COMMUNITY GRANTS
Contra Costa Together is a growing network of community members, resident leaders, organizations, and systems partners united by a shared belief: lasting change happens when we work differently, together. Contra Costa Together builds on the strength of residents and local/regional partnerships while also recognizing that too many communities—particularly communities of color and those who have faced systemic barriers—have been left behind.
We believe that by centering belonging and civic muscle, we can bridge divides, block harms, heal past disinvestment, and grow conditions where everyone in Contra Costa has what they need to thrive. Together, we are advancing the Vital Conditions for Health and Well-Being, which provide a shared framework for ensuring all people and places have equitable opportunity to flourish.
Contra Costa Together Community Grants
As part of this work, Contra Costa Together is launching Contra Costa Together Community Grants to strengthen the capacity of local organizations, teams, and coalitions. These grants are designed to support efforts that grow belonging and civic muscle — including practices of bridging across differences, blocking harms that undermine community health, healing divides, and expanding spaces of belonging.
Grant resources can also be used to fund projects that advance one or more of the additional Vital Conditions, such as thriving natural world, basic needs for health and safety, humane housing, meaningful work and wealth, lifelong learning, or reliable transportation.
Our Values
Contra Costa Together Community Grants are rooted in shared values that guide how we partner and invest. We are committed to:
- Centering community voice and leadership in shaping solutions, ensuring that those most impacted are leading and defining what matters.
- Advancing equity, diversity, and inclusion, so that every person and place in Contra Costa has a fair opportunity to thrive.
- Using measurement as a catalyst for change, combining data and story to support shared meaning-making and continuous learning.
- Practicing transparency, so that resources, processes, and decisions are clear, accessible, and accountable to the communities we serve.
These values are at the heart of the Contra Costa Together movement and reflect our belief that lasting change happens when we work differently, together.
Funding Available
A total of $200,000 will be awarded through Contra Costa Together Community Grants. Funding will be distributed across two categories:
- Community Grants: Four awards of $25,000–$35,000 each (totaling $100,000–$140,000).
- Mini-Grants: Six to twelve awards of $5,000–$10,000 each (totaling $60,000).
Applications must be submitted by Friday, October 17, 2025. We’ll share award decisions the week of November 3, 2025 so projects can get underway quickly.
These resources are intended to build capacity in local organizations, growing belonging and civic muscle and strengthening policies, systems, and/or environments that enable all people and places in Contra Costa to thrive.
Watch the October 1st Informational Webinar Here!
Application Guidance
These grants are designed to support community-led efforts that grow belonging, civic muscle, and the Vital Conditions for health and well-being. Below are tips to help you complete the application with confidence.
What We’re Looking for
- Community Voice and Leadership: Show how community members, especially those most impacted by inequities, will help shape the work. Lived experience matters as much as formal expertise.
- Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion: Share how your project lifts up diverse voices and addresses inequities in your community.
- Clear Purpose: Describe the problem you want to address, why it matters, and what change you hope to see. Keep it simple and direct.
- Connection to the Vital Conditions: Link your project to one or more of the seven Vital Conditions (e.g., belonging & civic muscle, thriving natural world, humane housing, meaningful work and wealth, lifelong learning, basic needs for health and safety). You don’t need to address all of them — just show the connection to your focus area.
- Impact and Learning: Tell us what will be better because of your project. Think about both outcomes (what changes) and learning (what you and the community gain). You can use numbers (data) and/or stories — both are valuable.
- Systems Change Potential: Share how your work could ripple out to influence larger systems, policies, or practices — even if in small ways.
Tips for Strong Applications
Be Yourself. Write in your own voice. You don’t need fancy language — authenticity is what matters.
Focus on What’s Doable. Projects can be small but meaningful. We want to see clear goals, not huge promises.
Show Partnerships. If you are working with others, describe who, how, and why. Collaboration strengthens your application.
Use Stories. A short story or example can bring your application to life and show the real impact of your work.
Be Clear on Funding Request. Select the funding category that best fits your project size and goals. The options are either a $5,000–$10,000 mini-grant or a $25,000–$35,000 community grant.
Frequently Asked Questions
Eligibility Requirements
Do we need to have 501(c)(3) nonprofit status to apply?
A fiscal agent is an organization—like a nonprofit —that manages money and paperwork on behalf of another group, often to help with things like grants or financial reporting. The fiscal agent collects and spends money as instructed, keeps track of records, and makes sure all the legal and financial rules are followed, but does not control the project itself. In short, a fiscal agent is a helper who handles the financial side so the other group can focus on its main work.
If you partner with another organization to serve as your fiscal sponsor, they will typically charge an administrative fee for their services. This is a standard practice. Be sure to include this in your project budget. The Contra Costa Regional Foundation can serve as a fiscal sponsor at no cost. This is possible because the Foundation is the Fiscal Sponsor for the Contra Costa Together Initiative. Contact us at grants@contracostatogether.org.
Can organizations outside Contra Costa County apply?
