Community Power Initiative (CPI) - General Operating Grants

Community Power Initiative (CPI)

Launched: June 2024

Purpose: Provide multi-year, general operating support to nonprofits serving Marin County residents. Designed to reduce administrative burden, increase flexibility, and provide stability to organizations.

Award Amount: Approximately $10 million distributed annually over three years (2024-2027)

Geographic Scope: Marin County, California

Duration: Multi-year grants (3-year funding)

Funding Structure:

• General operating support (not project-specific)
• Multi-year commitments
• Designed for flexibility in how funds are used

Eligibility:

• 501(c)(3) nonprofits serving Marin County residents
• Organizations of all sizes accepted
• Both established and emerging organizations
• Organizations addressing wide range of issues and populations

What They Fund:

• Education
• Child care
• Older adult care
• Food security
• Youth mental health
• Arts and culture
• Youth-focused physical fitness
• Legal assistance for low-income and immigrant populations
• Community collaboratives and coalitions

What They Don't Fund:

• Project-specific funding (general operating support only)

Recent Awards (First Round - 2024):

• Over 80 organizations received grants
• Recipients ranged from smaller nonprofits (<$200,000 budgets) to larger organizations (>$75 million budgets)
• 9 collaborative partnerships also funded

Application Process (First Round - Closed):

• Request for Proposals (RFP) issued
• 209 applications received requesting over $47 million
• Funding allocated to top 80+ applicants

Approach:

• Moved away from theme-based grantmaking
• Open call to all nonprofits serving Marin
• Supports organizations proximate to or experiencing the issues they address
• Multi-sector collaboratives supported

Contact:

• Michelle DePass, Vice President of Community Engagement
• Marin Community Foundation
• Phone: 415.464.2500
• Address: 5 Hamilton Landing Suite 200, Novato, CA 94949

Application Process

Status: First round applications (2024) closed. Information about future application cycles not yet announced in provided materials.

First Round Process (2024):

1. Request for Proposals (RFP) issued
2. Open call to all nonprofits serving Marin County
3. Competitive review process
4. 80+ organizations selected from 209 applicants
5. Multi-year funding commitments announced

For Current Information on Next Application Cycle:

• Contact Marin Community Foundation
• Phone: 415.464.2500
• Address: 5 Hamilton Landing Suite 200, Novato, CA 94949
• Website: marincf.org