Community Grants: A Steady Investment in Community Resilience & Well‑Being
Announcing $2.1 million in Community Grants to 103 nonprofit organizations for 2026
Through our Community Grants program, we invest in nonprofit organizations that hold Santa Cruz County together, responding to immediate needs while also strengthening long‑term community well‑being.
As federal policy changes under H.R.1 (“One Big Beautiful Bill Act”) continue to shift service provision and cost burdens to states and counties, local nonprofits are facing rising demand and increased uncertainty. In this context, flexible, unrestricted Community Grants funding is especially valuable. Ninety-six percent of 2025 awardees saw their funding renewed this year and new multi-year funding commitments were made to nine nonprofits.
Ray Cancino, CEO of Community Bridges says, “Support from the Community Grants program is helping sustain critical adult day health services for older adults and adults with disabilities during a period of funding instability, ensuring continued access to medically supervised care, therapeutic activities, and caregiver respite.”
The Power of Permanent Resources
Annual grants are made possible thanks to the generosity and foresight of dozens of families—including the extraordinary legacy of the Borina Family—who entrusted the Community Foundation with their charitable visions, along with locals who made recent gifts to our Greatest Needs Fund.
“In moments like this, steadiness really matters,” said Susan True, CEO. “The Community Foundation exists to be a consistent contributor to local needs. Permanent resources help us be effective, especially through challenging times. Generosity from the past gives us the ability to respond to the needs of today and still plan and prepare for the future.”
Stability in a Shifting Funding Landscape
Community grants offer flexible, unrestricted funding that empowers nonprofits to direct resources where they’re needed most. As nonprofits navigate policy shifts, rising costs, and growing complexity, we provide funding that can adapt—through unrestricted support, multi‑year commitments, or rapid response in times of disruption. For safety net organizations facing steep fiscal cliffs, funding is helping nonprofit leaders strategize, make hard decisions, and protect what’s most essential.
“Funding is helping power our response to a historic shift in healthcare policy: fueling advocacy, strategic outreach to teens who will retain their Medi-Cal benefits, and direct care for the growing number of patients losing coverage,” says Laura Marcus, CEO of Dientes Community Dental. “With more cuts taking effect as soon as July, your support gives us the ability to plan ahead, weather the storm, and keep our doors open to those who have nowhere else to turn.”
Partnerships Beyond the Check
Our Community Grants program is guided by clear grantmaking principles which shape both what we fund and how we work. We prioritize open, respectful partnerships and aim to reduce unnecessary barriers in the grantmaking process, supporting organizations with demonstrated impact while also investing in creative responses to persistent challenges.
Kevin Heuer, Director of Engagement and Impact, runs our grantmaking program. “We see ourselves as partners first,” says Heuer. “Our role is to listen, build relationships, provide space for learning and peer connection, and support organizations in multiple ways as they navigate challenges in front of them.”
“Beyond the direct impact of grant support, the Foundation plays an important convening role — creating space for shared learning, collaboration, and reflection among organizations facing similar challenges,” says Rebecca Steckler, Executive Director of Senior Legal Services.
What it Takes to Keep a Community Strong
While Community Grants play a critical role in supporting safety net services like access to food, shelter, and health care, the scope of our investment is intentionally broad. Grants also support arts and culture, conservation, education and youth development, and community‑based initiatives that strengthen connection and opportunity across Santa Cruz County.
“Community well‑being is bigger than any one sector,” says True. “When we support the full ecosystem—from healthcare to the arts to the environment—we help create a community that’s more resilient, connected, and able to care for one another and this place we call home.”
D. Riley Nicholson, Executive Director of the Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music says that the funding is helping make possible the 2026 "We the Dreamers" season, which is conversation with the America’s 250th anniversary. “This support is particularly meaningful at a time when the arts grants landscape is challenged, and the Festival is not applying for the National Endowment for the Arts grants (after decades of support) due to executive order compliance concerns and legal exposure. This Community Grant is helping us be bold in allowing our artists to speak freely without censorship and allowing us to have a stronger budget to work with vital community partners and local artists.”
A Long‑Term Commitment
Community Grants are not a reaction to any single policy or funding cycle. They reflect sustained community investment—made possible because earlier generations gave with foresight, and today’s donors continue that legacy.
“It’s how we come together over time that has carried Santa Cruz County forward,” says True. “As a community, we need to keep paying attention and listening to the needs of our neighbors. It’s that shared commitment that has served us for generations and that will continue to sustain us into the future.”
