The Baptist Foundation of California Grants

The Baptist Foundation of California (BFCal) offers grants through the stewardship of California Southern Baptists, aimed at supporting churches in their evangelism and outreach efforts within the state of California. These grants are part of a larger initiative to empower churches to fulfill their mission of making disciples of all nations, especially in contexts where outreach activities can be financially burdensome. BFCal serves as a resource hub and financial partner for affiliated churches, extending support through a structured grant program designed to target specific ministry and outreach activities. The purpose of the BFCal grant program is to provide financial resources to California Southern Baptist Convention (CSBC)-affiliated churches for evangelism and outreach projects that advance the Gospel within California. The scope of funding is restricted to direct ministry and outreach efforts and explicitly excludes operational or general church support such as staffing, equipment, budget supplementation, or debt relief. The funded projects must focus on one or more of the following categories: Local Missions, Evangelistic Outreach, Ministry Outreach, Disaster Relief Efforts, and Hunger Relief Efforts. This targeted funding approach ensures alignment with the Foundation’s strategic vision for impactful local ministry. To be eligible, applicant churches must be formally affiliated with the CSBC and must be current financial contributors to the CSBC’s Cooperative Program. Additionally, applicants cannot have received $5,000 or more from the same grant program in the current year, which helps ensure equitable distribution of funds. Priority is given to first-time applicants to broaden the reach of the Foundation's support. Importantly, grant-funded events or projects must take place within California and must occur at least 50 days after the relevant application deadline to allow for review and award decisions. A detailed event budget must be submitted with each application, and recipients are required to submit a post-event grant response report within 30 days of the project's conclusion. Failure to do so may render the church ineligible for future funding. Applications are accepted year-round but are reviewed biannually based on two specific deadlines: January 15 and July 15. For example, to qualify for the January 15, 2026 deadline, the proposed event must occur on or after March 5, 2026. For the July 15, 2026 deadline, the event must occur after September 2, 2026. Applications must be submitted before these cut-off dates, and the review process takes up to 50 days post-deadline, during which time applicants will be notified of the outcome. The application process is straightforward but requires careful attention to eligibility and timeline constraints. In addition to the budget and event timing requirements, churches with prior funding history must ensure they have submitted their required response report from previous awards before new applications will be reviewed. All grant responses must now be completed online through the Foundation’s website, which streamlines documentation and tracking for both the funder and the recipient churches. Contact for further information is available via email at [email protected] or by phone at 909-738-4000. The Baptist Foundation of California is headquartered at 3210 E Guasti Road, Ontario, CA 91761. Prospective applicants are encouraged to reach out with questions and to begin preparing their application materials well in advance of the deadline to ensure compliance and competitiveness.