Pasadena Community Foundation
/OVERVIEW: The Pasadena Community Foundation supports capital needs, education, community development, health and wellness, arts and culture and animals in the Pasadena area.
IP TAKE: The Pasadena Community Foundation is a well-rounded and responsive local funder for a variety of community needs and interests. This is an exceptionally good place to to turn to for capital needs. Most programs accept applications via the foundation’s online portal. Information about guidelines and eligibility is offered on each program page, but grantseekers often have to check back for information about upcoming due dates, as these may change from year to year. Overall, this an accessible and supportive funder.
PROFILE: Established in 1953, the Pasadena Community Foundation (PCF) is a community foundation based in Pasadena, California. Philanthropists Louis A. and Marion Webb originally created the foundation as a community trust. Louis Webb was an engineer, investor and real estate developer. The foundation changed its name in 2005 after reorganizing from a trust to a corporation and a merger that brought 150 donor-advised funds. The foundation’s mission is to “to improve and enrich the lives of people in the greater Pasadena area” and it does this through grantmaking, participation in community partnerships, donor services and serving “as a leader and catalyst to build charitable funds emphasizing permanent endowments to fund grants to local organizations.” PCF’s grantmaking supports efforts for education, community development, health, arts and culture, and animal welfare. Grantmaking is mainly limited to the greater Pasadena area, although the foundation’s many donor-advised funds support organizations in other parts of the U.S.
Grants for Education
According to PCF’s tax filings, grants for education and scholarships make up the foundation’s largest giving area. The education program supports area early childhood and K-12 education, while higher education funding stems from the PCF Scholars program as well as the foundation’s scholarship funds.
PCF supports K-12 education via its education grantmaking program, which focuses on “increasing school readiness and student achievement from early education through grade 12, as well as building on partnerships between schools and school support organizations.” Grantmaking works broadly to support “early learning,” K-12 school-based interventions, youth development programs with academic components and “college access and success.” The program awards grants for operating and project support ranging from $10,000 to $25,000. Check the program page for current due dates.
Past grantees of this program include the Sequoya Education Center, Mentoring & Partnership for Youth Development, the Pasadena Education Network and Westridge School for Girls.
The PCF Scholars Program provides “responsive, impactful support to students from Pasadena Unified School District as they graduate from high school and enroll in Pasadena City College.” In addition to financial support the program involves “long-term support from counselors and mentors to help PUSD students achieve their college education goals.” Students may apply for this program via the Pasadena Unified School District.
Other scholarship opportunities include the Petersen Scholarship for Transition Age Foster Youth; the College Women’s Club of Pasadena Scholarship, which provides financial aid to female scholars from the area; and the Gloria B. Lee Scholarship, which “provides a small cohort of talented, at-risk youth who have lived in poverty with financial and academic support to obtain an undergraduate degree in STEM or education fields.” The application window for scholarships generally opens in the fall, with due dates late in the year. Check individual program pages for updates and new opportunities.
Grants for Community Development
PCF’s Capital Grants Program, one of its largest, supports community nonprofits and public agencies with funding for “for significant capital projects or important equipment purchases.” Most of these grants are awarded in the amount of $50,000 and fund “large-scale transformational projects that will greatly impact capacity, quality, and effectiveness of mission delivery.” Grantmaking is limited to organizations that provide services to the communities of Pasadena, Altadena or Sierra Madre, and the application portal typically opens for this program in the summer, with decisions announced in October. It is unclear which of the foundation’s recent grantees received grants for capital projects. See the foundation’s recent financials for additional information about past grantees.
A smaller program, the foundation’s Yes, Virginia initiative, makes grants during the winter holiday season to organizations that “provide toys, books, gifts, and special experiences for the holidays in an effort to help all children feel valued and supported in their lives.” Application for this program is by invitation only. Past grantees include the Treasure Little Children Foundation, the Boys and Girls Clubs of Pasadena, Families Forward Learning Center and Learning Works.
Grants for Public Health and Mental Health
PCF runs grantmaking programs to support health and mental health care and access with grantmaking programs for children and seniors. In both cases, grants work to reduce disparities in services and access and improve health outcomes through preventative care.
