Our Foundation's Grant-Making Program

Watsonville Rotary Foundation is proud of its grant-making programs which have provided much needed funding to local nonprofit organizations serving the needs of thousands of vulnerable Pajaro Valley children and teens since 2016. 

Our Club's ability to provide grants is dependent on a variety of factors, including the success of our annual fundraising efforts, other budgetary needs of the organization, and general economic conditions in the community and beyond.

While we do not have a funding cycle scheduled at this time for the 2027-28 fiscal year, please continue to check back to this page for updates on our funding status.

SCHOLARSHIPS:  In celebration of its 100-year anniversary, the Watsonville Rotary Club will be expanding its scholarship program this year.  These funds are generated from a separate pool of investment funds and have no effect on our grantmaking budget. Please visit our Home page for more information

Meantime, for the benefit of first time visitors to our website, and for informational purposes only, we have included a summary below of our past grant guidelines.


OUR APPROACH TO GRANTMAKING

  1. The Watsonville Rotary Club Foundation has provided  what is for us, larger grants of up to $5,000. Our goal is to determine if investing our grant funds in a more focused manner yields a more impactful result for our youth.
  2. While maintaining our central commitment to funding programs that support vulnerable children and youth in our community, applicants must be able to demonstrate that their organization or specifically-funded programs are generating a substantial and lasting impact on the youth they serve.
  3. Only applicants whose overall annual budgets are $2.5 million or less are eligible to apply for a grant in any amount up to $5,000.
  4. Applicants will choose to focus their proposal on one of the Areas of Interest for Funding described in the Guidelines below.
  5. The Foundation continues its commitment to allowing a more Flexible Spending approach for applicants. At the discretion of the nonprofit organization, applicants will choose (on their application) to earmark the grant funds they request for either programmatic needs or to support core operating needs.

The Grants Review Committee (GRC)  uses objective ranking tools to evaluate each proposal on a competitive basis. The proposals that most closely align with the goals and Areas of Interest included in these Guidelines will be recommended for funding.

FUNDING LIMITS: The Foundation's available budget for grantmaking varies from year to year and his largely dependent on the success of our fundraising special events and other economic factors.

 

AREAS OF INTEREST FOR FUNDING

  1. Safety Net & Crisis Resolution Services: These are programs that help families and children meet basic human needs for safety, food, shelter, clothing and childcare.
  2. Healthy Lifestyle, Learning and Living: These are programs that give youth access to activities and training that support youth with positive solutions to social problems, increase access to mental health services for youth and their families and increase access to education, job skills training or enrichment opportunities.
  3. Health and Youth Development: These are programs that encourage the practice of making safe and healthy lifestyle choices, teach life skills, conflict resolution, teamwork and ethical behavior.

 

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

Organizations that meet the following criteria are eligible to apply:

  • The applicant organization must be a nonprofit 501(c) (3), tax-exempt organization or a school-based program in the Pajaro Valley Unified School District, or have a 501(c)(3), tax-exempt organization as a fiscal sponsor..
  • The applicant organization must provide or plan to provide programs/services benefiting the youth of Watsonville (95076) including Pajaro, La Selva, Corralitos & Royal Oaks) as well as Freedom (95019) and Aromas (95004) in one of Watsonville Rotary's Areas of Interest for Funding as described in these guidelines (above). The applicant organization does not need to be located in the Pajaro Valley, but the applicant organization must demonstrate that it provides or plans to provide services that substantially benefit Pajaro Valley youth.
  • The applicant organization must have an overall annual operating budget not to exceed $2.5 million
  • The applicant organization must have a nondiscrimination policy in place.
  • The applicant organization must have the demonstrated capacity to carry out the program or core-operating work funded by the grant and to maintain fiscal accountability.

 

EXCLUSIONS/TYPES OF REQUESTS THAT WILL NOT BE CONSIDERED FOR FUNDING

In general, Watsonville Rotary does not give grants to:

  • For profit organizations
  • Projects that do not substantially benefit residents of the Pajaro Valley
  • Projects and proposals unrelated to Rotary's defined Areas of Interest for Funding
  • Individuals
  • Religious organizations for religious purposes
  • Endowments, building campaigns, annual fund appeals, fundraising events, or celebrations
  • Commercial ventures
  • Political Campaigns

 

FUNDS AVAILABLE AND DURATION

When funding is available, Watsonville Rotary Foundation grants are typically awarded in June of the grant cycle year.

Those who are awarded funding in a given year will not be eligible to apply the following year. However, they may apply again in the second year.

If your organization is approved for funding, we require that you demonstrate that you have recognized the Watsonville Rotary Club Foundation on your website, social media and/or advertising.

 

GRANT TERM

The grant term will be one year (July 2026-June 2027) of the applicable fiscal year.

 

TYPES OF SUPPORT

The Watsonville Rotary Foundation will consider proposals seeking either program support or core operating support.