enhancing federal grant oversight. By facilitating these efforts, the program aims to stretch limited water resources and foster collaborative solutions among diverse stakeholders.

The National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS) is inviting applications for the Clinical Trial Cooperative Agreement Program. This funding opportunity supports investigator-initiated, interventional clinical trials at various phases. Initial funding will facilitate the preparation needed to start trials, with successful milestones leading to further support. NIAMS emphasizes hypothesis-driven trials that promise significant clinical impact within its research mission.

The National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS) is launching a funding opportunity for Exploratory Clinical Trials Grants. This program aims to support innovative clinical trials that enhance the understanding and treatment of arthritis and other musculoskeletal and skin conditions. Research proposals should focus on early-stage trials, including first-in-human studies, dose-finding, and biomarker evaluation. The initiative encourages the translation of promising laboratory findings into effective clinical practices, ultimately improving patient outcomes.

Community Services Block Grant

​The Community Services Block Grant (CSBG) is a federally funded block grant designed to provide a range of services to assist low-income families and individuals attain the skills, knowledge, and motivation necessary to achieve self-sufficiency. CSBG funds services and activities that have a measurable impact on the causes and conditions of poverty in local communities across the state. 

CSBG is a federally funded block grant that aims to reduce poverty in the United States. CSBG is funded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Office of Community Services. CSD is designated by the Governor as the state agency responsible for administering the CSBG program in California. 

Lilly Foundation

To extend Lilly’s charitable reach and impact, the Eli Lilly and Company Foundation (Lilly Foundation) was established in 1968 and is supported by donations from Eli Lilly and Company.

The Foundation is a tax-exempt, private foundation supporting programs that align with its philanthropic priorities.

Grantmaking Approach

The Lilly Foundation’s work is guided by a charitable vision of a world where every person has an opportunity to live their healthiest life. Through grantmaking focused on Lilly Foundation’s charitable vision, grants can serve as a catalyst for closing gaps and empowering individuals and communities to thrive.

All proposals should demonstrate clear alignment with at least one focus area and include charitable outcomes that are measurable and consistent with the Foundation’s long-term charitable goals.

Global Health, K-12 STEM Education and Economic Mobility Grant

Focus Areas

Global Health

Lilly Foundation, through its charitable grants, aims to support permissible charitable efforts to improve access to quality healthcare for resource-limited communities in low- and lower-middleincome countries (L/LMICs) and in the United States. Strengthening access to care is essential for enhancing community well-being and supporting economic stability in resource-limited settings.

The Global Health focus area aims to close gaps in quality healthcare by supporting charitable solutions that improve access, bring care closer to where people live, and address the high burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in resource-limited settings. To the extent permissible, the Foundation prioritizes charitable efforts related to cardiometabolic health in resource-limited settings.

K-12 STEM Education

The K-12 STEM Education focus area aims to close the gaps for students from low-income communities by supporting programs that foster new pathways and pipelines to STEM education through focused K-12 efforts, concentrating on the critical middle school years. The Foundation’s K-12 STEM Education grants are focused on initiatives that benefit Marion County, Indiana.

Economic Mobility

The Economic Mobility focus area supports charitable and educational programs that strengthen workforce readiness, postsecondary and skills-based educational pathways, and housing stability to promote long-term prosperity. This support is focused on Marion County, Indiana, with the goal of improving economic opportunity for low-income communities and advancing community well-being.

California Department of Parks and Recreation

The California Department of Parks and Recreation, popularly known as State Parks, is honored to provide access to parks and open spaces and contribute to a healthier and richer quality of life for Californians and for people all over the world who visit the golden state’s natural wonders.

Mission

To provide for the health, inspiration and education of the people of California by helping to preserve the state's extraordinary biological diversity, protecting its most valued natural and cultural resources, and creating opportunities for high-quality outdoor recreation.

Statewide Park Development and Community Revitalization Program

Since 1965, a variety of funding measures administered by the Office of Grants and Local Services (OGALS) have created or improved nearly 8,000 local and regional parks across California. The Statewide Park Development and Community Revitalization Program (SPP) is the largest state administered grant program for community park access in California. This tool shows where SPP grant projects are located.

Parks are unique places where children can play, people exercise, families bond, seniors socialize, youth are mentored, cultures share and celebrate their differences, and everyone can connect with nature. The California Department of Parks and Recreation sponsors this website to help advance park access for all Californians. The tools on this site show where grant funding improved park access, and where communities still need more resources to achieve the goal for everyone in California to have close-to-home parks.

Intent

The Statewide Park Development and Community Revitalization Program (SPP) is a competitive grant program creating new parks and new recreation opportunities in underserved communities across California.

