2024 Grant Opportunities

The Foundation’s grants program provides a diverse range of opportunities for San Luis Obispo County nonprofit organizations that directly address community needs.

Fall Grants Informational Session Downloadable Power Point

Recorded Fall Grants Informational Session

Apply for a Grant

Grants that will become available January 29, 2024

Women’s Legacy Fund – Opens: January 29, 2024

Closes: March 15, 2024 at 5PM

Women’s Legacy Fund’s mission is to be a catalyst for philanthropy that improves the lives of women and girls in San Luis Obispo County. This year, funding will focus on programs or projects that support: 

• Girls Mental Health- Examples: self-care, chronic sadness, self-esteem, addressing bullying and harassment, internet safety
• Women’s Financial Stability- Examples: financial literacy & education, economic independence, support for Latinas, income disparity, food security, senior support, housing stability
• Childcare – Examples: access to childcare for low-income families, expanded capacity for childcare, improvement of childcare facilities, professional development for pre-k and preschool educators

 

 

 

 

 

Robert H. Janssen Youth and Youth Sports Fund –Opens: January 29, 2024

Closes: March 15, 2024 at 5PM

The Robert H. Janssen Youth & Youth Sports Fund seeks to support programs that enrich the lives of local youth and ideally reflect the Search Institute’s 40 Developmental Assets. Grants are available to local nonprofit organizations providing youth sports programs with an emphasis on active participation over educational programming, provide access to all segments of the community regardless of income level, and operate in the City of SLO and adjacent areas within San Luis Obispo County. Janssen grant funds should represent only a portion of the funds required to implement the program, and a preference is to support direct service costs.

Grants that will become available in June 2024

Access for All 

During the 2024 grantmaking cycle, Access for All Fund will prioritize one-year grants to 501c3 organizations in San Luis Obispo County with programs supporting the disability community that:

• Focus on advancing access to Health & Wellness
  o Examples: access to health care services and equipment; access to activities that promote good health/wellness such as physical and mental health, exercise, fitness facilities, yoga, and outdoor/indoor recreation.
• Expand capacity for Housing & Home Access
  o Examples: more options for accessible, affordable housing (e.g., visitable
  homes); modifications/equipment for living independently and safely (e.g., smart homes tech).
• Create and support Community Participation / Inclusion
  o Examples: accessible events (e.g., interpreters, video captioning, accessible
  websites); accessible physical and virtual spaces; inclusive programming; accessible transportation and wayfinding.
• Promote Accessible Workspaces and grow Employment Opportunities
  o Examples: educational outreach to support inclusive work environments; needs assessments; employee training; improved access to services.

BUILD Grants 

The primary goal of the BUILD (building unity, infrastructure, leadership, and development) Grant Program is to provide funding for agencies with an annual operating budget of $500,000 and below The Foundation aims to strengthen nonprofit organizations with smaller operating budgets by supporting their efforts in building capacity and improving infrastructure. BUILD Grants are available for general operating purposes as well as planned projects in the following areas:

• Capacity building
• Staff or board training and development
• Communications or donor development efforts
• Capital equipment improvement (hardware, software, furniture, etc.)

General Grants Program 

The primary goal of the 2024 General Grants Program is to provide funding for agencies and programs that directly address community needs gathered through local needs assessments and other sources. The Foundation will prioritize applications which support community well-being, resiliency, collaboration and demonstrate cultural competency.
Nonprofits may submit one or more applications to the following interest areas:

• Arts: supporting organizations which promote creation, engagement, and appreciation of diverse forms of art and/or understanding of local history.
• Environment: organizations which focus on education and sustainability that includes efforts focused on climate mitigation, sustainable agriculture and forestry, water and land conservation.
• Health & Human Services: improving the quality of life by providing for basic needs and social service programs, focusing on direct services.
• Seniors and People with Disabilities: funding is designated for organizations providing direct services for individuals with disabilities and/or seniors.

All general grants will be unrestricted and will have a two-year funding term. 

Growing Together: An LGBTQ Fund 

The Community Foundation San Luis Obispo County established the Growing Together Fund in 2001, an initiative to address the needs of our lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer/questioning, and intersex (LGBTQI) community by providing grants, raising community awareness throughout San Luis Obispo County, and through promoting philanthropy. 

Growing Together: An LGBTQ+ Fund will award grants  focus their funding on 501 (c)3 organizations in San Luis Obispo County to strengthen existing programs, or introduce new programs that:

• Demonstrate strategies to reach out to, involve, and center queer and trans people of color (QTPOC).
• Focus on advancing medical and mental health care for transgender and nonbinary people. 
• Create “queer spaces” in currently unserved areas of the county.

Opportunity to Thrive

Grants from the “Opportunity Fund” are intended to support individuals striving for self-sufficiency and who are in need of transitional assistance to overcome a short-term or one-time barrier. Of particular interest are individuals who are in transition, e.g. foster youth exiting the system, women leaving domestic violence shelters, families at risk of homelessness, individuals completing rehabilitation, re-entry into the workforce.  One-year grants will be provided to local nonprofits who currently work with populations striving for self-sufficiency and have the capacity to assess and administer an assistance fund.

Senior Dance Program 

The 2024 Senior Dance Grants Program will support 501c3 organizations who have programs which encourage social interaction and community building focused on seniors, through music and dancing. If awarded the funds can only be used to pay for musician(s) providing live entertainment.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Online Application Instructions

To submit or access your organization’s online application, follow the instructions below.

1. Create or Access Account: If you are new to our online grants system, you will need to create an account. Creating an account allows you to save your work and gives you access to your application during the application process. Please access the Online Grants Management Portal to access an existing account or create an account.
2. Complete the Application: Insert or type required narrative and upload all the required attachment documents in PDF format.
3. Submission: Once all elements of the proposal are completed, submit the application using the Online Grants Management Portal.

Review the guidelines and all available grant opportunities by visiting the Online Grants Management Portal.

Contact Director of Grants & Programs Cassandra Kartashov at Cassandra@cfsloco.org if you have any questions about eligibility, program fit, or the grantmaking program.

Contact info@cfsloco.org if you have technical questions regarding the grants management portal.