Organizations or individuals applying for funds must be based in Contra Costa County, and the projects must directly benefit people and communities within Contra Costa County.
Can an organization apply for a grant for their own organization and also participate in a collaborative grant application?
Yes, organizations may apply on their own and may also be part of a collaborative effort. Applicants should explain how the roles are distinct and complementary to one another.
Funding & Use of Funds
What kinds of projects are a good fit?
Projects that:
- Build belonging and civic muscle (bridging, blocking harms, healing divides, shaping spaces to grow belonging, and building capacity for collaborative action).
- Advance one or more of the Vital Conditions for thriving communities.
- Center community voice and leadership.
How much money is available?
How will the funds be distributed?
When are applications due?
Applications must be submitted by Friday, October 17, 2025.
Is this ongoing funding or one-time support?
This is a one-time grant. The funding period will run from November 1, 2025* through October 31, 2026.
*Start date will be determined once the grant is awarded
When will award decisions be announced?
We’ll share award decisions the week of November 3, 2025 so projects can get underway quickly.
What can the funds be used for?
Can we apply for both a Community Grant and a Mini-Grant?
Do we need to provide matching funds?
No, matching funds are not required.
What if my idea is new or still developing?
There are no guarantees of funding, but we welcome new and emerging ideas — these grants are designed to support testing, learning, and growing.
Is funding only for new projects, or can it support existing programs that need more resources?
Funding can support either new or existing projects, as long as they align with the Vital Conditions framework and Contra Costa Together values. If it is for an existing project, be sure to describe how it will align with and advance the overall goals and vision of Contra Costa Together.
Are grant funds unrestricted as long as they are related to the project?
Does the fiscal sponsor need to have 501(c)(3) status?
Yes, the fiscal sponsor must have 501(c)(3) nonprofit tax status from the IRS. The applicant for which they are serving as fiscal sponsor does not need to have this nonprofit status.
Can an organization apply for funding and also act as a fiscal sponsor for another applicant?
Do we need to focus on just one Vital Condition, or can our project address multiple?
Application & Review Process
How will applications be reviewed?
Will smaller or newer organizations be competitive?
Who can I contact if I have questions or need help?
A member of the stewardship team will respond or connect you to the right person. While we strive to respond as soon as possible, please allow up to 24 hours for a response.
Can I preview the application before I apply?
Yes. A PDF of the application is available as a reference tool. Applicants are encouraged to use it to prepare responses in a separate document before entering them into the online system.
How is “diverse” defined? Does this include the applicant themselves?
Diversity includes both the applicant’s own lived experience and the communities served. It refers broadly to race/ethnicity, culture, gender, language, age, disability, socioeconomic status, geography, and other perspectives. Applicants are encouraged to share how their own identity and partnerships contribute to diverse communities thriving in our county.
Do you have a sample of a successful application we can review?
No. As this is a new initiative, there are no past applications. All applicants are pioneers in this process.
Implementation & Reporting
What will reporting requirements look like?
How long do we have to complete the project?
Will there be opportunities to connect with other grantees?
Yes. As part of this grant, you’ll have several opportunities to connect with other grantees. We are planning for two in-person gatherings and 2–3 virtual sessions (such as webinars or peer meetings) throughout the grant period.
These connections are an important part of the grant program. One of the goals of this funding is to help grow the Contra Costa Together movement by expanding connections, strengthening relationships, and growing our collective capacity.
You’ll learn from peers and share your own experiences in support of others. Together, these connections will help shape stronger projects, deeper partnerships, and a more vibrant Contra Costa Together network.
Key Terms
Vital Conditions
All human beings rely on seven vital conditions to reach their full potential. We all deserve access to the vital conditions we all need to not only survive, but to thrive. These interdependent conditions give us what we need to have fulfilling, healthy lives. When we invest in vital conditions, we are building the infrastructure necessary for thriving. Expanding access to what we all need to reach our full potential reduces struggling and suffering. Learn More.
Belonging & Civic Muscle
Belonging and civic muscle is central to the vital conditions that everybody needs to thrive together. Belonging is feeling part of a community, embraced for who you are, and valued for what you bring. Civic muscle is the power to work across differences and shape our common world. Taken together, belonging and civic muscle is both a vital condition unto itself as well a pragmatic capacity that is necessary for equitable progress in every other kind of work. Efforts to expand belonging and civic muscle are both means and ends in an intergenerational movement for well-being, equity, and racial justice.
Thriving Together
More and more changemakers are organizing around a single unifying and measurable expectation: All people and places thriving together—no exceptions. Efforts to thrive together focus simultaneously on well-being, equity, and racial justice. Often used as the north star or moral compass in an intergenerational movement, our quest to thrive together affirms both dignity and plurality—we are unique people in a common world, each trying to live in a way that lets others live as well. When we translate that aspiration into action, it becomes a commitment to create communities in which all people have a fair chance to participate, prosper, and reach their full potential.
Bridging
Blocking
