Grant Opportunities

Competitive Grants Program

Kitsap Community Foundation accepts grants annually. Applications for the Competitive Grants Program will be online.  Instructions for how to apply are below.

The Foundation will be giving three types of competitive grants:

1.  Community Grants.  These grants are available to any nonprofit organization working in Kitsap County or neighboring areas.  These grants have no particular focus area. Our belief is that meeting a broad range of locally-identified needs helps non-profits improve the quality of life in our community.  The maximum grant size is $5,000.

2.  Foster Children and Family Reconciliation.  These grants, provided through the Sound Institute of Family and Children's Services Endowed Fund, are available to nonprofit organizations that (A) provide services to help youth up to the age of 25 who have been in the foster care/child welfare system make healthy transitions, either through residential programs, counseling, employment assistance, scholarships, or other supportive services and (B) residential and non-residential services designed to facilitate family reconciliation for adolescents in conflict with their families.

3.  Youth Mentoring.  These grants, provided through the Kitsap Youth Mentoring Endowment Fund, will award one or more grants in 2013 totaling up to $750.  The Youth Mentoring Fund grants are solely for mentoring programs, which we define as organized, ongoing activities that are aimed at providing a sustained, quality, and mutually-beneficial relationship between a more experienced, competent individual and a young person, with the goal of building character and competence, as well as promoting and advocating for positive youth development.

The Competitive Grants Program is conducted annually each year.  It involves formal grant applications and a specific timeline.  That timeline is presented farther down on this page. 

Generally put, the Competitive Grants Program favors investing in organizations that achieve measurable outcomes that have positive impacts in our community. 

For additional questions, please contact Kol Medina, Executive Director of KCF, or Vicki Collins, the 2013 Grant Chairperson, by email at  or phone 360.698.3622.

How to Apply for Competitive Grants

Please note that all grant recipients will be given a free ticket to the Kitsap Community Foundation's annual gala event, the Kitsap County Celebration of Philanthropy, and strongly encouraged to attend.  The date of the Celebration will be Friday, May 17.  Please mark your calendars!

Applications for competitive grants will be taken through an online grant application process facilitated by Common Grant Applications, a third-party company.  This grant application process is free.  Applicants will be able to start, save, and return to their grant applications as often as they'd like prior to submitting them to the Foundation. 

If you are unable to complete an online application (because, for instance, you don't have a computer with internet access), please contact Kol Medina at 360-698-3622 to discuss alternative application methods.

Specific application instructions are below:

1. We use CommonGrantApplication.com to manage our grant applications.

2. If this is your first time using the Common Grant Application, please open an account by signing up here.  Or if you already have an account, log-in here.

3. After you log-in the first time you will be given the option to go to the "Dashboard" page or to go directly to start a draft application.

4. If you have any questions about using the Common Grant Application site, please contact Common Grant Application directly. Their contact information can be found by going to www.commongrantapplication.com and clicking on the Contact button. They may also be reached by phone at (310) 490-1277.

2013 Grant Cycle Calendar 

Jan 15                        Online application system opened

Feb 22                        Online application system is closed to further applications

Apr 26                        Grant awardees are notified and invited to Celebration of Philanthropy

April 26 to May 3         Recipients are given their checks and unsuccessful applicants are notified

Friday, May 17        Celebration of Philanthropy

Other Grants

A significant portion of the grants made by the Foundation each year are made outside of the Competitive Grants Program.  These grants are usually made upon the recommendation of advisers to specific funds held at the Foundation.

General Restrictions

Generally, the Foundation does not make grants to:

• Annual Campaign Appeals
• Endowments
• Individuals
• Political or lobbying activities
• Religious organizations for sacramental or theological purposes
• For-profit organizations