Previous Cycle: 2021 CZI Community Fund

Community leaders and nonprofit organizations are breaking down barriers to help create a more socially, economically, and racially just San Mateo County, where people have the opportunity to shape their lives and communities. The CZI Community Fund was created to support this work. The Community Fund is an annual grantmaking program that pairs grants with codesigned capacity building programming to support leadership and organizational development so these organizations have the resources and tools they need to further their missions and work.

Through their programs and services, Community Fund partners are increasing socioeconomic opportunity for people of color and other communities in San Mateo County, including low-income households, immigrants regardless of documentation status, and people who identify as LGBTQIA+. 

Organizations working in San Mateo County are eligible for the 2022 Community Fund. 

The 2022 Community Fund request for applications (RFA) opens on July 12, 2021, at 10am PT, and closes on August 27, 2021, at 5pm PT. Selected organizations will join the 2022 Community Fund grant partner cohort, and will receive a two-year unrestricted or project grant of up to $200,000, and the opportunity to participate in a collaborative codesigned-capacity building program to support leadership and organizational development.

Register for the Community Fund webinar on July 15 at 10am PT to learn more and have your application questions answered.

All proposals will be evaluated based on the following criteria:

• Response to Community: Preference will be given to organizations that support the economic and social well-being of communities including Black, Latinx, Indigenous, and other people of color; low-income households; immigrants, regardless of documentation status; and people who identify as LGBTQIA+. These organizations should be expanding access to the building blocks of social and economic well-being — food security, safe and affordable housing, job training — and driving advocacy and civic engagement so  people have the opportunity to shape their lives and communities. 
• Geography: Organizations should be working in communities in San Mateo County.
• Community Engagement: Preference will be given to organizations that (1) center the voices of those with lived experience, and (2) demonstrate a long-term commitment and connection to the communities they serve.
• Intended Impact(s): Preference will be given to organizations that (1) demonstrate a clear and nuanced analysis of issue(s) and opportunities locally; (2) clearly outline their approach; (3) define what short-, medium-, and long-term success looks like; and (4) identify potential challenges and possible solutions for those challenges. 
• Leadership, Staff, and Governance: Preference will be given to organizations whose leadership, staff, and governance (1) have deep experience in the communities supported; and (2) reflect the rich diversity and stories of the communities they support.
• Collaboration: Preference will be given to organizations that demonstrate a collaborative spirit through (1) an awareness of available overlapping and complementary efforts; (2) partnerships to increase impact, where appropriate; and (3) an understanding of local community context and the desire and ability to leverage existing community relationships and/or build new ones.

Organizations interested in funding through the CZI Community Fund must meet the following criteria: 

• Tax Status: Organizations must be tax-exempt under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code; have a valid fiscal agent or sponsor that is tax-exempt under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code; or be a local municipality or government agency. Valid documentation must be submitted with your proposal by the proposal deadline of August 27, 2021, at 5 pm PT. 
• Organization Budget: Given the length of the CZI Community Fund grants (two years), funding from the Community Fund must not make up more than 25 percent of an organization’s full budget. 
• Availability for a Meeting: Organizations that move beyond the internal review process must be willing and available to participate in a one-hour meeting with CZI staff in October 2021. These meetings will only be scheduled in the case that additional information is required. A meeting does not guarantee funding.
• Chan Zuckerberg Initiative Grantee Status: Organizations and sponsored projects with General Support grants from the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative that end on or before December 31, 2021, are eligible to apply for funding from the CZI Community Fund. Organizations with grants from the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative that extend beyond December 31, 2021 are not eligible to apply for funding from the CZI Community Fund. Please reach out with any questions.
• Local School Districts and School Foundations: CZI supports local school districts and school foundations in various ways, but not through the CZI Community Fund. We do accept applications from organizations working in, or collaborating with local schools. 

Process & Timeline

Applications must be submitted online at apply.chanzuckerberg.com. All proposals must be completed and submitted no later than August 27, 2021, at 5pm PT. 

All applications will be reviewed by an application review panel consisting of San Mateo County community members and CZI employees. Applications will be evaluated based on the eligibility requirements and fund criteria. Recipients will be notified in November 2021, with grants to be disbursed soon after. All grant recipients will have the opportunity to participate in 2022 CZI Community grant partner capacity building programming.

Technical Assistance

CZI will conduct a webinar on July 15 at 10am PT and will provide application technical assistance during the application period. If you need assistance, please contact community@chanzuckerberg.com with the subject line “Technical Assistance.”

All submitted applications will be kept confidential, except as necessary for evaluation or to comply with any applicable laws. All applications submitted through the shared portal will be shared with a team of reviewers including CZI employees and local community members, consultants, and outside subject matter experts, selected at the sole discretion of CZI. CZI will also aggregate and anonymize data and learnings from the RFA to inform future program development, which may be shared externally. Application materials will not be returned to applicants.

From time to time, our external partners, specifically other regional funders, ask for information about Community Fund applicants. You will have the option to “opt-in” to sharing your application in the SurveyMonkey Apply portal.

Q: What if I already have a grant from the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative? Can I still submit a proposal to the Community Fund? 

Yes! We encourage all current and past local grant partners to consider submitting a proposal. To be eligible, any current grants from the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative must end by December 31, 2021. Note: If you have a grant from the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative that is less than $20,000, you do not need to meet this requirement.

Q: Can organizations that do not serve San Mateo County apply?

No. This CZI Community Fund request for application (RFA) is available only to organizations working in communities in San Mateo County. 

Q: Am I able to save my application and return to it at a later date?

