California Capacity Building Grants

This funding opportunity provides financial support to California-based nonprofits and government entities for arts education projects that engage and empower young people, particularly those from underserved communities.

This grant provides funding to California-based organizations to support fellowships for individual artists, promoting artistic excellence and community engagement across various disciplines.

This funding opportunity supports individual artists and arts organizations in Santa Cruz County to enhance their artistic skills and professional capacity through training, mentorship, and skill-building activities.

This program provides $10,000 grants and support to help 20 small businesses in Long Beach grow and become sustainable through workshops and personalized assistance.

This funding provides financial support to local consortia to improve the quality of preschool programs in California, ensuring better access to high-quality education for low-income children.

This program provides funding to nonprofit organizations in Pasadena, Altadena, and Sierra Madre for significant capital projects or essential equipment purchases that have a lasting impact.

This initiative provides funding to nonprofit organizations in the San Francisco Bay Area that are led by and serve Transgender People of Color, focusing on strengthening their infrastructure and workforce development.

This program provides financial support to small businesses in Richmond that have been negatively affected by COVID-19, helping them stabilize and grow through grants ranging from $5,000 to $10,000.

This program provides financial assistance to small business owners in Richmond who have been adversely affected by COVID-19, helping them stabilize and grow their operations.

This initiative provides financial support to small businesses and entrepreneurs in Southern California that are historically underserved, helping them access resources and grow their community impact.

This grant provides funding to community groups in San José for projects that enhance neighborhood beauty, improve quality of life, and foster community engagement.

This funding opportunity supports Los Angeles-based organizations working on initiatives that create systemic change to improve the lives of children from prenatal to age 5 and their families.

This funding opportunity provides up to $2 million to a single organization to enhance statewide tobacco prevention efforts in California through communication, technical assistance, and support for local initiatives targeting high-risk populations.

This grant provides financial support to nonprofit organizations in San Francisco for youth arts programming, community arts services, and culturally specific initiatives that engage and uplift historically marginalized communities.

The City of San Diego's Economic Development Department is offering a grant of $10,000 to $100,000 to nonprofit organizations that can assist small businesses in under-resourced communities, with funds to be used for capacity building expenses such as technical assistance, website creation, and event programming, with priority given to organizations with modest budgets and proposals aligning with the Economic Development Strategy.

The San Francisco Arts Commission (SFAC) is offering Special Project Grants of $100,000 to $500,000 for a 3-year period to arts nonprofit organizations for youth arts programs, arts service organizations, and Asian and Pacific Islander arts and culture programming, with the application deadline set for October 9, 2024.

The California Wildlands Grassroots Fund (Cal Wildlands) supports the heroic efforts of grassroots activists to preserve California’s wildlands and natural habitat. Donor Name: Rose Foundation for Communities and the Environment State: California County: All Counties Type of Grant: Grant Deadline:  08/15/2024 Size of the Grant: $1000 to $10,000 Grant Duration: 1 Year Details: The Fund champion’s conservationists advocating for the permanent protection, including restoration and stewardship, of intact wildlands on both public and private lands, to help preserve California’s wilderness and native biological diversity. This includes policy advocacy, litigation and regulatory watchdogging at the local, state and federal levels; efforts to advance wildlands and open space protection through county general plans and local planning; as well as direct stewardship and maintenance of intact wild areas. Priority Areas Community-based advocacy and organizing efforts steered by affected community members. Efforts predominantly driven and staffed by volunteers. Projects in areas that have not received significant foundation support, including rural communities. Projects that build diverse constituencies for wildlands protection and engage non-traditional stakeholders, especially communities of color. Project-specific requests, though general support requests will be accepted from strong organizations whose work is well aligned with the fund’s objectives. Projects that will establish or combat a critical precedent that will influence other wildlands protection efforts. Funding Information Maximum grant award is $10,000, and typical grants range between $4,000-$8,000. If your organization’s actual annual income and expenses are $30,000 or less, they strongly encourage you to request a grant of $5,000 or less. Organizations seeking the maximum grant size of $10,000 must be able to articulate a clear project and budget that justifies the full grant. Grants are for a one year period. Geographic Scope Project impact must be within the state of California. Eligibility Criteria Annual actual expenses and income of $200,000 or less. Applicants may be a nonprofit, or an individual/organization fiscally sponsored by a nonprofit. The Fund supports: Projects that protect and preserve wildlands and open space, or support the good stewardship, restoration and management of wild areas. Cal Wildlands defines “wildlands” as natural habitats, privately or publicly owned, that are (or have the potential to be) permanently preserved through legislation or deed restrictions, and are on a scale necessary to support significant native plant and animal life. Projects in urban or suburban settings, must feature connectivity to larger protected areas and/or be located along critical wildlife corridors. Activities such as grassroots organizing and outreach; communications campaigns; regulatory advocacy; lawsuits; wildlands restoration and stewardship (including trail maintenance); scientific research; organizational capacity building and equipment purchases. Environmental education programs must include a strong element of environmental advocacy to be considered. For more information, visit RFCE.

