California Foundation for Stronger Communities
California Foundation for Stronger Communities is a public charity based in Carlsbad, California. Formed in 2004, it provides financial grants or other financial support to organizations to strengthen charitable activities throughout California.
California Foundation for Stronger Communities at a glance
In short: California Foundation for Stronger Communities gave $8.0M across 201 grants in 2025 (avg $40K), mostly in California. 53% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $8,016,283
- +54.0% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 201
- +10.4% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $39,882
- +39.4% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $25,000
- Total assets
- $37,539
- +25.6% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 53% first-time grantees (107 of 201, 2025)
- Primary geography
- California (97% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990, 2025; updated October 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to California Foundation for Stronger Communities
- Contact
Mailing address: 2111 Palomar Airport Road 320, Carlsbad, CA 92011
Phone: (760) 930-1221
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who California Foundation for Stronger Communities funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was The California Fire Foundation ($265K). Together the top 10 received $1.7M.
Grant Size Distribution
834 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 713 grants of 834 (85%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The foundation’s stated mission refers to charitable activities throughout California. In 2025, 97% of its grant dollars went to recipients in California; the remaining reported shares went to recipients in New Hampshire, Arkansas, New York, and New Jersey.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 201 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is California Foundation for Stronger Communities open to new grantees?
53%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 107 of 201 grantees (53%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $40K; repeat grants $40K. How we count
Medians: $25K first-time, $28K repeat.
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990 filings (2019–2025). Recipient names are matched across years, so a renamed or misspelled grantee can look new; grants to individuals are left out. Methodology.
Giving History
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2019 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $1.9M (2019) to $8.0M (2025). In 2025 it made 201 grants totaling $8.0M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| The California Fire Foundation Sacramento, CA | Provide Support to Local Charities | $265,000 |
| The Forager School Covina, CA | Provide Support to Local Charities | $205,000 |
| Olive Crest Santa Ana, CA | Provide Support to Local Charities | $185,000 |
| Rodeo Baseball Association Rodeo, CA | Provide Support to Local Charities | $175,000 |
| Maya's Music Therapy Berkeley, CA | Provide Support to Local Charities | $165,000 |
| The Respite Inn Concord, CA | Provide Support to Local Charities | $145,000 |
| California Community Foundation Los Angeles, CA | Provide Support to Local Charities | $140,000 |
| Vistability Martinez, CA | Provide Support to Local Charities | $140,000 |
| Youth Homes Incorporated Concord, CA | Provide Support to Local Charities | $135,000 |
| BABY2BABY Los Angeles, CA | Provide Support to Local Charities | $120,000 |
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Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Net Investment Income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $37,539 | $8,013,702 | $8,068,363 | $8,016,283 | 201 | $6,652 |
| 2024 | $29,887 | $5,263,873 | $5,259,050 | $5,206,776 | 182 | $4,823 |
| 2023 | $26,554 | $4,656,258 | $4,652,731 | $4,596,214 | 186 | $3,527 |
| 2022 | $22,549 | $4,612,435 | $4,611,549 | $4,469,362 | 148 | $736 |
| 2021 | $72,326 | $3,056,516 | $3,056,332 | $2,865,693 | 117 | $184 |
| 2020 | $38,477 | $2,973,579 | $2,973,449 | $2,833,576 | 133 | $130 |
| 2019 | $18,897 | $2,203,080 | $2,203,049 | $1,928,270 | 85 | $31 |
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated September 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
The foundation’s stated mission is to provide financial grants or other financial support or benefits to nonprofit organizations, foundations, and corporations to strengthen and enhance charitable activities throughout California.
Its 2025 grants included organizations working in areas such as children’s education, youth and family services, disability support, sports, and basic-needs assistance. The Forager School describes its work as child-centered and nature-focused. Olive Crest says it provides safe homes, counseling, and education for children and families in crisis. BABY2BABY says it provides children in need with diapers, formula, clothing, and other basic necessities. These are the grantees’ descriptions of their own work.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, the foundation reported 201 grants totaling $8,016,283. Awards ranged from $6,218 to $265,000, with a median of $25,000. The largest reported grants included $265,000 to The California Fire Foundation, $205,000 to The Forager School, $185,000 to Olive Crest, $175,000 to Rodeo Baseball Association, and $165,000 to Maya’s Music Therapy. The stated purpose for these grants was “provide support to local charities.”