You can safely save and resume your proposal and upload your budget documents any time before the proposal deadline. You will also be able to check the status of your proposal once it has been successfully submitted. Due to anticipated high volume, we will not be able to follow up on incomplete or inaccurate information. Please be sure that your proposal is complete prior to submission. 

Upon submission of your proposal, you will receive an email confirming receipt. Please let us know if you did not get a confirmation email by emailing us at community@chanzuckerberg.com with the subject line “Missing Email Confirmation.”

Q: How will CZI decide between making unrestricted and project grants? 

The Community Fund defaults to unrestricted, general operating support grants to provide partner organizations with maximum flexibility to carry out their missions.

We do anticipate a few instances where project support—funding restricted to specific activities—will be more appropriate. Examples include:

• A national organization that works in the specific communities we support through the Community Fund
• Organizations that offer a broad array of activities and services that fall beyond the scope of the Community Fund
• Upon specific request of the organization
• CZI will review applications individually and make these specific funding decisions on a case-by-case basis

Q: What are the budget guidelines? What documentation do I need to submit? 

Most of the grants supported through the Community Fund will be two-year general support grants. To make decisions about financial sustainability, we ask for the following: 

• A clear and current organization budget.
• A full list of current board members. This list should include: names, professional affiliations, board positions, and years of service. 
• Your organization’s financial summary for your current fiscal year. This summary should consist of income, expenses, and the names of your top three funding sources.
• We do not require a specific format for these documents; however, if you need a template, please contact us directly at community@chanzuckerberg.com. 

Q: What can’t CZI Community Fund grants be used for?

CZI Community Fund grants cannot be used to fund or support a number of organizational expenses or projects, including:

• Lobbying or contributions to political candidates
• Academic or medical research
• Organizations that already have general operating support or sponsored project support from CZI beyond December 31, 2021

Q: Is the Community Fund the only CZI funding available to community organizations in the Bay Area?

While the Community Fund is currently our only open RFA for community organizations in the Bay Area, it is just one component of CZI’s broader commitment to San Mateo County and the larger San Francisco Bay Area. CZI funds local and regional solutions, and convenes and connects organizations and leaders to share knowledge and identify collaborative responses to issues facing the community. CZI also supports the development and impact of local organizations and through capacity building and leadership development programs and grants.

Q: How do I give feedback on the application process? 

Once you have completed the application you will receive a confirmation email that will include a link to an experience survey. We welcome your feedback on the application process and experience.

Q: Why are Community Fund grants structured as two-year grants?

As we approach our fifth year of the program, our partners have helped us identify opportunities to improve the Fund and better support the local nonprofit ecosystem. To that end, we changed Community Fund grants from one-year grant commitments to two-year grants. Multiyear grants provide partners with greater flexibility and opportunity to respond to crises, build capacity, and strengthen outcomes. 

Q: How was the community involved in the creation of the Community Fund? 

Conversations with local leaders and community members guided the creation of the Community Fund. Feedback from local nonprofit organizations, including a steering committee made up of leaders representing local organizations, advised on the purpose, process, and structure of the Community Fund.

CZI continues to engage the community in its local work, convening community members and local organizations to support CZI Community Fund goals and strengthen all community-focused programming. 

To ensure grantmaking decisions are informed by community feedback, we are piloting a community review panel for the 2022 Community Fund. The review panel will be composed of San Mateo County community members who help inform the Community Fund decision-making process. 

Q: How often will you open RFAs and give grants from the CZI Community Fund?

The Community Fund is an annual grant program. The Community Fund was launched in 2017 and has funded local organizations four funding cycles (2018, 2019, 2020, and 2021).

Q: How much is CZI committing to the 2022 CZI Community Fund? 

The 2022 CZI Community Fund will make an anticipated $7 million in grants to nonprofits serving San Mateo County. These organizations will receive unrestricted or project grants up to $200,000 over two years to community organizations serving San Mateo County. 

Q. Why are you launching a participatory grantmaking process this year?

We believe that individuals and leaders closest to the challenges and opportunities in their communities are best positioned to build the solutions. To that end, CZI is committed to working in partnership with community, centering community leadership, and voice in our work. 

To ensure grantmaking decisions are informed by community feedback, we are piloting a community review panel for the 2022 Community Fund.  The review panel will be composed of 20 to 24 of San Mateo County community members and CZI staff who will help inform the Community Fund decision-making process. 

Q. How are community members selected to participate in the application review panel?

Nonprofit and community leaders across San Mateo County nominated community members to apply to participate in the review panel. Individuals interested in participating were required to complete applications, which were reviewed by CZI. Participants were selected based on criteria including deep connection to San Mateo County communities, awareness or understanding of issues impacting communities served through the Community Fund, and more.  

Q. How does the review panel work?

To ensure grantmaking decisions are informed by community feedback, we are piloting a community review panel for the 2022 Community Fund.  The 24-member review panel is composed of San Mateo County community members and CZI employees who help inform the Community Fund grantmaking process. Feedback from panelists will help inform Community Fund funding decisions, which are made by CZI Community. 

Q. Why is CZI expanding the Community Fund?

The geographic expansion aligns with CZI’s local impact work and continued focus on supporting organizations responding to structural racism and inequities in our community.

Black and Latinx, other communities of color have been hit hardest by the pandemic, which has exposed and widened social and health inequities in the Bay Area. Changes to the Community Fund coincides with this crucial time for our community. 

CZI is committing $7 million to the 2022 Community Fund to support program growth while maintaining our commitment to communities originally supported by the Fund.