El Pajaro Community Development Corporation
El Pájaro Community Development is a public charity based in Watsonville, California. It promotes access to economic opportunities through entrepreneurship, with services that include small-business training and consulting, business incubation, and microlending.
El Pajaro Community Development Corporation at a glance
In short: El Pajaro Community Development Corporation gave $272K across 13 grants in 2025 (avg $21K), mostly in California. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $272,300
- +180.7% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 13
- -18.8% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $20,946
- +245.5% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $6,700
- Total assets
- $7,758,482
- +16.3% vs 2024
- Primary geography
- California (100% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990, 2025; updated September 2026.
How to apply to El Pajaro Community Development Corporation
- Contact
Mailing address: 23 East Beach Street 209, Watsonville, CA 95076
Phone: (831) 722-1224
Website: https://elpajarocdc.org
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who El Pajaro Community Development Corporation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Ventures ($100K). Together the top 10 received $255K.
Grant Size Distribution
29 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 27 grants of 29 (93%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
El Pájaro CDC states that it serves Santa Cruz, Monterey, and San Benito counties. Its 2025 grants went entirely to recipients in California, including organizations and individuals in Watsonville, Salinas, Hollister, and Soledad.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 13 itemized grants.
States
Cities
How El Pajaro Community Development Corporation gives
- 0% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990 filings (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 2024 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $97K (2024) to $272K (2025). In 2025 it made 13 grants totaling $272K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Ventures Watsonville, CA | Business Support | $100,000 |
| Tera Farm Salinas, CA | Business Support | $100,000 |
| Ana Maria Castro Salinas, CA | Business Support | $7,700 |
| Alma Day Care Salinas, CA | Business Support | $6,700 |
| Berenice Alvarez Rubalcaba Watsonville, CA | Business Support | $6,700 |
| Lareli Tapia Hollister, CA | Business Support | $6,700 |
| Maria Lourdes Vargas Salinas, CA | Business Support | $6,700 |
| Rosalinda Velazquez Soledad, CA | Business Support | $6,700 |
| Rufina Gopar Salinas, CA | Business Support | $6,700 |
| Sofia Cruz Salinas, CA | Business Support | $6,700 |
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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 | $7,758,482 | $4,860,363 | $3,693,914 | $272,300 | 13 | $12,233 |
| 2024 | $6,668,904 | $3,487,257 | $3,613,912 | $97,000 | 16 | $11,221 |
| 2023 | $7,229,577 | $2,392,811 | $2,365,875 | — | — | $6,381 |
| 2022 | $6,574,492 | $2,971,187 | $1,448,906 | — | — | $101 |
| 2021 | $4,748,103 | $1,783,894 | $1,312,765 | — | — | $44 |
| 2020 | $4,115,618 | $1,101,364 | $1,239,411 | — | — | $14 |
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated September 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
El Pájaro CDC states that its mission is to promote equal access to economic opportunities. Its work includes business coaching and training, assistance with business plans and funding, and support for small businesses through incubation and an in-house microlending program.
In its 2025 filing, the organization reported 13 grants, all to California recipients, with each listed grant designated for “business support.” Among the recipients, Ventures describes its own mission as creating compassionate and equitable local economies and partnering with rural, working-class families on California’s Central Coast.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, El Pájaro CDC reported $272,300 across 13 grants. The grants ranged from $5,500 to $100,000, with a median of $6,700. Notable grants included $100,000 each to Ventures in Watsonville and Tera Farm in Salinas, both for business support.
The 2024 filing reported $97,000 across 16 grants. The 2023 filing reported no grants. Its 2025 filing, the latest on this page, reports 13 grants totaling $272,300.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Jorge Reguerin as chair, Ana Luisa Cortez as vice chair, June Padilla Ponce as secretary, and Brad Barbeau as treasurer. Directors listed are Eduardo Cervantes, Rosa Sanchez Duran, Heidi Pickman, and Guadalupe Zepeda. Carmen Herrera-Mansir is listed as executive director.