The 2025 Keiro Grant Program is accepting applications from organizations that provide support to informal, family caregivers or that provide formal (often paid) caregiving services to older adults. Donor Name: Keiro State: California County: Los Angeles County (CA), Orange County (CA), Ventura County (CA) Type of Grant: Grant Deadline: Closed Size of the Grant: $10,000 to $100,000 Grant Duration: Less than 1 Year Details: Keiro is prioritizing programs, services, and projects that focus on enhancing the quality of life for older adults and caregivers in the Japanese American and Japanese-speaking community of Los Angeles, Orange, and Ventura counties. Goals Enhance the quality of life of older adults and their caregivers in the Japanese American and Japanese-speaking community of Los Angeles Orange, and Ventura counties. Reach out to and/or reestablish connections with older adults and caregivers, while providing support through community programs and events, and increasing capacity to offer these services. Promote accessible, culturally-sensitive programs and services to Community. Program Areas Services to Older Adults Asian Americans have the highest life expectancy of all races at 83.5 years, compared to the overall U.S. life expectancy of 76.1 years. Keiro seeks to support individual Japanese American and Japanese-speaking older adults to live healthier and more fulfilling lives, by equipping them with knowledge, resources, and assistance, so they can effectively manage their lives and wellbeing wherever they call home. Support of Caregivers One in seven people in the U.S. are caregivers. Caregiver demands and burdens are increasing as people live longer and choose to live at home, instead of in residential care facilities. Keiro seeks to support caregivers in the community to assist older adults in need. Grant funds can be used for: Program development to design new programs and/or enhance existing programs and services Capacity building to help organizations plan, effectively manage, retool systems or methods, and/or build sustainability Core operations to maintain provision of high quality, high demand services with demonstrated outcomes and strong participation. Funding Information Up to 300,000 will be distributed during the 2025 Cycle. Funding will be limited to a maximum of $20,000. Grant Period  The grant period is up to 10 months (March 1, 2025 – December 31, 2025). Eligibility Criteria Eligible organizations must meet one of the following criteria: Nonprofit organizations that are tax exempt under IRS Section 501(c)(3) Community groups that have a 501(c)(3) organization serving as their fiscal sponsor Faith-based nonprofit organizations that welcome and serve all members of the community Eligible proposals must be for programs, services and projects that: Primarily serve older adults and/or caregivers in the Japanese American and Japanese community Serve Los Angeles, Orange, and/or Ventura Counties. Ineligible Submission Types Funds will not be granted to the following: Programs, services, and projects that are focused outside of the three identified communities (Los Angeles County, Orange County, and Ventura County) Government agencies and institutions Medical research Individuals Fundraising events Endowments Political campaigns and/or lobbying Grant-making institutions and/or pass-through grants. For more information, visit Keiro.