Beverage Container Recycling Grants

The Beverage Container Recycling Grant (BCRG) Program aims to reach and maintain an 80% recycling rate for all California Refund Value (CRV) beverage containers – aluminum, glass, plastic, and bi-metal.This grant program encourages market development and expansion activities for beverage container materials by helping organizations establish convenient recycling and litter abatement projects. 

Eligible costs are limited to the following:

• Personnel costs directly related to the start-up/implementation of the project are capped at 25% of the total grant award, such as:
• Recycling coordinator salaries or wages for those directly involved, students, consultants
• Purchase of equipment or materials related to infrastructure such as:
• Beverage container recycling bins/receptacles
• Cluster bins
• Lids
• Receptacle liner
• In-unit totes (multi-family residential dwellings)
• Pads/enclosures to accommodate centralized roll-off, balers, scales, optical sorters (for municipality operating its own Material Recovery Facility)
• Equipment modifications
• Signage
• Brochures
• Installation costs for equipment
• Service cart for use in collection of materials
• Laptops, computers, etc.

About McElhattan Foundation

Founded in 2017 following the sale of Industrial Scientific Corporation, McElhattan Foundation invites bold ideas that advance the goals of its four program areas, including Ending Death on the Job.

Zero Electrocution Challenge

Despite decades of regulations, training, and personal protective equipment, workers continue to die from electrical contact every year.

McElhattan Foundation’s Zero Electrocution Challenge seeks breakthrough solutions that present pathways to eliminate life-threatening tasks that lead to fatal electrocution on the job by the year 2050, while increasing enterprise profitability and productivity. This is the inaugural ZERO 2050 challenge, awarding two Winners up to $1 million each.

The FY27 Communications and Networking Applied Research program aims to advance technologies essential for Naval operations. This initiative aligns with the Design for Maritime Superiority, focusing on the Naval Tactical Grid (NTG) to ensure seamless connectivity among distributed units. The technologies developed will operate under challenging conditions across multiple domains, enhancing command and control capabilities for effective decision-making in maritime and other operational theaters.

The Fair Housing Initiatives Program (FHIP) aims to combat discriminatory housing practices through funding provided to various organizations. Established by Congress in 1988 and made permanent in 1992, FHIP supports entities that educate the public and enforce fair housing rights. The program offers competitive grants across four initiatives, including the Private Enforcement Initiative, which enables national non-profit organizations to investigate violations and uphold fair housing laws effectively.

About Us

Wisconsin Sea Grant is a statewide program of basic and applied research, education, outreach and technology transfer dedicated to the stewardship and sustainable use of the nation’s Great Lakes and ocean resources.

Headquartered at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, the institute is housed in the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research’s Aquatic Sciences Center. (See our Water and Land Acknowledgement.) Wisconsin Sea Grant is part of a national network of 34 university-based programs funded through the National Sea Grant College Program, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce and through matching contributions from participating states and the private sector. 

John A. Knauss Marine (and Great Lakes) Policy Fellowship

The University of Wisconsin Sea Grant College Program is accepting applications from graduate students statewide for the National Sea Grant College Program’s John A. Knauss Marine (and Great Lakes) Policy Fellowship Program. The program, established in 1979, provides a unique educational experience to applicants who have an interest in ocean, coastal and Great Lakes resources and in the national policy decisions affecting those resources. The program matches highly qualified graduate students with “hosts” in the legislative and executive branch of government located in the Washington, D.C. area, for a one year paid internship. Placement opportunities are numerous and very diverse and have typically included offices within Congress, the Executive Office of the President, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the U.S. Navy, and the U.S. Departments of State, Treasury, Transportation, and Energy, in addition to others. Applicants from a variety of backgrounds including natural and social sciences, law, engineering, and communications can be competitive for this fellowship. Fellowships begin June 1, 2027.

The Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program (TBCP) aims to enhance broadband access and adoption on Tribal lands, supporting initiatives for remote learning, telework, and telehealth. Administered by NTIA, this program provides vital funding to eligible entities under the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021 and the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021. This funding is crucial for fostering digital inclusion and improving connectivity in underserved Tribal communities.

California Energy Commission

As the state’s primary energy policy and planning agency, the California Energy Commission (CEC) plays a critical role in creating the energy system of the future—one that is clean, modern, and ensures the fifth largest economy in the world continues to thrive. Combating climate change is fundamental to maintaining California’s future. The agency’s research, programs and policies remain crucial today as the state plans for 100% clean energy and carbon neutrality by mid-century. CEC is helping create the energy system of California’s future through activities such as Planning and Policy Development, Renewable Energy Growth; Energy Efficiency; Energy Innovation; Cleaner Transportation; and Responsible Electricity Infrastructure.

