College Access Foundation of California welcomes grant applications from community-based, school-based and campus-based programs and organizations in California that help high school students with financial need reach college, persist and graduate.

Our grants primarily support college scholarships, but applicants may also request support for modest, scholarship-related program expenses. The Foundation generally awards one-year scholarship grants, but we will consider multi-year grant requests from highly qualified applicants with a demonstrated capacity to maintain ongoing relationships with students and to track student progress through college.

College Access Foundation does not give scholarships to students directly.

The Foundation accepts grant applications from:

• California non-profit organizations classified as tax-exempt under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code . (Organizations that have not obtained tax-exempt status may use a fiscal sponsor with tax-exempt status); or
• California public agencies or government entities.

To be eligible for grant consideration, applicant programs must meet the following criteria:

• Serve low-income students and/or students who are in the first generation of their family to attend college.
• Serve students who currently attend or have graduated from high school in California. (Please note: scholarship recipients may attend college anywhere in the U.S.)
• Serve students who plan to attend or currently attend accredited, degree-granting, 2-year or 4-year post-secondary institutions.
• Serve students who plan to attend or currently attend college at least half-time, and are pursuing an Associates or Bachelors degree.
• Currently manage a college scholarship program or demonstrate a capacity to develop and administer a scholarship program.
• Offer, at a minimum, the following supports and services to their students:
  • Provide information and guidance on selecting a suitable college, submitting a college application and obtaining financial aid.
  • Help eligible students complete the FAFSA, or ensure they have completed the FAFSA, so they can maximize public grants and other scholarship opportunities.
  • Ensure that all students meet college application and financial aid deadlines.
  • Connect scholarship recipients to on-campus, post-enrollment advising and support services.
• Possess the capacity to collect and report demographic and enrollment data on scholarship recipients.

In addition, the Foundation particularly encourages applications from programs that:

• Provide long-term, intensive and highly personalized academic and social support for low-income and first generation college applicants and their families.
• Have developed strong relationships with teachers, principals, public education officials, parents, peer organizations and post-secondary institutions.
• Use research and data to inform their program design.

The Foundation does not award grants for the following:

• Scholarships for graduate students.
• Scholarships for students attending vocational or trade schools.
• Scholarship endowments or scholarship programs administered by individual colleges or universities that are restricted to students attending those institutions.
• Policy research or advocacy.

Grant size:
Last year, the Foundation awarded scholarship grants ranging from $50,000 for a small community-based program to a multi-year grant of over $500,000 for a large program. Our average grant was approximately $150,000. For a list of our current and recent grantees, click here.

Application Review Schedule

The Foundation will offer two opportunities in the next year for programs and organizations statewide to submit grant applications:

The Foundation’s next round of grants, in August 2010, will be limited to a selected group of programs and communities. Grant applications will be solicited by Foundation staff and accepted by invitation only.

How to Apply

The Foundation is in the process of updating our grant proposal instructions and templates.  Please check back later to download the revised documents.