With Santa Monica’s long history of helping people in need, in 2020 the City established We Are Santa Monica Fund, a public-private partnership that, since its inception, has raised over $1.6 million with more than 80 organizations receiving grants. The We Are Santa Monica Fund provides a critical and timely vehicle for neighbor-to-neighbor support, as members of our community struggle to get by, put food on the table and care for their loved ones. Equally important, addressing racial equity and providing access to programs and services that enhance the community are an essential part of our commitment.
During the pandemic, the Fund helped to underwrite essential needs and continues to provide incremental funds to local not-for-profit service organizations.
While the City of Santa Monica has ultimate fiduciary responsibility for the Fund, grantmaking decisions are made by the We Are Santa Monica Fund Advisory Board. These individuals live and/or work in Santa Monica and participate in an application process to voluntarily participate on the Advisory Board. All grant applications are thoroughly reviewed by the Advisory Board with decisions based on a number of factors.
We Are Santa Monica Fund is a partnership among private donors, the City of Santa Monica and the California Community Foundation (CCF). All donations to We Are Santa Monica Fund are received and managed by CCF. We Are Santa Monica Fund’s Advisory Board makes recommendations to CCF regarding distributions to eligible nonprofits, or, in certain cases, City programs that benefit the community.
You may also send checks payable to the California Community Foundation, noting that the donation is for the We Are Santa Monica Fund. Checks should be mailed to:
California Community Foundation
717 W Temple St.
Los Angeles, CA 90012
Click here for more information about the We Are Santa Monica Advisory Board or click here to apply for a We Are Santa Monica grant.
Contributions to the California Community Foundation represent irrevocable gifts subject to the legal and fiduciary control of the foundation’s board of directors. This charge will appear on your credit card statement as a payment to “Calif Comm Fdn – CCF”. In addition, California Community Foundation incurs a third-party administrative fee of 2.7 percent for credit card contributions. The foundation will charge the fee directly to the individual fund.