GFO-25-605 – Reliable Electric Charging for Eligible School-bus Sites (RECESS)

Purpose

The California Energy Commission’s (CEC’s) Clean Transportation Program announces the availability of up to $22,000,000 in grant funds for projects that will install electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure for electric school buses. This is a multi-funding lane grant solicitation (first come, first served and competitive) with minimum requirements and certain conditions as further described in the manual.

Funding Lanes

This solicitation has three funding lanes: Funding Lane 1; Funding Lane 2; and Funding Lane 3

Applicants may apply for funding in only one of the three funding lanes based on their eligibility as described in Section II A. Eligibility Requirements of the attached manual.

Funding Lane 1 (First come, first serve)

$4 million in funding available for electric school bus charging infrastructure projects at local educational agencies that received Clean Truck and Bus Incentive Project (HVIP) Public School Bus Set Aside Year 1 and Year 2 funded electric school buses, but who did not receive the CEC’s Energy Infrastructure Incentives for Zero-Emission Commercial Vehicles Project (EnergIIZE) Public School Bus Set Aside Year 1 or Year 2 infrastructure funding. This funding lane is awarded on a first come, first serve basis.

Table 4 in Section II.A.1 of the solicitation manual shows eligible Funding Lane 1 Applicants and the maximum number of charging ports that can be requested.

This Community Foundation was created by and for the people of Washington County MD, and exists to improve the quality of life for all of our citizens, now and for generations to come, by building community endowments, addressing needs through grant making and providing leadership on key community issues.

Washington County 4-H Dairy Scholarship

Established to support post-secondary scholarships to participants in Washington County 4-H dairy programs.

This Community Foundation was created by and for the people of Washington County MD, and exists to improve the quality of life for all of our citizens, now and for generations to come, by building community endowments, addressing needs through grant making and providing leadership on key community issues.

The Tim Moffatt Career Advancement Award

This scholarship will be awarded to deserving students who are graduating from a WCPS high school, or are a non-traditional learner with equivalent education, who have been accepted into a trade school/program/apprenticeship, or who have enlisted in the military. 

The Greater Houston Community Foundation (GHCF) administers a variety of unique scholarship funds that grant over $5.7 million annually to college students. The scholarship funds have been established by thoughtful and generous donors and each has a unique set of eligibility criteria and award structure.

Pi-Squared Scholarship

Benefiting graduating seniors of Spring ISD (Texas), Klein ISD (Texas), and Houston ISD (Texas).

The Greater Houston Community Foundation (GHCF) administers a variety of unique scholarship funds that grant over $5.7 million annually to college students. The scholarship funds have been established by thoughtful and generous donors and each has a unique set of eligibility criteria and award structure.

Roger and Barbara Powell Scholarship for Nursing

Benefiting rural Texas residents pursuing nursing degrees.

The Greater Houston Community Foundation (GHCF) administers a variety of unique scholarship funds that grant over $5.7 million annually to college students. The scholarship funds have been established by thoughtful and generous donors and each has a unique set of eligibility criteria and award structure.

Silver Eagle Distributors Houston Scholarship

Benefiting dependents of Silver Eagle Distributors Houston employees.

The Greater Houston Community Foundation (GHCF) administers a variety of unique scholarship funds that grant over $5.7 million annually to college students. The scholarship funds have been established by thoughtful and generous donors and each has a unique set of eligibility criteria and award structure.

Tradition of Excellence Scholarship

Benefiting dependents of current Perry Homes employees.

The Greater Houston Community Foundation (GHCF) administers a variety of unique scholarship funds that grant over $5.7 million annually to college students. The scholarship funds have been established by thoughtful and generous donors and each has a unique set of eligibility criteria and award structure.

Strong Family Scholarship

Benefiting graduating high school seniors from charter schools in Houston, TX.

The purpose of the Grants program is to provide for well managed OHV Recreation by providing financial assistance to eligible agencies and organizations that develop, maintain, operate, expand, support, or contribute to well-managed, high-quality, OHV Recreation areas, roads, and trails, and to responsibly maintain the wildlife, soils, and habitat of Project Areas in a manner that will sustain long-term OHV Recreation in accordance with the legislative provisions and intent of the Act commencing at PRC Section 5090.01.

Taka Domingo HLP Vocational Scholarship

The HLP Hamakua Community Foundation is a non-profit organization that was formed to benefit the people of Hamakua. Taka Domingo was one of the original board members when HLP was established after the closure of sugar. He was an electrician and County Councilman representing the Hamakua District. The Taka Domingo HLP Vocational Scholarship was established after his death in August 2016. 

