The questions are divided into three categories: General Info, Grantmaking and Scholarships.

If you still have a question after reviewing these FAQs, you are welcome to contact the community foundation at (213) 413-4130 or info@ccf-la.org for additional assistance.

General Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is the California Community Foundation?
2. Is a community foundation a new kind of charity?
3. Who sets up funds at the California Community Foundation?
4. What are the advantages of donating to the California Community Foundation?
5. What is the difference between setting up a private foundation and creating a donor advised fund at the California Community Foundation?
6. What is the difference between setting up a gift fund through my investment firm and establishing a fund at the California Community Foundation?
7. What kinds of assets can be used to set up a fund at the community foundation?
   

CCF Grantmaking Frequently Asked Questions

1. What does the foundation fund?
2. How do I apply?
3. What happens after I submit a Letter of Intent?
4. How much can I apply for? Does the foundation award multi-year grants?
5. When can I submit a letter of intent?
6. My organization’s mission fits with more than one of the foundations’ core program areas. What should I do?
7. My organization does not have tax-exempt status. Can I still apply?
8. My agency submitted a Letter of Intent and has not heard back from the foundation. How can I check the status of my agency’s request?
9. My agency received a past grant from the California Community Foundation. Is my agency eligible to apply again for funding?
10. How often can my agency apply for a grant?
11. I still have more questions regarding the application process. How can I seek additional assistance?
    

General Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is the California Community Foundation?

The California Community Foundation is a philanthropic endowment that makes grants from many individual funds to nonprofit organizations and individuals (usually through scholarships) in Los Angeles County and beyond. With its hundreds of philanthropic partners, the foundation supports nonprofit organizations and public institutions with funds for six priority areas that work to improve the quality of life among the most vulnerable populations are: arts, education, health care, human development, neighborhood revitalization and civic engagement.

The foundation provides you with a simple, convenient and flexible way to make a positive difference, now and far into the future. The more than 1,600 charitable funds we manage for individuals, families and corporations constitute an endowment of more than $1 billion. A gift through the foundation receives maximum tax deductions, outstanding investment management and very low administrative costs — typically around one and a half percent of assets.

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2. Is a community foundation a new kind of charity?

No, but you might think so, because of its growing popularity in recent years. In fact, the first community foundation was established in Cleveland in 1914. The California Community Foundation was next, in 1915. Today there are nearly 720 community foundations across the United States.

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3. Who sets up funds at the California Community Foundation?

Most funds managed at the California Community Foundation are set up by individuals, some wealthy, others of more modest means. What these people have in common is a desire to give back to their community —whether it’s honoring the memory of someone they loved, setting up a scholarship fund to help students in need, protecting the environment, supporting local arts organizations or funding any other charitable cause imaginable.

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4. What are the advantages of donating to the California Community Foundation?

The California Community Foundation allows individuals and families to establish a customized charitable fund without being burdened by the tax liabilities and administrative hassles associated with setting up a private foundation. Everyone who creates a fund can personalize their giving. At the same time, funds are pooled for investment management purposes to minimize costs and achieve a greater return, making it possible for a smaller individual fund to enjoy the same economies of scale as a large independent foundation.

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5. What is the difference between setting up a private foundation and creating a donor advised fund at the California Community Foundation?

Creating a private foundation subjects you to a number of regulatory requirements, such as undertaking an exemption application to the IRS, as well as ongoing administrative and fiduciary responsibilities, reduced charitable deductions and a lack of privacy. The California Community Foundation, on the other hand, makes the practice of philanthropy easy. We are a public charity —the regulations, taxes and administrative requirements required to establish and manage a private foundation do not apply to us. To learn more about the advantages of a donor advised fund at the foundation, please contact our charitable business development staff at (213) 239-2310.

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6. What is the difference between setting up a gift fund through my investment firm and establishing a fund at the California Community Foundation?

At the California Community Foundation, we provide much more than the check writing services of a gift fund at a brokerage house. One of the most significant advantages to setting up a fund with us is our donor services department, which provides custom research on a nonprofit organization or issue area at your request. Our donor services staff will also meet with you individually to help develop a strategic approach to grantmaking. If you are interested in learning more about these personalized services, please call our philanthropic services department at (213) 413-4130.

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7. What kinds of assets can be used to set up a fund at the community foundation?

