Coastal Community Foundation: Grants for San Diego
/OVERVIEW: This funder supports the North County coastal communities of San Diego County, including Encinitas, Oceanside, Carlsbad, Del Mar, and Solana Beach. Funding priorities include community development, mental health, education, women and girls, environmental causes, animals and more.
IP TAKE: The Coastal Community Foundation provides targeted grants to communities in the Northern San Diego County Area. The foundation runs several focused funds and giving circles for which it runs application programs, but a majority of its donor-advised funds support preslected organizations. This is a good funder to know if your organization operates in its limited geographic area, and smaller organizations definitely stand a good chance. Application windows for various programs open and close at different times throughouot the year, however, so be sure to keep up with programs of interest via the foundation’s grants page.
PROFILE: The Coastal Community Foundation (CCF) is based in Encinitas, California, with assets managed by a local wealth management firm, Dowling & Yahnke, that has been in business since 1991. It mission is “to enhance the quality of life in the North Coastal San Diego County by directing philanthropic efforts toward community needs.” In addition to managing more than 75 donor-advised funds, this foundation makes grants through focused community funds and giving circles. Gantmaking supports community development and related areas of health, mental health, education, women and girls, environmental causes, animals and more.
Grants for K-12 and Higher Education
Education appears to be the CCFs largest giving area overall, with grants stemming from several programs and donor-advised funds. The foundation supports both K-12 and higher education in the San Diego area. However, two main grantmaking programs focus on programs for K-12 students and schools.
The foundation’s Ed-Ventures giving program “supports hands-on, creative educational experiences for students in North San Diego County schools with an emphasis on STEAM.” Grants ranging from $3,000 to $10,000 are available for programs serving students in 4th to 8th grade in public school districts in Carlsbad, Cardiff, Del Mar, Encinitas, Escondido, Oceanside, San Marcos, Solana Beach or Vista. This program will not make grants for “bus transportation for field trips, general operations, or capital items.” Applications for this program are accepted via the foundation’s application portal on an ongoing basis.
The Education Pathways grant program awards funding for “career and technical education programs in North County Coastal middle and high schools,” although the specific focus of this giving may change from year to year. To learn more about the program contact Laura Fleming via email at laura@coastalfoundation.org or by telephone at 760-942-9245.
The foundation also oversees several donor-advised scholarship funds and field-of-interest funds for educational causes.
K-12 grantees include the Vista Unified School District, Boys and Girls Clubs of Oceanside, the All Tribes American Indian Charter School and the Escondido Union School District. Higher education grantmaking, which stems mainly from the foundation’s donor-advised funds, has supported the University of San Diego, the University of Southern California, the University of California San Diego and MiraCosta College.
CCF also funds several scholarship programs for students from its target communities. Eligibility and guidelines vary by program.
Grants for Mental Health
A significant portion of CCF’s grantmaking for mental health stems from its Mental Health Fund, which prioritizes preventative care, early intervention and youth counseling services. Grants ranging from $2,000 to $6,000 are limited to organizations operating in San Diego North County and prioritize organizations with annual budgets of less than $5 million. Applications are accepted via the program’s online application portal for a single annual grant cycle that opens in January.
Mental health grants have supported organizations including the North County LGBTQ Resource Center, Lifeline Community Services and Just in Time for Foster Youth.
Grants for Public Health and Access
CCF does not have a fund focused solely on health care and access, but grants from many of its donor-advised funds appear to support local health providers and initiatives. The foundation does not accept applications for these donor-advised funds at this time, but grantseekers may review a list of funds for additional information.
Grantees include Scripps Health, End of Life Choices California, Elderhelp of San Diego, Wallowa Valley Health Care and the Vista Community Clinic.
Grants for Housing, Homeless, Community Development, Work and Opportunity
CCF supports homeless and vulnerable people with housing opportunities and services via its Fund for Supportive Housing and & Homeless Recovery. This fund makes grants to support “programs that help local residents stay in their homes, provide emergency shelter and wrap around services, and assist foster youth so they do not become homeless.” This program is not accepting applications at this time, and it is unclear if the program will run another grant cycle. Grantees include the Brother Benno Foundation, Interfaith Community Services, Solutions for Change and Operation Hope of Vista.
Grants for community development and related causes are also available through the foundation’s funds for the Solana Beach and Encintas communities, both of which provide responsive support for the needs of their communities. Contact information for each of these funds is provided on their webpages.
Grants for Environmental Causes, Animals and Wildlife
This funder established its Environmental Fund in 1992 “in memory of Gemma Parks who was involved with many organizations that helped to preserve open space in the community.” Grants focus on projects for the communities of Solana Beach and Encintas, including the Quail Botanical Gardens, the San Dieguito River Valley Land Conservancy and the Nature Collective of Solana Beach. This fund is not currently accepting applications for funding.
The foundation does not run a separate fund for animals or wildlife, but tax filings suggest that some of its donor-advised funds prioritize these areas. Grantees include the Rancho Coastal Humane Society and the San Diego Humane Society. The foundation does not run application programs for its donor-advised funds, but see a list of these funds here.
Grants for Women and Girls
CCF’s Hand to Hand Fund aims to make “an impact in the lives of women and girls in San Diego County by directly resources to programs that empower change and self-sufficiency.” The program prioritizes initiatives for women’s education, job training, mentoring, health and wellness. Grants ranging from $3,000 to $10,000 are awarded to organizations “that have been in existence for at least two years” and prioritize organizations with budgets under $2 million annually. Applications are accepted via the program’s application portal annually, typically beginning in May.
Recipients of Hand to Hand grants include the North County African American Women’s Association, the Foundation for Women Warriors and the Alabaster Jar Project, which works to “to provide housing and resources for survivors of human trafficking and sexual exploitation.”
Grants for Music, Arts and Culture
CCF conducts grantmaking for music on behalf of the Betty Scalice Foundation, which supports non-profit and educational musical programming for San Diego County. This foundation names community concerns, youth programs, low cost instruments for students, music appreciation and teacher resources as areas of interest. Grants range from $1,000 to $5,000, and the foundation usually accepts applications through September of each year through its own application portal.
Grantees of this program include the Carlbad Music Festival, Classics 4 Kids, the San Diego North Coast Singers and the Solana Beach Presbyterian Preschool.
Other arts and culture grants may be awarded via the foundation’s local funds for the Solana Beach and Encintas communities, as well as through arts-oriented donor-advised funds. Grants have gone to organizations including the Oceanside Museum of Art, the North Coast Repertory Theatre and the Lux Art Institute.
Important Grant Details:
CCF’s grants mainly range from $5,000 to about $80,000.
With very few exceptions, grantmaking supports the communities Northern San Diego Counties.
This funder tends to support small- to medium-sized community organizations, many of which recevie ongoing support.
The foundation runs grant application programs for some of its community funds and giving circles, but most of its donor-advised funds support preselected organizations.
Information about past grantees is available on the foundation’s recipients page or its annual reports.
Submit general inquiries to CCF via its contact page or call the founation at (760) 942-9245.
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