Individual award amount: $2,000. 

Possible trades include: welding, tourism, fire science, electrical, early childhood education, agriculture, auto body, auto mechanics, diesel mechanics, carpentry, culinary and others not listed.

Pfizer supports the global healthcare community’s independent initiatives (e.g., research, quality improvement or education) to improve patient outcomes in areas of unmet medical need that are aligned with Pfizer’s medical and/or scientific strategies.

Pre-clinical Investigation of anti-TFPI-mediated Rebalancing Mechanisms in Non-Hemophilic Bleeding Disorders

There remains a scientific gap in understanding of the role of anti-TFPImediated hemostatic rebalancing in the context of inherited or non-hemophilic bleeding disorders. This competitive grant program encourages competitive submissions focsed on generating preclinical/foundational data exploring the therapeutic potential and mechanisms of TFPI modulation in bleeding disorders other than hemophilia.

Funding

• Individual projects requesting up to $50,000 USD will be considered. Request for study drug or compound is allowed (max $50,000 USD), additionally to the study project costs.
• Maximum project length is 1 year.

California Department of Fish and Wildlife

CDFW’s MISSION is to manage California's diverse fish, wildlife, and plant resources, and the habitats upon which they depend, for their ecological values and for their use and enjoyment by the public.

Natural Community Conservation Planning Local Assistance Grant Program

Description

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife seeks proposals for highest priority projects associated with the implementation of an NCCP. The intention of this Proposal Solicitation Package (PSP) is to solicit proposals of the highest quality that are consistent with the goals of the NCCP Program. Proposals must address the highest priority tasks associated with the implementation of an NCCP such as:

• Management Activities: Immediate management actions on newly acquired NCCP reserve lands.
• Restoration/Enhancement: Restoration or enhancement of habitats or species populations on NCCP reserve lands.
• Monitoring: Design and implementation of biological monitoring programs identified in an NCCP, including the establishment of sampling methods, monitoring plots, data collection, management, and analysis.
• Reserve Management Plans: Development and implementation of individual reserve management plans.
• Mapping: New or updated mapping in support of NCCP management or monitoring activities, such as vegetation community mapping.
• Targeted Studies for Adaptive Management: Studies to evaluate management actions for covered habitats or species, and whether such actions are meeting stated goals or require adjustments through adaptive management.
• Other: Other non-land acquisition priority tasks, identified by the applicant and implementing partners, which are needed to ensure effective implementation of the NCCP.

St. Ignace Area Community Foundation: CTE Technical Scholarship

The St. Ignace Community Fund annually awards scholarships assisting students with higher education, technical training, vocational training or retraining based largely on acknowledgement of student responsibility, community service, and civic involvement. These Scholarships are made possible through the generosity of donors to the various accounts within the St. Ignace Area Community Fund. Some accounts specifically are awarded to recognize higher education in the areas of special education, vocational/technical careers, teaching, law enforcement, and health care.

Susan G Komen Breast Cancer Foundation

The mission of Susan G. Komen® is to save lives by meeting the most critical needs in our communities and investing in breakthrough research to prevent and cure breast cancer.

Susan G. Komen Career Catalyst Research (CCR) Grants

Susan G. Komen Career Catalyst Research (CCR) Grants foster promising breast cancer researchers who are in the early stages of their faculty careers by providing support for up to three years of “protected time” for research career development under the guidance of a Mentor Committee. We seek to support those who will emerge as the next key leaders in the fight against breast cancer.

CCR Research Focus: Research projects must be hypothesis-driven, breast cancer-focused studies. They may be considered basic, translational, clinical and/or population science in nature and should align with Komen’s research priorities and mission to save lives from breast cancer. 

Solís Policy Institute State Fellowship

For over twenty years, The Dr. Beatriz María Solís Policy Institute (SPI) State has created feminist policy for the future of California. SPI State is a policy advocacy and leadership training fellowship for advocates and activists who work in non-profit or grassroots organizations. With nearly 60 laws passed, this fellowship is built for women and gender-expansive folks across California who know that change happens when we bring lived experience into legislative spaces. Join this new wave of policy leaders who are grounded in community, driven by justice, and take up space.  

Criteria

• Depth of Issue Expertise
• Collaborative Spirit
• Commitment to Policy Advocacy Work
• Organizational Support
• Commitment to Building Organizational Capacity
• Time Availability
• Understanding of and interest in applying anti-racist, intersectional and transgender justice lenses to policy advocacy