Community Enrichment and Safety-Net Grant Application Now Available

The Community Enrichment and Safety Net Grant program is now open and accepting applications on our website. Up to $100,000 in funding for Community Enrichment projects, and $100,000 in funding for Safety Net projects is available this year.

Individual grant awards range from $1,000-$5,000. Applicants are strongly advised to thoroughly review the changes to the guidelines for this year’s program. Organizations may apply for both grant programs if they qualify. Organizations are invited to apply at www.communityfound.org by October 2, 2020.

The Community Foundation of Mendocino County is pleased to announce the launch of a revamped Community Enrichment and Safety-Net Grant Program for 2020-2021.

Since the shelter-in-place order was issued in March, the Community Foundation has focused on developing a multi-sector COVID-19 Relief Program to support individuals, non-profits, and small businesses in Mendocino County impacted by the pandemic. To meet this goal, we have revamped the Community Enrichment Grant program to include grant funding specifically for non-profit organizations that provide safety-net services for vulnerable populations.

Mendocino County relies on a healthy network of non-profit organizations to provide crucial safety-net services to our most vulnerable residents. These include basic needs, behavioral health, information and referral, domestic violence and child abuse, as well as neglect intervention or prevention. At their core, safety-net organizations provide programs and services for vulnerable populations and are straining under the increased demand created by the pandemic. This is why we have allocated up to $100,000 in grants to assist these organizations with increased demand caused by COVID-19.

The Community Enrichment portion of the grant program will continue to focus on funding organizational programs, capital projects, and equipment and technology projects that support countywide non-profits fulfill their mission. These grants are made in five areas of interest, including: sense of place, environment, healthy communities, arts and humanities, and education. $100,000 has been allocated to provide Community Enrichment grants in 2020-2021.

We believe that the non-profit community is the backbone of our county, serving the needs of our most vulnerable neighbors, while continuing to maintain our environmental treasures, arts and history of our region, education for all, and nurturing the economy of our small businesses. As a community we rely on these services, and believe in supporting them. In light of the pandemic, and the increased demand for services, we have moved our timeline up to offer funding sooner.

We strongly encourage applicants to view the virtual Grant Information Workshop available on August 24th on our website.

Program Officer Allison Findley will provide an overview of the upcoming grant programs and offer in-depth information on the Community Enrichment and Safety-Net grant program. This workshop is offered at no cost to participants.

The Community Enrichment and Safety-Net grant program is made possible through the Community Foundation’s Community Endowment Fund. The Community Endowment has been built by contributions that vary from a check for twenty-five dollars to an estate gift valued at over a million dollars. Donors who give to the Community Endowment Fund know their gifts enrich our communities countywide where the need and opportunity is greatest.

For more information about applying to the Community Enrichment and Safety-Net grant program or about how you can make a gift to the Community Endowment Fund please visit www.communityfound.org.

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If you have any questions concerning your application, or would like feedback on your individual proposal after viewing the virtual grant workshop and/or carefully reading the grant guidelines, please contact our program office:

Allison Findley; Program Officer
(707) 468-9882 ext. 103
allison@communityfound.org

Amy Lutz; Grants Administrator
(707) 468-9882 ext. 104
amy@communityfound.org

Our staff and committees are looking forward to reading your grant proposals.

For guidelines and application visit:
Community Enrichment and Safety-Net Grant Program