MCF: Buck Family Fund Grants (BFF)
Funding Amount
Not stated
Deadline
Deadline not published
Grant Type
Foundation
Can we apply?
Check your organization against each line. Taken from the listing; confirm with the funder's guidelines.
Eligible organizations
- The Buck Family Fund supports programs offered by local nonprofits, religious organizations, and schools that are aligned with its goals and strategies.
- All discretionary grants benefit the residents of Marin County (unlike grants from the Foundation's donor-advised funds, which support efforts both locally and in communities around the world).
Geography
- Based in Marin as well as ones based outside of the county - when we feel they can bring high-quality programs and serv
Overview
The Buck Family Fund, part of the Marin Community Foundation, supports community-led initiatives for marginalized residents in Marin County. Funding is available for nonprofits and organizations that align with the fund's goals, focusing on housing, resilience, and community empowerment. The fund addresses critical issues like affordable housing shortages and the impacts of climate change while fostering local nonprofit efforts that uplift and transform the community. Grants are intended for both local and external organizations providing high-quality services.
For decades, the Buck Family Fund of the Marin Community Foundation has funded community-led initiatives that support the most marginalized Marin County residents. We fund nonprofits based in Marin and those based outside the county that bring high-quality programs and services to Marin residents.
While grantmaking is an essential way to support Marin’s hard-working nonprofit network, we have established many other additional resources to help in different ways.
Strategic Initiatives Grants
MCF’s strategic initiatives are funded by the Buck Trust.
Affordable Housing & Homelessness
Every person deserves to live in a safe and secure home.
Community Power
Marin's hardworking nonprofits deserve the opportunity to focus on the work at hand. With multi-year, general operating support grants, we recognize the effectiveness of these organizations and shift some of the power from the foundation to the community.
Eligibility
The Buck Family Fund supports programs offered by local nonprofits, religious organizations, and schools that are aligned with its goals and strategies. All discretionary grants benefit the residents of Marin County (unlike grants from the Foundation's donor-advised funds, which support efforts both locally and in communities around the world). To do this, we fund nonprofits based in Marin as well as ones based outside of the county - when we feel they can bring high-quality programs and services into Marin.
What Marin Community Foundation actually gave
Source: IRS Form 990, 2025
- Grants in 2025
- 1,573
- Total given
- $186.06M
- Median grant
- $25K
- Range
- $5,050–$10M
- By dollars: California 65%, New York 7%, District of Columbia 5%. Top recipient cities: San Francisco, CA; Washington, DC; San Rafael, CA.
- 63% of grants with a stated purpose were for general or operating support.
- 26% of recipients were new grantees, not repeat recipients.
Example grants
Dagmar Dolby Fund · Novato, CA
Grant making support
$10M
Nature Conservancy Inc · Sacramento, CA
Support point reyes conservation
$4.44M
10000 Degrees · San Rafael, CA
Support the sustainability campaign
$4.4M
University of California San Francisco Foundation · San Francisco, CA
Ucsf parnassus campus renovation project
$3.39M
Stanford University Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior Univers · Stanford, CA
Support elmore endowed/expendable funds
$3.35M
Focus Areas & Funding Uses
Fields of Work
- Affordable housing
- Homeless
- Disaster relief
- Capacity building
Categories
Browse similar grants by category
Related Grants
Open grants from this funder and similar programs
Pirkle Jones Fund Visual Artist Support Program (VASP)
Marin Community Foundation
Amount
$50,000
Deadline
Expected ~November
Based on past cycles
Pirkle Jones Fund Artist Award (Community-Based Art Projects)
Marin Community Foundation
Amount
$100,000
Deadline
Expected ~June
Based on past cycles
Community Power Initiative (CPI) - General Operating Grants
Marin Community Foundation
Amount
Approximately $10 million annually
Deadline
Deadline not published
Marin Retirement Communities Scholarship Fund Grant
Marin Community Foundation
Amount
Varies
Deadline
Deadline not published
Homelessness & Affordable Housing Initiative
Marin Community Foundation
Amount
Varies by project (examples: $622,500 to $750,000+)
Deadline
Deadline not published
2025 Multifamily Finance Super NOFA – Los Angeles
Department of Housing and Community Development
Amount
Dependant on number of submissions received, application process, etc.
Deadline
Deadline not published
Ready to apply for MCF: Buck Family Fund Grants (BFF)?
Grantable helps you assess fit, draft narratives, and track deadlines — so you can submit stronger applications, faster.
You found MCF: Buck Family Fund Grants (BFF). Now let's win it.