Strategic Grant Making

Each year, the Board chooses strategic areas of focus and awards grants to enable nonprofits to leverage their resources and meet the Community Foundation’s criteria of addressing critical, new and emerging needs in our city. Organizations and/or service providers who are able to address the strategic focus area are encouraged to apply. Often new programs are designed and implemented as a result of the grant received.

2023 – Grants will be awarded to support programs that best address the post-pandemic learning loss recovery and/or the emotional/mental health needs of youth and young adults in the Long Beach community.
2022 – Grants will be awarded to support programs that best address the post-pandemic educational, emotional, and health needs of at-risk youth, including those experiencing homelessness in Long Beach
2021– Homeless Youth and grants will be awarded to qualified applicants who administer programs that best address post-pandemic educational and health needs of homeless youth or youth at risk of becoming homeless in Long Beach
2020 – Homeless Youth
2019 –Housing and Homelessness
2018 –Housing and Homelessness
2017 – Community Conversations, Around the Table Initiative
2016 – Nonprofit grants to encourage and support collaboration among organizations
2015 – Nonprofit grants to encourage and support collaboration among organizations
2014 – Support of Local Nonprofits
2013 – Programs that address environmental education
2012 – Establishment of the Charity Giving Card Program to promote personal philanthropy
2011 – Centerspace: A civic anchor in West Long Beach that provides a space for residents in the community to connect on a regular basis and to cultivate a sense of community with each other
2010 – Promoting good nutrition through education and access to healthy foods with support to the establishment of a community farm in Long Beach
2009 – Cambodian Community History and Archive Project (CamCHAP) at Historical Society of Long Beach in partnership with professors: Dr. Karen Quintiliani of CSU Long Beach and Dr. Susan Needham of CSU Dominguez Hills
2008 – Programs to address the issues of juvenile delinquency through training in the arts
2007 – Serving the needs of youth workforce development with an emphasis on education in math and digital arts
2006 – Programs to benefit underserved youth in areas where childhood obesity and diabetes are prevalent and a family education component is included
2005 – Programs that directly benefit Westside Long Beach with emphasis on children, youth, and families, promoting tolerance, neighborhood partnerships, and community pride
2004 – Programs offering diversity and human relations training for children and youth with an emphasis on early intervention (pre-school through 6th grade), interpersonal skills, conflict resolution, understanding differences (economic, cultural, ethnic, language, religion, etc.), a longer term with sustained participation, and based on a strong curriculum
2003 – Programs addressing gang violence prevention and intervention for youth including school-based and after-school violence prevention programs, counseling, and training for violence prevention workers in conflict-resolution, leadership development, and continuing education
2002 – Serving needs of homebound seniors through programs addressing home health care, food and nutrition, housing and/or rental assistance, respite care, transportation services, home modifications for those with physical and mental disabilities, and/or community outings
2001 – Programs that train, assist and develop skills of under-served individuals and communities to help them achieve economic self-sufficiency with an emphasis on improving basic personal and household financial management skills
2000 – Programs in literacy and literacy training
1999 – Serving needs of children and youth by promoting youth development with an emphasis in arts and culture, parenting education, literacy, and violence prevention
1998 – Serving needs of children and youth by promoting youth development with an emphasis on parenting education, literacy, and violence prevention
1997 – Serving needs of children and youth by promoting violence prevention