OVERVIEW: The Orange County Community Foundation supports Orange County, California, in the areas of arts and culture, education, environment and animal welfare, human services, and health and wellness.
IP TAKE: Nonprofits need to determine which of OCCF’s funds is most relevant to their cause, but there are quite a few ways to get involved with this community funder.
PROFILE: Established in 1989, the Orange County Community Foundation (OCCF) is a community funder based in Newport Beach, California. It seeks to “help people support the causes they care about most.” This foundation awards grants to local nonprofits in the region for a wide range of issues. Grantmaking areas of interest include arts and culture, education, environment and animal welfare, human services, and health and wellness.
Within that broad range of issues, OCCF often makes grants to programs that assist veterans, help at-risk teams, and address community issues like poverty, homelessness, health, education and safety nets. OCCF publishes information about its grantmaking programs, each of which has its own application process and annual cycle. The foundation also has several community leadership initiatives that provide funds, including the Orange County Veterans Initiative, ACT Anaheim, and the OC Opportunity Fund. ACT Anaheim, for example, is a youth program aimed at helping local youth live health lifestyles, be ready for college and career, have positive relationships, and engage in the community. The iheartoc Giving Day is a local giving event that the foundation organizes, as well.
OCCF grants often range from $15,000 to $50,000. The foundation does not have an online grants database; however, it does publish awards information in the news section of its website. Grantmaking is typically restricted to Orange County, California, and especially the Newport Beach area.
To apply for an OCCF grant, nonprofits must first complete a Nonprofit Central profile. Submit new proposals to proposals@oc-cf.org. Direct general questions to the foundation staff at 949-553-4202 or info@oc-cf.org.
PEOPLE:
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