The California Community Foundation accepts letters of intent continuously. Grants are approved by the foundation's board of directors three times a year: March, June and October.

The foundation also accepts applications not aligned with its regular cycles that respond to an unanticipated crisis or urgent need within the community. An example was the Southern California Wildfire Relief Fund, which provided grants for intermediate assistance to those affected by the October 2007 wildfires. In addition, the foundation may release requests for proposals related to one-time or annual special initiatives. Please check the foundation's Web site periodically for announcements on special initiatives, such as the Fellowships for Visual Artists, the Centinela Medical Funds and the Community Building Initiative.

Detailed information on how to apply is provided below in sequential order.

1. SUBMIT A LETTER OF INTENT (LOI)
All organizations are required to submit an LOI before applying for a grant, regardless of the requested amount. The LOI should be approved by the prospective grantee's president or executive director and should include all of the information requested by the foundation. Online submissions are highly recommended. CCF does accept mailed LOIs, but not faxed LOIs.

Access the online LOI form.
Download the LOI form as a Word document.

2. LOI IS REVIEWED
Letters of intent are reviewed and evaluated by foundation staff within six to eight weeks of receipt. After the evaluation, applicants will receive written notification that either invites or discourages submission of a full application. Suggested deadlines to submit LOIs and full applications are listed in the timeline below.

3. FORMAL APPLICATION
Formal applications will be accepted only from organizations that are invited to apply. For grantees requesting renewal funding, contact a program officer to discuss the eligibility of the proposed request before submitting a full application. Click here to download the formal application.

Please note that the full application is provided as a sample only. All organizations are required to submit an LOI to the foundation before applying for a grant.

4. APPLICATION IS REVIEWED
Formal applications are reviewed and evaluated by staff, who may request additional information. Staff first determines whether a request meets the basic funding criteria of the foundation, including:

• Consistency with its programmatic goals, objectives and priorities.
• Demonstrated capacity to meet the objectives stated in the application.
• Clearly articulated ways to achieve results.
• The potential for measurable impact.

Staff may also conduct site visits to meet with the staff and board members of the organization, its clients and community and civic leaders to better understand the proposed activities. Based on the findings of the review process, the staff prepares a grant recommendation for the foundation’s board of directors to consider.

Please note that, due to the high volume of applications, the foundation is unable to fund all the requests submitted for consideration, including those that meet the basic funding criteria.

5. GRANT DECISIONS
The board of directors makes decisions on all grant recommendations during board meetings in h March, June and October. Generally, grant decisions can be expected within four to five months after an application is submitted. Deadlines for receipt of grant applications and funding decisions are listed in the timeline below.

6. AWARDS NOTIFICATION
Foundation staff will notify applicants of grant decisions after each board meeting. After being notified of the grant award, applicants will receive a grant agreement. Grant payment will be made to an organization after the foundation receives a signed grant agreement and compliance with any conditions specified in the agreement.

7. TIMELINE

Online LOIs are preferred but the foundation also accepts LOIs sent by mail. When completing the online LOI, you can save your data and return at a later time. LOI review and notification takes six to eight weeks. Due to heavy volume around suggested deadline dates (April 1, Aug. 1, Dec. 1), the review period will be extended through eight weeks.

• Click here to access the online LOI.
• Click here to download the LOI form as a Word document.

We do not accept faxed LOIs.