Community foundations across California are investing in environmental sustainability and climate resilience.

Forest Futures

Tahoe Truckee Community Foundation

Forest Futures is a three-year, $30M initiative and a comprehensive playbook that can be replicated by other communities to align local organizations around minimizing the risk of extreme wildfires through better preparation, investment in forest health and infrastructure, and diversifying local economies. To date $1.85MM has been granted to 22 local organizations.

CORE Hub

Humboldt Area Foundation / Wild Rivers Community Foundation

Headquartered at the Humboldt Area Foundation, the Redwood CORE Hub has a mission to help solve the climate emergency and act with urgency to transition the built and natural systems to become both decarbonized and resilient at the same time. CORE supports deep community engagement, expert technical assistance, and centers equity by ensuring benefits accrue to underrepresented and marginalized communities first and to the greatest extent.

Climate Initiative

San Diego Foundation

Since 2006, the Climate Initiative has supported organizations that build equitable climate resilience through research, education, community engagement and programs that benefit historically underserved communities and low-income, climate-vulnerable populations.

Regional Water Management Foundation

Community Foundation Santa Cruz County

The Regional Water Management Foundation (RWMF) was established by the Community Foundation Santa Cruz County in 2007. In cooperation with local agencies, the RWMF supports planning and obtains funding for water resource projects in Santa Cruz County. To date, over $25 million in grants have been awarded through the RWMF.

Conservation Blueprint

Santa Barbara Foundation

A collaboration of The Land Trust for Santa Barbara County, Cachuma Resource Conservation District, and the Santa Barbara Foundation’s LEAF Initiative, the Conservation Blueprint includes an online mapping tool called the Atlas and a written report that focuses on five natural resource themes – water, flora and fauna, agriculture and ranch lands, climate change, and community and the land.

Environment: Community Action Grants

Silicon Valley Community Foundation

Through this grant program, SVCF supports organizations led by and allied with communities of color and of undocumented status that prioritize improving access to clean air, water, open space and food in communities of color and undocumented communities.

Environmental Initiative

Ventura County Community Foundation

VCCF embarked on an Environmental Listening Tour in April of 2021 after 76 percent of donors from a focus group identified the environment as one of their top two areas of interest for their giving. To date over 30 organizations have participated in the Environmental Listening Tour as VCCF launches this new initaitive.

Connecting the Regional Food Economy

Sacramento Region Community Foundation

SRCF’s leadership in Connecting the Regional Food Economy aims to create upstream changes that ensure everyone benefits from a healthy and thriving regional food system with access for all. The Foundation partners with the key players in the food economy — including local farmers, distributors, and vendors — to pursue that aim. The Foundation funded the Sacramento Region Food System Action Plan and hosts the Healthy Food Economy Fund.

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Community foundations across California are investing in resource and power building for historically marginalized communities.

California Black Freedom Fund

Silicon Valley Community Foundation, San Francisco Foundation, California Community Foundation

The California Black Freedom Fund is a five-year, $100 million initiative to ensure that Black power-building and movement-based organizations have the sustained investments and resources they need to eradicate systemic and institutional racism.

African American Alliance Fund

Orange County Community Foundation

The mission of the African American Alliance Fund is to raise awareness about systemic racism and support programs that advance Black residents within Orange County and surrounding communities.

Equity Alliance of the North Coast

Humboldt Area Foundation / Wild Rivers Community Foundation

The Humboldt Area Foundation and Wild Rivers Community Foundation are part of the North Coast Equity Alliance, which hosts roundtable conversations with local community leaders “to address all dimensions of racial inequity—inspiring people, organizations and institutions to make positive change from the inside out.”

San Diego Black Homebuyers Program

San Diego Foundation

Launched in partnership with LISC San Diego and the Urban League, the San Diego Black Homebuyers Program – the first of its kind in California – provides up to $70,000 in grants to qualifying prospective Black homebuyers as well as financial literacy education.

IE Black Equity Fund

Inland Empire Community Foundation

The IE Black Equity Fund is a partnership between the Black Equity Initiative of the Inland Empire (BEI-IE), IE Funders Alliance and IECF to advance the mission of Black-led organizations in the Inland Empire through core support, program and project support, and capacity building in the priority areas of: civic engagement, criminal justice transformation, housing justice, health equity, education equity, and economic liberation.

Ascend:BLO

East Bay Community Foundation

In 2017, EBCF joined with philanthropic partners across the Bay Area to create an initiative to bolster BLOs called “Accelerating and Stabilizing Communities through Equitable Nonprofit Development: Black-Led Organizations,” known today as ASCEND: BLO.

North State Racial & Social Equity Fund

Community Foundation of the North State; North Valley Community Foundation

In a collaborative effort, United Way of Northern California, Community Foundation of the North State and North Valley Community Foundation have established the North State Racial & Social Equity Fund. The organizations are providing $100,000 in seed money and making grants to agencies doing constructive and unifying work that promotes justice and healing.

Central Valley Black Reparations Fund

Central Valley Community Foundation

In 2018, Paul E. Pierce, Patience Milrod, and Darrow Pierce began to look for ways to take personal responsibility for the consequences in Fresno of Americans’ history of Black enslavement. A board comprised of Black leaders established the mission and directs disbursements from the fund with a focus on: Trauma- Informed Educational Opportunities, Economic Advancement, and Home Ownership.

Rise Together Santa Cruz County

Community Foundation Santa Cruz County

Rise Together is a coalition of 32 Black, Indigenous, and People of Color leaders and a team from Community Foundation Santa Cruz County working collaboratively to advance racial equity in Santa Cruz County.

