Purpose
The Community Foundation of Merced County (CFMC) is a publicly supported non-profit organization established to receive, invest and distribute charitable donations in our Merced County communities. The CFMC also strives to provide leadership on important community issues. Mission
The Community Foundation of Merced County partners with donors to ensure a permanent source of charitable fun
ds to meet the changing needs and dreams of our Merced County communities
Overview of CFMC Grantmaking
Amounts Funded and Length of Grant Terms
The Community Foundation of Merced County establishes a competitive grant budget from its unrestricted funds. The Foundation takes seriously its role as a resource for all of Merced County in considering funding proposals, and intends that this funding is used as widely as possible in our community. Currently the Foundation is accepting grant proposals for $2,000 or less. However, we will accept applications to continue a project annually. The Foundation seeks opportunities to stretch its funding impact by making grants which will work in combination with other funds. This might involve requiring an applicant to provide matching funds from other sources. In addition, the Foundation may choose to make a challenge grant, where additional funds must be secured before Foundation monies are released. Funding Priorities
The Foundation provides funding in these primary interest areas:
Education
Art, Culture, Humanities
Health
Public / Society Benefit
Environment and Animals
Human Services
We encourage:
Projects that respond to challenges facing county residents and propose realistic and significant impact
Applicants who work in collaboration with other community organizations
Projects that include funds from other sources to be used in conjunction with those proposed from the Foundation
Projects that feature active involvement of participants in designing and implementing approaches to overcome challenges, whereby participants develop a sense of ownership for what is proposed
Organizations that give strong evidence of community support for what they propose (this might be reflected by involvement of program participants, volunteers willing to support the effort, endorsement by community leaders, participation by other organizations, or favorable media coverage of the applicant organization, etc.) Applicants who propose ways to sustain future program efforts, and reflect this in their funding proposals
Foundation representatives believe that the most effective funding proposal represents the written version of an organization’s mission. We will look for evidence of careful planning in the proposals you submi