El Pajaro Community Development Corporation is led by Carmen Herrera-Mansir, Executive Director on every filing since 2020; 1 of 9 officers listed in 2025 is compensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Carmen Herrera-Mansir
Executive Director
On filings since 2020
40 hrs/week
$70K (2020) → $128K (2025)
Jorge Reguerin
Chair
Chairman → Chair, 2024
On filings since 2020
6 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Guadalupe Zepeda
Director
On filings since 2020
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Eduardo Cervantes
Director
On filings since 2023
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Heidi Pickman
Director
On filings since 2023
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Rosa Sanchez Duran
Director
On filings since 2023
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Ana Luisa Cortez
Vice Chair
On filings since 2023
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Brad Barbeau
Treasurer
Director → Treasurer, 2024
On filings since 2023
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
June Padilla Ponce
Secretary
Treasurer → Secretary, 2024
On filings since 2023
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (7)
- Former: Dori Rose Inda (2020–2024) — Director
- Former: Alfredo Garcia (2020–2022) — Director
- Former: June Ponce-Padilla (2020–2022) — Treasurer
- Former: Lucila Mendoza (2020–2022) — Director
- Former: Marcela Tavantzis (2020–2022) — Director
- Former: Rachel Mayo (2020–2022) — Vice Chair
- Former: Teresa Thomae (2020–2022) — Director
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2020–2025. "On filings since" is the earliest filing we hold that lists the person; hours are average hours per week as reported.
Compensation Overview
From 2025 IRS filing
The highest reported compensation on the 2025 filing was $128K, to Carmen Herrera-Mansir (Executive Director).
Frequently asked questions about El Pajaro Community Development Corporation
How much does El Pajaro Community Development Corporation give each year?
El Pajaro Community Development Corporation gave $272K across 13 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990. In 2024 it gave $97K across 16 grants.
What is El Pajaro Community Development Corporation's typical grant size?
El Pajaro Community Development Corporation's median grant in 2025 was $6,700, and its average grant was $20,946, across 13 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990.
Where does El Pajaro Community Development Corporation give grants?
El Pajaro Community Development Corporation gives mostly in California: 100% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990 went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Salinas, CA (8 grants) and Watsonville, CA (3 grants).
Does El Pajaro Community Development Corporation give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 13 grants with a stated purpose on El Pajaro Community Development Corporation's 2025 IRS Form 990 were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Business Support" (13 grants).
Who are El Pajaro Community Development Corporation's largest grantees?
El Pajaro Community Development Corporation's largest 2025 grantees include Ventures ($100,000), Tera Farm ($100,000) and Ana Maria Castro ($7,700), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990. Together they received 76% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is El Pajaro Community Development Corporation?
El Pajaro Community Development Corporation reported $7.8M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990. Its revenue that year was $4.9M.
What does El Pajaro Community Development Corporation fund?
El Pájaro CDC states that its mission is to promote equal access to economic opportunities. Its work includes business coaching and training, assistance with business plans and funding, and support for small businesses through incubation and an in-house microlending program. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from El Pajaro Community Development Corporation?
El Pajaro Community Development Corporation has no public application process in the sources Grantable reviewed. Check elpajarocdc.org for current guidelines, or contact the foundation directly before submitting a request.
What is El Pajaro Community Development Corporation's EIN?
El Pajaro Community Development Corporation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 94-2656048. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Data last updated September 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990 filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
Data update history
(2)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS May 15, 2025)
- Added Form 990 for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS April 29, 2026)
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). El Pajaro Community Development Corporation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 25, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/el-pajaro-community-development-corporation-morg_ac04e17fc0c14b8aab7f541420af4cbd
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_942656048_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{El Pajaro Community Development Corporation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/el-pajaro-community-development-corporation-morg_ac04e17fc0c14b8aab7f541420af4cbd},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-25. 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 El Pajaro Community Development Corporation'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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