Black Empowerment Fund

California Community Foundation

The Black Empowerment Fund supports Black-led and Black-empowering organizations throughout Los Angeles by as investing in Black leaders that develop transformational, community-centered solutions for the Black community, and investing in Black infrastructures that create conditions for the Black community to thrive and achieve their full potential for self-actualization and social and economic prosperity.

LatinXCEL Fund

Silicon Valley Community Foundation

The LatinXCEL Fund builds on the recommendations and findings of a report released in 2020 by the Castellano Family Foundation, which is rooted in two years of extensive research, community outreach and consultations with many of the region’s leading civic and social investment principals. More than 65 Latinx-led and Latinx community-based organizations contributed their unique perspectives, lived experiences and expertise to the findings in the Blueprint for Change report.

The Lens

Marin Community Foundation

The Lens is a new offering that allows MCF donors to add an increased level of intention to their philanthropy by using an equity framework. This framework can be focused on race, on gender, and more, across giving, investing, and connecting.

Advancing Racial Equity Agenda

San Francisco Foundation

Together with community leaders, nonprofits, and donors, SFF is committed to an agenda that advances racial equity and economic inclusion for everyone in the Bay Area. This focus spans SFF’s grantmaking, collaboration, partnerships, community leadership, public policy advocacy and more.

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Community foundations across California are pioneering creative solutions to the state’s housing crisis.

Mountain Housing Council

Tahoe Truckee Community Foundation

The Mountain Housing Council of Tahoe Truckee (MHC), a project of TTCF, is comprised of 28 partners including local governments, special districts, corporate partners, nonprofits, and networks. Since 2017, TTCF has led the MHC by hosting events such as an annual public event, quarterly Council meetings, and research teams. It runs communications and public outreach, does fundraising and relationship-building, ensures every voice is at the table, and holds local leaders accountable. The Council has set a regional housing agenda, raised nearly $50 million for housing solutions, researched and developed 5 white papers/policy recommendations, helped the development of 411 affordable/achievable housing units, and helped push for another 413+ affordable/achievable housing units.

Placer Housing Matters

Placer Community Foundation

Placer Housing Matters is a project of Placer Community Foundation, with the goal of educating the public and shining the light on the need for attainable housing for the workforce in Placer County. “What is needed is a constituency of private and public sector actors, of government officials, private developers, local employers, and nonprofit developers,” says the Foundation, “to coalesce and mobilize around the need for affordable housing. It is the purpose of Placer Housing Matters to help make affordable housing for all a part of our future.”

Napa Sonoma ADU Center

Napa Valley Community Foundation

The Napa Sonoma ADU Center is a fiscally-sponsored project of Napa Valley Community Foundation with support from Community Foundation Sonoma County and others. The Center conducted a series of surveys, data gathering, and focus groups with city and county staff, builders and architects, as well as homeowners who have built ADUs or are interested in building one in the future. This has informed a new set of tools and resources including an ADU Workbook, ADU Calculator, and spotlights of Napa and Sonoma County neighbors who have built ADUs, among others. 

Keep Oakland Housed

San Francisco Foundation

Keep Oakland Housed is a coordinated strategy and partnership to help Oakland residents at risk of losing their homes, providing a three-prong emergency response approach for residents: legal representation, financial assistance, and supportive services to help them remain in their homes. In addition to anti-displacement services for current lease-holders, KOH closes the gap that allows people with unstable housing to fall into homelessness.

Make Housing More Accessible

Silicon Valley Community Foundation

SVCF believes having a place to live is a human right, and invests in strategies that will create communities in which everyone has a place to live. The affordable housing fund at SVCF is focused on: protecting people from unjust evictions and displacement; efforts that make it easier to find affordable housing; preserving existing affordable housing; and creating new affordable housing.

Veterans Village

Community Foundation Santa Cruz County

“Veterans Village,” a first for Santa Cruz County, is providing a permanent affordable housing solution for veterans and their families including on-site support services. With support from the Community Foundation Santa Cruz County, Vets Village will provide 20 homes for local veterans.

Housing for Kids Fund

Community Foundation for Monterey County

Community Foundation for Monterey County

Housing for Kids helps school-aged children and their families in the local community have access to secure housing. Appalled by the nearly 10,000 students in Monterey County public schools who do not have a secure home, a group of concerned residents of Monterey County founded this grassroots organization stewarded by the Community Foundation for Monterey County.

Housing Program

California Community Foundation

CCF’s Housing program combines grantmaking, lending and advocacy to support effective housing with services for homeless neighbors, more affordable housing and better jobs for working L.A. families.  Since 2000, CCF has granted almost $30 million to ensure Angelenos have safe, supportive and stable homes and the economic opportunities they need to thrive.

Black Homebuyers Program and Housing Impact Fund

San Diego Foundation

The San Diego Black Homebuyers Program, launched in (X) in partnership with (X), improves the racial wealth gap in San Diego by investing in generational wealth-building opportunities through Black homeownership. The San Diego Housing Impact Fund at San Diego Foundation provides low-cost, philanthropic capital to increase low- and middle-income housing in San Diego County.

Fresno DRIVE Initiative

Central Valley Community Foundation

The Fresno DRIVE Initiative is a 10-year investment plan to develop an inclusive, vibrant, and sustainable economy for residents in the Greater Fresno Region. The Foundation serves as the backbone organization for Fresno DRIVE, providing support for collaboration, strategic planning, fundraising, and evaluation of results – including a $360M investment in permanent affordable housing in the region.

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