Community Foundation of the Verdugos

OVERVIEW: The Community Foundation of the Verdugos supports children and youth, education, arts and culture, environmental needs and other community interests in Southern California.

IP TAKE: This Community Foundation of the Verdugos is a modest grantmaker with a narrow geographic focus on a handful of municipalities in and around the Verdugo Hills in Los Angeles County. This is an accessible funder if your organization is based in this area, and it supports a wide array of community needs and interests. It runs a single annual grantmaking cycle and accepts applications via email. Reach out with questions and ideas at any time.

PROFILE: Established in 1956, the Community Foundation of the Verdugos (CFV) is a community foundation based in Glendale, California. A group of women from the Glendale Tuesday Afternoon Club came together to create this foundation, which was originally called the Glendale Community Foundation. The foundation aims to provide “philanthropic leadership” and to make a “significant impact” on community needs and interests. It administers over one hundred donor-advised, designated and field-of-interest funds and mainly serves the communities of Burbank, Glendale, La Cañada-Flintridge, La Crescenta, Montrose and Verdugos City. Grantmaking focuses on education, youth, arts and culture, environmental needs and other community interests.

Grants for Housing, Homelessness and Community Development

CFV’s giving for housing and community development is among its largest grantmaking commitments, with grants stemming from its field-of-interest fund for community needs as well as several of its donor-advised funds. The foundation does not name specific goals or priorities for this giving but works responsively to address current and pressing needs in the communities it serves.

Grants have supported the Burbank Housing Corporation, the Family Service Agency of Burbank and Pasadena’s Door of Hope, a faith-based organization that provides emergency and transitional shelter to “any kind of family” in Los Angeles County.

Grants for Public Health

CFV does not specifically name health as an area of grantmaking interest, but the foundation has made grants in this area via its community needs fund and some of its health-oriented donor-advised vehicles. The foundation provides ongoing support to the Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital. Other grantees include the Alzheimer’s Association, the Providence St. Joseph Foundation and the USC Verdugo Hills Hospital Foundation.

Grants for Arts and Culture

CVF runs a field-of-interest fund to support arts and culture organizations in the communities it serves. The foundation does not name specific goals for this giving, but tax filings suggest that programs and projects with equitable access and broad appeal have received significant support.

Grantees include the Film Music Foundation, the Crescenta Valley Instrumental Music Foundation, Burbank Arts for All and Glendale Arts.

Grants for Education and Youth

When taken together, CFVs education grants and scholarships account for a significant portion of its total annual giving. The foundation runs a field-of-interest fund for children and youth, and many of its donor-advised funds support education and scholarships. Funding supports local schools as well as out-of-school learning programs and organizations serving children and teens.

Grants have supported area schools including Dunsmore Elementary School, Mayfield Senior School, Toll Middle School and the Glendale Educational Foundation. Other grantees working with children and young people include the YWCA of Glendale and Pasadena, the Boys and Girls Club of Burbank, the Boy Scouts of Verdugo Hills and the Filipino Children’s Foundation.

The foundation’s scholarships support students pursuing higher education at “community colleges, four-year universities, or career/technical schools located in the United States.” Eligibility, types and amounts of awards differ by program, but the foundation streamlines the process through a single application system. It provides detailed guidelines and instructions and accepts applications through an online portal from December through early March each year.

Grants for Environmental Conservation, Animals and Wildlife

Environmental grantmaking is a smaller area of giving for this funder, but CFV does run a field-of-interest fund to support environmental needs and issues in the areas it serves. Grantees include the Foundation for the Preservation of the Santa Susana Mountains and Glendale Clean and Beautiful.

The foundation does not name animals as an area of interest but grants have supported animal shelters and rescue organizations over the years. Grantees include the Volunteers of the Burbank Animal Shelter, Love on 4 Paws and the Catcafe Lounge.

Important Grant Details:

CFV’s grants range from $8,000 to about $34,000, but most grants stay below the $12,000 mark.

  • Grantmaking is mainly limited to organizations serving the communities of Burbank, Glendale, La Cañada-Flintridge, La Crescenta, Montrose and Verdugos City.

  • This funder runs field-of-interest funds for children and youth, arts and culture, environmental needs and community interests, and accepts applications for all grants via email with a due date that typically falls in June.

  • CFV allows nonprofits to apply for grants one time per 12-month period and has a 24-month waiting period after being selected for funding.

  • CFV also awards several scholarships for area students pursuing post-secondary education. These applications are typically due early in March.

  • For additional information about past grants, see the foundation’s news page or its past tax filings.  

Direct general questions to the staff at info@cfverdugos.org or 818-241-8040.

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