OVERVIEW: The Community Foundation Sonoma County awards grants in Sonoma County, California in the areas of arts and culture, health and human services, environment and education.
IP TAKE: This funder has been focused on disaster recovery but will likely shift its focus to something else in the near future as those efforts become less critical.
PROFILE: Established in 1983, the Community Foundation Sonoma County (CFSC) is a community foundation that serves this region of the Bay Area of California. The foundation has over $150 million in assets held in more than 450 charitable funds to benefit local nonprofits. The foundation believes “in the power of connecting people, ideas, and resources to benefit all who live here.” Grantmaking includes arts and culture, health and human services, environment and education.
CFSC makes competitive grants to organizations and also initiative grants that are usually an invitation-only basis. Past grant cycles have included the Julia L. Grant Fund for Basic Human Needs, Environmental Education, and Arts Education Innovation Grants programs, which have funding opportunities that open up in the summer. The community foundation also launched the mid- to long-term Sonoma County Resilience Fund to support natural disasters in the area. The foundation makes funds available through the Sonoma County Vinters Foundation, the community foundation affiliates of the Sonoma Valley Fund and Healdsburg Forever Grants, and through post-secondary scholarships as well.
Foundation grants are typically between $5,000 and $10,000, depending on the program area. View a list of recent grants on the funder’s website. Funding is largely restricted to Sonoma County, California. CFSC does not generally fund capital campaigns, conferences, one-time events, fundraising events, primary or secondary schools, or to anything outside of Sonoma County.
CFSC accepts unsolicited grant applications from local nonprofits. Grantseekers can direct general questions to the Santa Rosa, California-based staff at 707-579-4073 or invest@sonomacf.org. Direct grant-related questions to Vice President of Programs Karin Demarest at kdemarest@sonomacf.org or 707-303-9621.
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