Long Beach Community Foundation
/OVERVIEW: The Long Beach Community Foundation supports local community efforts for education, youth, community development, the environment and, to a lesser extent, arts and culture.
IP TAKE: Transparent and approachable, the Long Beach Community Foundation is an indispensable source of support for local organizations working with children and youth. Some interesting special opportunities exist for community development and environmental projects as well. Keep up with this responsive Long Beach grantmaker via its social media channels, which are linked to the bottom of its page.
PROFILE: Established in 1996, the Long Beach Community Foundation (LBCF) is a community foundation based in Long Beach, California. It was originally known as the Greater Long Beach Foundation and part of a collaboration with the Estate Planning & Trust Council of Long Beach, local community leaders and the California Community Foundation. The foundation’s mission is “to initiate positive change for Long Beach through charitable giving, stewardship, and strategic grantmaking.” It manages close to 100 donor-advised, field-of-interest, designated, scholarship, agency and legacy funds, as well as a comprehensive Community Impact Fund, from which the foundation makes discretionary grants for “critical, new, and emerging community needs.” Grantmaking supports local efforts for education, community development, environment, arts and culture and philanthropy.
Grants for Education, Youth and Community Development
LBCF’s makes grants for community development with a strong focus on education and youth through its Community Impact Fund and several smaller grantmaking vehicles.
The Community Impact Fund is the foundation’s largest source of grants for local education, youth and community development initiatives. The program shifts focus from year to year, with a recent iteration of the program addressing “post-pandemic learning loss recovery and/or the emotional/mental health needs of youth and young adults in the Long Beach community.” Grantseekers are encouraged to check the program page, which is updated each spring, for the most recent information about grantmaking themes. Grants range from $10,000 to $25,000 and the foundation accepts applications through its application portal with a due date in early June.
Past Community Impact Fund grantees include the Book Truck, the Boys and Girls Clubs of Long Beach, Urban Community Outreach and the Long Beach Community Table, among others.
The Fennie Community Fund was created in 1988 through a bequest from Jack Fennie. Grants support “broad and general charitable purposes with a preference for children’s organizations in the communities of Avalon and Long Beach.” This program accepts applications through the foundation’s portal with a due date that falls in early August.
Past Fennie grantees include the Disabled Resources Center, the Children’s Dental Health Clinic and the Long Beach Day Nursery.
The Katy Stone Memorial Fund honors the memory of a longtime employee of the Long Beach Department of Parks, Recreation, and Marine. Grants support “organizations with programs that nurture the body, mind, and spirit of goal-oriented people of any age, but especially youth, in the City of Long Beach.” This program accepts applications with a due date that typically falls in late October, and grants are awarded at the end of the end of the year in amounts of up to $25,000.
Past recipients include Leadership Long Beach, Adventures to Dream Enrichment and the California Conference for Equality and Justice.
LBCF administers local grantmaking for the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, whose grantmaking involves investment in ““informed, engaged communities.” Specific areas of interest include economic opportunity, civic engagement, improvement or renovation of public spaces and “[l]arger-scale projects with multiple funding and/or programmatic partners.” Application for this program is by invitation only, but organizations who feel they are a good match may reach out to Issis Vargas, grants manager, at issis@longbeachcf.org or by telephone at 562-435-9033.
Past grantees of this funding program include the City of Long Beach Vendor Equity Program, the Long Beach Economic Partnership and City Fabrick, which received funding for a project that involves “removing and repurposing redundant infrastructure as land-use buffers and public open space.”
The foundation also offers a grant in honor of National Philanthropy Day on November 15. This award ranges from $2,500 to $5,000 and recognizes “a nonprofit that can complete a publicly visible beautification of their establishment during a one-day volunteer-supported event” on or near National Philanthropy Day. Past recipients of this grant include Young Horizons Preschool, the Long Beach Rescue Mission and Mental Health America’s Long Beach Wellness Center.
Grants for Environmental Conservation and Climate Change
LBCF runs two separate funds through which local climate change and environmental concerns are addressed.
The Los Cerritos Wetlands Fund was established “in 2019 through a collaborative process with representatives from conservation groups, landowners, and business interests.” This fund invests in community efforts to “conserve, manage, restore, and enhance wetland and upland habitat and facilitate environmental planning, permitting, and public access; advance healthy communities, social equity, and climate resiliency and adaptation; and provide educational and research opportunities.” This program appears to accept applications, but does not offer any detailed information about the application process or due dates at this time. Interested grantseekers should email the foundation at info@longbeachcf.org with questions about this program.
The Airport Noise Ordinance Impact Fund was created with “fines paid by certain airlines that have violated flight path noise restrictions at the Long Beach Airport” and supports “projects that improve or benefit residents under the flight paths who are most impacted.” A map of the areas affected by these flight patters is available here. The program names “worthy projects” including the improvement of public spaces, community events and “nonprofit programming benefiting residents.” Grants range from $5,000 to $15,000, and the foundation has accepted applications for the program in past years with a due date in early August.
Past grantees of this program include Jazz Angels, the College Square Neighborhood Association and the California Heights Neighborhood Association.
Grants for Arts, Culture
While LBCF has occasionally made grants for arts and culture through its Community Impact Fund and some of its other vehicles, a significant opportunity for historic preservation projects exists through the Long Beach Navy Memorial Heritage Fund. Created in 1998 the fund’s works to support preservation of Long Beach’s historical sites, as well as to “recognize the contributions of the Long Beach Naval Station and Shipyard to the City of Long Beach, and honor the work of architect Paul Revere Williams.” The program accepts letters of intent with a due date in late September for grants that typically range from $5,000 to $50,000. Detailed guidelines are provided on the program page.
Past grantees include the Long Beach Museum of Art, the Historical Society of Long Beach and the Planning Buereau of the City of Long Beach, among others.
Important Grant Details:
The Long Beach Community Foundation’s grant range from about $5,000 to $900,000, although grants of over $50,000 mostly stem from its donor-advised funds.
Grantmaking is limited to Long Beach, California, but serves a broad range of organizations locally.
This foundation prioritizes programs for children and youth.
Grant opportunities are clearly organized on the foundation’s grants page, but guidelines and due dates vary significantly by program.
For additional information about past grantmaking, see this funder’s annual reports or tax filings.
Contact this funder using the form on its contact page or by telephone at (562) 435-9033.
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