Other notable 2025 grants included $145,000 to The Respite Inn, $140,000 each to California Community Foundation and VistAbility, $135,000 to Youth Homes Incorporated, and $120,000 to BABY2BABY. The Respite Inn describes its services as out-of-home respite and emergency services for adults with developmental disabilities. VistAbility says it supports individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities and mental health needs. Youth Homes says it provides mental and behavioral health services to foster youth and other young people and their families.
The foundation states that when it funds a specific item or program, it periodically visits charities to see the funds put to use.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Joya De Foor as chairperson, Louis McClure as vice chairperson, Deborah Moreno as treasurer, Robert Adams as assistant treasurer, Andrew Alexander as secretary, and Edward Becker as executive director.
California Foundation for Stronger Communities is led by Edward Becker, Executive Director on every filing since 2019; none of the 6 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Edward Becker
Executive Director
On filings since 2019
20 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Joya De Foor
Chairperson
Director → Alternate, 2023
Alternate → Chairperson, 2024
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Andrew Alexander
Secretary
Alternate → Director, 2024
Director → Secretary, 2025
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Deborah Moreno
Treasurer
Chairperson & Assistant Treasurer → Treasurer, 2021
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Robert Adams
Assistant Treasurer
Secretary → Assistant Treasurer, 2025
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Louis McClure
Vice Chairperson
New on the 2025 filing
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (3)
- Former: Justin McCarthy (2019–2024) — Vice Chairperson
- Former: Paula Connors (2019–2024) — Chairperson
- Former: Faye Watanabe (2019–2020) — Director
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2019–2025. "On filings since" is the earliest filing we hold that lists the person; hours are average hours per week as reported.
Frequently asked questions about California Foundation for Stronger Communities
How much does California Foundation for Stronger Communities give each year?
California Foundation for Stronger Communities gave $8.0M across 201 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990. In 2024 it gave $5.2M across 182 grants.
What is California Foundation for Stronger Communities's typical grant size?
California Foundation for Stronger Communities's median grant in 2025 was $25,000, and its average grant was $39,882, across 201 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990. Organizations receiving their first grant from California Foundation for Stronger Communities that year got $40K on average.
Where does California Foundation for Stronger Communities give grants?
California Foundation for Stronger Communities gives mostly in California: 97% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990 went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Los Angeles, CA (11 grants), San Diego, CA (11 grants), Sacramento, CA (8 grants) and Concord, CA (7 grants).
Does California Foundation for Stronger Communities give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 201 grants with a stated purpose on California Foundation for Stronger Communities's 2025 IRS Form 990 were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Provide Support to Local Charities" (201 grants).
Who are California Foundation for Stronger Communities's largest grantees?
California Foundation for Stronger Communities's largest 2025 grantees include The California Fire Foundation ($265,000), The Forager School ($205,000) and Olive Crest ($185,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990. Together they received 8% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is California Foundation for Stronger Communities?
California Foundation for Stronger Communities reported $38K in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990. Its revenue that year was $8.0M.
What does California Foundation for Stronger Communities fund?
The foundation’s stated mission is to provide financial grants or other financial support or benefits to nonprofit organizations, foundations, and corporations to strengthen and enhance charitable activities throughout California. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from California Foundation for Stronger Communities?
California Foundation for Stronger Communities has no public application process in the sources Grantable reviewed. Contact the foundation directly before submitting a request.
What is California Foundation for Stronger Communities's EIN?
California Foundation for Stronger Communities's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 20-1508498. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
Data last updated October 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990 filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
Data update history
(8)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS May 20, 2020)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS March 6, 2021)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS May 12, 2022)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS May 15, 2023)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS February 27, 2024)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS March 10, 2025)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS April 8, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2019–2025
Live grants for the work California Foundation for Stronger Communities funds
Philanthropy, Voluntarism & Grantmaking Open opportunities, soonest deadline first.
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in California Foundation for Stronger Communities's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). California Foundation for Stronger Communities funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 20, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/california-foundation-for-stronger-communities-morg_582a0be1f19d4bd9976ca7fa07cafc3c
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_201508498_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{California Foundation for Stronger Communities funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/california-foundation-for-stronger-communities-morg_582a0be1f19d4bd9976ca7fa07cafc3c},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-20. Data licensed CC BY 4.0}
}The figures on this page are open data under CC BY 4.0: reuse them with credit to Grantable and a link. Download the data.
Figures come from California Foundation for Stronger Communities's IRS filings (methodology). AI-written summaries, news items and logos are not covered by the open licence. Spot an error? Email hello@grantable.co.
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