The 2024 Vintners Foundation Community Grants Program closed on April 12. This page will be updated with information on the 2025 grant program when it becomes available.
Overview
The Sonoma County Vintners Foundation’s signature fundraising event, the Sonoma County Wine Auction, has raised tens of millions of dollars for local causes, helping to address Sonoma County’s most pressing needs and fostering both immediate and long-term change.
The Vintners Foundation cultivates a vibrant Sonoma County through charitable giving focused on improving education, health and human services, the environment, and arts and culture. The Foundation’s annual Community Grants Program ensures that nonprofit organizations working across Sonoma County have the opportunity to apply for funding in these four areas of impact.
Program Areas & Funding Priorities
Community Foundation Sonoma County is pleased to continue our commitment to four program areas: Health and Human Services, Education, Environment, and Arts and Culture. Please see the table below for each program area’s funding priorities for 2024.
A few key points to keep in mind:
- Applicants in the four program areas will be considered when the request aligns specifically with the stated funding priority.
- To provide broad community-wide support, we will consider only one proposal from each nonprofit organization.
- Grant requests must be no more than $10,000.
- We encourage, but do not require, applicants to attend one of our grant workshops, where we will provide further details about the funding priorities and criteria.
| Program Area | Funding Priority |
| Health & Human Services |
Inflation and other pandemic-related factors have had a negative impact on access to basic needs such as food and housing within the community, especially for those who were already experiencing insecurity prior to the pandemic. Funding in this area will support programs or projects that directly provide shelter and food to populations that are experiencing housing and food insecurity. |
|
Education
|
Natural disasters and the pandemic have decreased early learning opportunities and access to early childhood education, especially for dual-language learners. Education funding for 2024 will support programs or projects that offer children, youth, and/or their families the opportunity to increase literacy skills. |
|
Arts & Culture
|
People have long used art not only as a form of expression, but as a method of healing. Especially in a community that has experienced repeated natural disasters and a global pandemic, the arts can be a powerful tool for addressing mental health concerns. For 2024, this funding area will support programs or projects that utilize the arts and creative expression to support mental health and healing. |
| Environment |
The existing and future threat of wildfires means disaster mitigation continues to be critical for the safety of our community. Funding in this area will target disaster mitigation projects that seek to address the impacts of wildfires primarily through the development of a trained, stable, well-compensated workforce that aids in the reduction of fire fuels. |
Evaluation Criteria
Our Community Grants program is a broadly accessible, responsive grants program meant to address the most pressing needs across communities. When evaluating proposals, we use the following criteria to assess the competitiveness of a project or program:
- The proposal aligns with the Community Grants funding priorities.
- The goals and implementation timeline are clearly defined and achievable within the one-year grant period.
- The proposal reflects that the project or program would increase access to marginalized community members and meet a key community need. Projects that provide increased opportunity for youth, BIPOC individuals, and others most impacted by economic, racial, and social inequities, will be prioritized.
Eligibility Criteria
Sonoma County 501c3 nonprofit organizations may apply for a Community Grant for either program or project support. We do not accept proposals for:
- Annual fund campaigns, fundraising events, or debt retirement
- Capital campaigns
- Conferences
- Scholarships
- Grants (or loans) to individuals
- Political or religious purposes (or programs requiring religious participation)
- Projects that primarily serve residents outside of Sonoma County
- Organizations that discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, age, gender, sexual orientation, disability, or any other characteristic protected by law
How To Apply
Applications closed for the 2024 grant program on April 12, 2024.
Sonoma County Vintners Foundation uses Community Foundation Sonoma County’s online process for submitting grant applications. If this is your first application using the new online portal, you will be asked to set up an account.
We recommend reviewing the FAQs for Online Submission before beginning your application.
Please note:
- When working in the application portal, save your work as you go along. If you want to leave and then return to complete your application later, save your work before you exit the program.
- As the grant deadline nears, we receive a high volume of calls and emails, and we may not be able to respond to your request immediately. Please consider this in your planning and apply early in case you encounter technical difficulties or have questions about the grant program.
SCVF Grant Workshops
CFSC hosted two Virtual Grant Workshops in March to share more information about the grant program.
You can view the recording of this video on our YouTube page here: https://youtu.be/BEnt_R1bowk
For questions about eligibility and grant criteria, please contact:
For questions about the online application process, please contact:
