Focus Grant Cycles

Focus Grant Cycles

Status: ACTIVE
Funder: Community Foundation for Southwest Washington
Amount: US $25,000 - US $50,000
Last Updated: February 15, 2026

Summary

The Focus Grant Cycles provide vital support to organizations in southwest Washington addressing intergenerational poverty. With awards ranging from $25,000 to $50,000, the program prioritizes initiatives that tackle systemic inequities affecting marginalized communities. Focus Grants emphasize collaboration, community engagement, and innovative strategies, ensuring that organizations with lived expertise can create sustainable pathways to prosperity. By investing in educational attainment, basic human needs, and asset-building, the program aims to disrupt poverty cycles and foster long-term stability.

Overview

Focus Grants Our Focus Grants program provides place-based support to organizations that are disrupting the cycle of intergenerational poverty in southwest Washington. Our Focus Grant Program prioritizes investing in organizations working to disrupt the cycle of intergenerational poverty and create pathways for prosperity in the following populations with intersecting identities disproportionally impacted by economic, racial and/or social inequities in our region. Focus Grant awards vary in size, typically ranging between $25,000 and $50,000, and go to organizations that demonstrate how they are disrupting the cycle of intergenerational poverty. Intention of Focus Grant Program We acknowledge the experience of intergenerational poverty is not shared equally in our community. Throughout history, policies have systemically excluded certain communities from the opportunities we all need to thrive, influencing their disproportionate experience of poverty. Through our strategic grantmaking, we are committed to reducing disparities in the following ways: Supporting organizations working to address the root causes of intergenerational poverty and create pathways for prosperity.Advancing policies and systems that center people with lived expertise.Prioritizing organizations led by members of the communities for which they serve. Reaching into local communities and actively engaging as a strategic partner to all the counties we serve. Increasing the capacity of organizations in the community whose work, mission and values align with our own. Investing in innovative, community-driven strategies to solve emerging and structural societal issues. Our Impact Areas We interrupt persistent poverty by addressing immediate needs and building stability for the long-term. Basic Human Needs: Many in our community are working to survive, and every day presents a challenge to find food, shelter and security. For this reason, we fund organizations and programs that fulfill the basic needs of underserved people, families and communities. This includes needs such as food security, rent and utility assistance, affordable housing, physical and mental health, caregiving, domestic violence services and more. By addressing these pressing needs as they arise, people are better able to plan for their futures.Educational Attainment: In today’s economy, a good job and upward mobility increasingly depend on educational attainment. Without access, inclusivity and strong social supports, even students with great potential can encounter barriers. We invest in efforts that provide equitable opportunities along the entire educational continuum from cradle to career, so that every child enters school ready to learn and is able to achieve their goals for post-secondary success.Asset Building: All southwest Washington residents should have the opportunity to achieve financial security. We fund efforts to improve the economic health of the people and communities who face the biggest barriers to mobility. These include asset- and wealth-building strategies, employment services, financial planning and credit repair, small business development, homeownership, community livability, economic development and more. Community Impact Lens -The following priorities help guide our funding toward projects and programs that have the greatest potential for community impact. Community Need: The program or organization addresses an important community need in southwest Washington and is focused on dismantling disparities and increasing opportunities for historically underserved communities; Organization’s Mission:The proposed project or work is consistent with the organization’s mission, and the organization has the experience and knowledge to address the identified community need; Equity Commitment: The organization is committed to and can effectively demonstrate how it continues to advance diversity, equity and inclusion both internally, through its institutional practices and policies, and externally, through its partnerships and program delivery.Programatic Alignment: The program or organization is working to build awareness around intergenerational poverty and address its root causes; Best Practices: The organization’s programs are clearly defined, avoid duplication and are grounded in strength-based best practices in the field; Culturally Responsive: The organization seeks to include the voices and perspectives of the people and communities it serves during program development and conducts outreach and service delivery with cultural sensitivity; Community Relationships: The organization has established trusted community relationships and meaningful community partnerships; Collaboration: The organization seeks to collaborate and share, carrying out their work in coordination with partners or through coalition building efforts; Meaningful Impact: The outcomes and activities noted are realistic and the organization has demonstrated potential of future impact; Sustainability: The organization demonstrates competency in fiscal planning and management; the project budget and grant request are commensurate in size with the organization’s overall budget and with the proposed impact of the work; and additional support is sought from other funding sources.

Eligibility

You can learn more about this opportunity by visiting the funder's website. Nonprofits, fiscally sponsored projects, government and tribal agencies, churches, school districts and other public entities operating projects or programs in Clark, Cowlitz, or Skamania Counties are eligible for fundingOrganizations with a fiscal sponsorship established through an existing 501(c)3 are also eligible for funding.If an organization has programs or projects serving people in southwest Washington, it is eligible to apply for funding. For organizations headquartered outside of our service area, we do ask for a southwest Washington specific project budgetWe make a limited number of multi-year awards. If you are interested in exploring multi-year funding, please contact a member of our Program Team prior to submitting an application.

Ineligibility

We do not fund debt reduction, endowments, parent teacher associations or booster clubs.