The Imperial Valley Wellness Foundation (IVWF) is seeking applications for its Mission Support grant for nonprofit organizations serving primarily Imperial County. Donor Name: Imperial Valley Wellness Foundation State: California County: Imperial County (CA) Type of Grant: Grant Deadline: (mm/dd/yyyy) 08/15/2024 Size of the Grant: $1000 to $10,000 Grant Duration: Grant Duration Not Mentioned Details: Imperial Valley Wellness Foundation (IVWF) aims to make the Imperial Valley A Better Place to Live for All. It recognizes the importance and value of focusing on the quality of life for the residents of the Imperial County and want to support the work that many organizations are doing to address health and wellness, and community engagement in disinvested communities and especially with populations and groups that have been historically excluded from planning and decision-making. In addition, they value the importance of the nonprofits that lead this work and are committed to supporting them in building capacity to carry out their work and mission. Focus Areas  Health and Wellness Food insecurity and healthy eating Active living and physical activity Mental and emotional health Safe and healthy living neighborhoods Social health Programs that focus on the awareness and prevention of asthma, prenatal care, diabetes, and obesity Health and wellness programs that benefit children, disadvantaged students, farm workers, homeless, LGBTQ, low-income families, seniors and veterans Community Engagement Helping community members address the issues and needs they face in their communities Engaging community members to work together on community priorities Creating opportunities for community members to gather and socialize Helping community members gain awareness and become better informed Listening to the community to learn more about their priorities and helping them take actions to improve conditions Building the community’s capacity so they can create the change they want to see Nonprofit Capacity Building Strengthening the operations of the organization Strengthening the staff and team of the organization Building a strong volunteer base Attending conferences and workshops Purchasing and/or improving equipment and software Technical assistance or consulting services Funding Information IVWF’s 2024 Mission Support grant funding ranges from $1,000 to $10,000 per recipient. The total fund is $80,000. Eligibility Criteria To qualify for IVWF’s 2023 Mission Support, your organization must: be a 501(c)(3) or have a 501(c)(3) fiscal sponsor; serve regions in Imperial County; provide direct services to underserved communities, and For more information, visit IVWF.

The Archstone Foundation offers Capacity Building Program to support direct service organizations in the field of aging in their efforts to work more efficiently and effectively. Donor Name: Archstone Foundation State: California County: All Counties Type of Grant: Grant Deadline: (mm/dd/yyyy) 08/14/2024 Size of the Grant: $10,000 to $100,000 Grant Duration: 1 Year Details: Capacity Building grants seek to assist nonprofits in achieving new levels of organizational strength and effectiveness. Their purpose is to help nonprofit organizations directly serving older adults to strengthen internal systems; implement evidence-based programs; execute needed IT infrastructure updates; and find new resources to facilitate the organization’s progress in achieving its goals. Capacity Building grants are not intended to pay for existing client-facing programs and services, nor are they intended to provide general operating (core) support to the organization. Financial and operational sustainability of the organization at its enhanced level of capacity is key to being considered. Capacity building support offered through this RFP is limited to the following (one per application): Planning Activities: E.g., organizational assessments, strategic planning, fundraising assessment and development, communications/marketing, contingency/disaster planning, COVID response, or business planning. Board and Leadership Development: May include activities such as leadership training, defining the role of the board, strengthening governance, assistance with executive transition, succession, expanding the diversity of the board and leadership, and search process. Strategic Relationships: Technical assistance/consultant support to help two or more organizations work through collaboration and strategic restructuring; positioning for merger or affiliation; or business planning for social enterprise and earned income. Internal Operations: Improvements to financial management, internal controls and chart of accounts, human resources, or volunteer management; on boarding new staff, training and technical assistance on quality improvement, or facility planning. Technology Improvements: IT capacity through upgrades to hardware and software, cyber security, networking, websites, and staff training to optimize the use of technology. Developing New Sources for Earned Income: Business planning, contracting, startup costs for a new program, legal services, accounting, or actuarial services. Building Evaluation Capacity: Consultants may be utilized to develop evaluation plans and train staff and board on outcome evaluation methods and metrics. Evidence-Based Program Adaptation or Implementation: Explore, modify, or adapt an existing evidence-based program or service not currently or previously offered. NOTE: Because of the small dollar amount and short duration of this grant opportunity, it is not intended for the development from scratch, or validation, of a new program or service. This opportunity is intended only for organizations to implement or adapt an existing evidence-based model that is new to the organization. Grant Purpose The Foundation’s purpose is to help nonprofit organizations directly serving older adults to strengthen internal systems; implement evidence-based programs; execute needed IT infrastructure updates; and find new resources to facilitate the organization’s progress in achieving its goals. Capacity Building grants are not intended to pay for existing client-facing programs and services, nor are they intended to provide general operating (core) support to the organization. Financial and operational sustainability of the organization at its enhanced level of capacity is key to being considered.  Funding Information  Up to $50,000. Grant Period Up to one year. Eligibility Criteria  Organizations in California whose work aligns with Archstone Foundation’s mission to improve the health and well-being of older Californians and their caregivers and vision to integrate health and social care are eligible to apply for a Capacity Building grant. One application may be submitted per year per organization. However, organizations previously awarded grants under the Capacity Building Program must wait two years from the end of their prior grant to re-apply to the Capacity Building Program. For more information, visit Archstone Foundation.