PCF administers grantmaking for the Pasadena Child Health Foundation, whose mission is “to reduce disparities that adversely impact the health of children residing in the Pasadena Unified School District attendance area.” Focus areas include strengthening prevention and early intervention initiatives through collaboration and “leveraging existing resources.” Grants also target programs that foster healthy early childhood development, programs that strengthen “family and community connections” and initiatives for health lifestyle choices. Grants are awarded in amounts of up to $25,000, and the foundation accepts applications for this program via its application portal. Check the program page for updated information on eligibility, guidelines and due dates.
Related grants have supported the YMCA of Glendale and Pasadena, the Pasadena Hospital Association and the Pasadena Guild of the Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles.
PCF’s Senior Grants program works to improve health and related services to residents of Pasadena aged 65 or over, prioritizing individuals “who are mentally, physically, or economically frail or need assistance in aging well.” Specific areas of focus include nutritional needs, medical services, assistance with daily activities, transportation, caregiver support and the prevention of elder abuse. The foundation accepts applications for grants ranging from $5,000 to $10,000 through the application portal, which typically opens each autumn. Check back for specific due dates.
Grantees include Villa Esperanza Services and the Pasadena Senior Center.
Grants for Disabilities
PCF’s Vista Nova grants program, funded by the Vista Nova Renaissance Endowment, supports “organizations that offer programs and services to blind or visually impaired individuals living in the greater Pasadena area and eastern portion of L.A. County.” Grants prioritize programs and initiatives that help blind and visually impaired people with daily activities, accessing information and assistive technologies, engagement in educational and recreational activities and to use available means of transportation “with confidence.” Grants range from $5,000 to $10,000, and the foundation accepts applications for this program via its application portal. Check the program page for updated information about guidelines and due dates.
Related grantmaking has supported the Braille Institute of America, the Academy of Music for the Blind and Cal State LA University Auxiliary Services, which provides support to visually impaired students transitioning to campus life.
Grants for Arts, Culture and Arts Education
Grants for arts, culture and arts education stems from PCF’s Arts and Culture grantmaking program and from the Rowe and Gayle Geisen Trust.
Launched in 2023, the Arts and Culture program provides funding to Pasadena area arts organizations for “audience diversification, programmatic shifts and/or organizational restructuring due to current unprecedented convergence of post-pandemic challenges.” Grants may also support marketing or the purchase of new or replacement technology. Organizations involved in visual or performing arts, as well as historic preservation or arts education are eligible to apply for grants ranging from $10,000 to $25,000 via the foundation’s online application portal. Check the program page for updates on application due dates and new opportunities. This program has yet to announce its first cohort of grantees.
The Rowe and Gayle Geisen Trust “encourages the personal and emotional development of children and youth through an experience in the visual arts.” Grants aim to support participatory and educational arts programs for Pasadena “children of all backgrounds” Application for this program is by invitation only.
Past grants have gone to the Side Street Projects, “an entirely mobile artist-run organization” that focuses on arts programs for justice-impacted communities,” and the Pasadena Education Foundation’s My Masterpieces program, an “immersive experience that allows every Pasadena Unified School District elementary student to grow and nurture their creative expression over the first seven years of their education.”
Grants for Animals and Wildlife
Pasadena’s grantmaking program for Animal Welfare works “towards creating a compassionate and caring community for all animals” and supports organizations working with both domestic and wild animals. Grants of $5,000 to $15,000 offer either program or capital support to organizations “with well-defined projects and demonstrated clear goals and objectives.” However, the specific focus of this granting may change from year to year; recently, the foundation requested applications relating to “wild animal welfare and habitat conservation.” Applications are accepted for a single annual grantmaking cycle via the application portal.
Past animal welfare grantees include the ASPCA, the Monterrey Bay Aquarium Foundation, the Pasadena Humane Society and the Pasadena Audubon Society.
Important Grant Details:
With only a few exceptions, grants are awarded in amounts of up to $200,000.
Grantmaking is mainly limited to the greater Pasadena area, although organizations of all sizes here have received support.
PCF runs a robust program for capital funding, enabling many local organizations to upgrade or purchase equipment and technology.
Most programs run open application programs through the foundation’s online application portal. Guidelines and eligibility are provided on each program page.
Application due dates may change from year to year.
For information about past grants, see the foundation’s recent financial reports.
Contact PCF via email at pcfstaff@pasadenacf.org or telephone at (626) 796-2097. Email addresses for individual staff members are also provided on the foundation’s contact page.
PEOPLE:
Search for staff contact info and bios in PeopleFinder (paid subscribers only).
LINKS:
