Working With Nonprofits
PCF is here to support, strengthen and sustain the difference you make in our community.As part of helping philanthropists cultivate their love of giving to the community, we are committed to strengthening the region’s nonprofit sector.
Grantmaking
One part of that work involves making grants. Placer Community Foundation awards grants annually to nonprofit organizations in Placer County and beyond. These grants support a breadth of issues such as hunger, housing, arts, cultural heritage, social justice, animal welfare, and environmental sustainability. We also administer scholarships.
All grants are made possible by the contributions of individual donors and charitable funds managed by the Foundation. Some are driven by the charitable interests of local philanthropists, while others come from unrestricted funds that allow us to invest in changing needs, advance long-term strategic goals, and take on key leadership roles in the region.
We continuously monitor our community to understand the nature of local needs, forces of change, availability of resources and capacity for growth.

Supporting vibrant community life
The Community Foundation supports nonprofits, public service, religious organizations and groups with the following programs:
- The Nonprofit Initiative provides organizational and technical assistance for nonprofits serving residents along the western slope of Placer County. To maximize this program, we host an annual Nonprofit Leadership Summit which brings in national experts to speak on best practices for board governance and strategies to maximize greater community impact. The Summit draws approximately 250 local nonprofit board members and executive staff, representing 50 different organizations.
- The Youth Development Program provides competitive grants supporting the needs of at-risk and economically disadvantaged youth ages 14-21 in Placer County. This program is funded through the Foundation’s Giving Circle.
- Grants from our unrestricted and field of interest funds support changing and targeted community needs.
- Our scholarship funds are awarded to students from Placer County area schools each year.
Funding Opportunites
Learn which grants are open for proposals.
Grant Guidelines
Guidelines and policies for applying for funding from PCF.