One of the distinct advantages of working with a community foundation is our flexibility. As a general rule, a community foundation can accept any type of asset as long it is marketable and is not encumbered by an unusual liability. Most often, funds are started through a gift of cash, real estate or closely held stock, but we have accepted gifts of artwork, intellectual property and other personal assets.

There are also several convenient financial vehicles for setting up a fund at the community foundation, with different benefits. We offer charitable remainder and lead trusts, gift annuities and several ways to use retirement funds to reduce estate taxes, provide for income to heirs and establish a charitable legacy. Our philanthropic services staff are experts in planned giving options, and can help you identify the one that best suits your needs.

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CCF Grantmaking Frequently Asked Questions

1. What does the foundation fund?

The California Community Foundation makes discretionary grants in five main areas: arts, education, health care, human development and neighborhood revitalization. Click on one of the program areas for more information on the foundation’s specific grantmaking goals, strategies and expected outcomes. The foundation also works with several special grant programs created to meet the interests of donors or partner foundations. Each of these grant programs has its own guidelines, application and review process. To learn more about these other funding opportunities, visit the foundation's five program area pages, linked above.

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2. How do I apply?

Check our eligibilty criteria to ensure your organization is consistent with the our program goals and outcomes. All prospective grantees are required to submit a letter of intent (LOI) to the foundation prior to applying for a grant, regardless of the requested amount. Click here for more information on the LOI submission process.

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3. What happens after I submit a Letter of Intent?

Letters of Intent are reviewed and evaluated by foundation staff within eight to ten weeks of receipt. Following the evaluation process, applicants will receive written notification that either invites or declines them to submit a full application. Click here for more information on the LOI review process.

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4. How much can I apply for? Does the foundation award multi-year grants?

The average grant awarded by the California Community Foundation ranges between $75,000 and $100,000 over two years. This is an average range only, and the foundation makes grants of lesser and greater amounts, on a case by case basis. View the list of the latest grantees of the foundation by clicking on your desired program area:

• Arts
• Education
• Health Care
• Human Development
• Neighborhood Revitalization

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5. When can I submit a Letter Of Intent?

You can submit a LOI beginning a month prior to the LOI submission deadline.

Invitations to submit full applications are timed to fit within three cycles that follow the foundation’s board of directors meeting schedule. Click here to see the general review timeline for letters of intent and grant applications.

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6. My organization’s mission fits with more than one of the foundations’ core program areas. What should I do?

The foundation will accept letters of Intent from multi-service nonprofit agencies whose agency activities fit the foundation’s grant making goals, strategies and expected outcomes. These LOIs and grant applications will be reviewed under the same competitive process and criteria as those from single-purpose agencies by the program officers responsible for the program areas covered by agency’s activities.

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7. My organization does not have tax-exempt status. Can I still apply?

The foundation funds nonprofit agencies with evidence of tax-exempt status under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code and not classified as a private foundation. The foundation also accepts letters of intent from agencies that operate under a nonprofit fiscal sponsor. In these cases, the fiscal sponsor would submit the letter of intent. CCF checks the nonprofit status of all applicant nonprofits and fiscal sponsors via charity check on Guidestar. Click here for information on eligibility criteria and request limitations for potential grantees.

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8. My agency submitted a Letter of Intent and has not heard back from the foundation. How can I check the status of my agency’s request?

Letters of intent are usually reviewed and evaluated by foundation staff within eight to ten weeks of receipt. If you have submitted a letter of intent more than twelve weeks ago and have not yet received a response, contact a Grant Specialist at (213) 239-2330.

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9. My agency received a past grant from the California Community Foundation. Is my agency eligible to apply again for funding?

If your agency received a past grant from the California Community Foundation, you may submit a letter of intent for consideration of a new grant if your agency has completed the requirements of all previous grants from the foundation, including the submission of a final grant report. Also, please check the foundation’s current grant guidelines to make sure your agency and its activities still fit within the foundation’s current grantmaking goals, strategies and expected outcomes.

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10. How often can my agency apply for a grant?

The foundation prefers not to consider LOIs from an agency more than once every twelve months. In addition, it prefers not to consider LOIs from an agency receiving a multiyear grant until all the terms and conditions of and payments on that grant have been fulfilled.

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11. I still have more questions regarding the application process. How can I seek additional assistance?

Contact a Grant Specialist at (213) 239-2330.

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