Community Grants Program
Our 2025 Community Grant Cycle will open Monday, August 18
Please read below for more information on the various types of grants and their corresponding application processes.
All applicants must use the online Common Grant Application system.
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Nonprofit Grant Orientation Training
Wednesday, August 20, 2025, time and location TBD.
Learn more about the 2024 Community Grants Process during an interactive Q&A Zoom and in-person session by clicking the button below.​
Kitsap Community Foundation, along with the Women’s Giving Circle of the Kitsap Peninsula and the Kitsap Racial Equity and Empowerment Fund, invites nonprofit organizations to submit applications for an aligned community grant cycle.
In an effort to make things easier for local nonprofits, the three grant cycles have been aligned to lower the barriers for funding for those serving charitable missions in our community.
To fulfill its mission "as a catalyst for the greater good," the Kitsap Community Foundation established an annual grant-making process. With the support of our donor-advised funds and a number of other investors, KCF distributions have exceeded $33 million since 1993.
The Community Grants Process involves the completion and submission of an online application via Common Grant Application, a third-party company. Applicants will be able to start, save, and return to their grant applications as often as necessary prior to final submission. Only electronic submissions, complete with all required attachments, will be accepted.
Community Grant Selection Criteria
KCF supports charitable organizations that benefit Kitsap County & North Mason County. Such evidence may include tax returns, corporate charter and by-laws, financial statements, an IRS 501(c)(3) determination letter, and other evidence of accomplishments. When community grant applications are reviewed, the Foundation considers the validation of the needs of organizations' constituents, the presence of other support (financial and/or in-kind), program evaluation, and community impact.
If you have additional questions, please email the Grants Committee Chairperson at grants@kitsapfoundation.org
or call the KCF office at (360) 698-3622.
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Other Grants
The Foundation distributes additional grants each year, generally upon the recommendation of fund advisers who hold funds at the Foundation. These grants are typically allocated outside of the Community Grants process.
Types of Community Grants
Kitsap Community Foundation – Community Grants
Our belief is that meeting a broad range of substantiated local needs improves the quality of life in Kitsap and North Mason Counties. Awards of up to $5,000 may be used by nonprofit organizations working in Kitsap and North Mason County for programs or operating funds within the following program areas:
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Arts and Culture
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Children and Youth Development
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Education
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Environment and Animal Welfare
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Health and Human Services
Foster Care and Family Reconciliation
​​These grants, available through the Sound Institute of Family and Children's Services Endowed Fund, may be awarded to nonprofit organizations that serve adolescents and their families. These grants are awarded every two years to nonprofit organizations that have programs that:
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Help youth (adolescents up to the age of 25) who have been in the foster care/child welfare system make positive transitions through residential programs, counseling, employment assistance, scholarships, or other supportive services, or:
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Offer residential and non-residential services designed to facilitate family reconciliation for adolescents in conflict with their families.
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Applicants may apply for two-year grants of up to $7,500 each year. If you choose to apply for a two-year grant, the budget you upload must reflect two years of income and expenses. Second-year funding will be contingent upon your program/project's measurable outcomes, submitted report, and the KCF Board of Directors' favorable review of the first year's performance.​
Kitsap Racial Equity and Empowerment Fund
The KREEF grant opportunity will not be open for our 2025 Cycle.
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There is an ongoing need to address systemic inequities, which disproportionately impact Black and other communities of color. Meanwhile, there is an urgent need to address how these inequities were amplified by COVID-19, with increased disproportionate adverse impacts on the Black community.
KREEF grants are for “general operating support” and vary in size depending on funding available. These grants are meant to help end systemic racism in our community by supporting culturally relevant programs, services, and activities in Kitsap County that:
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Are aimed at lessening the inequities caused or exacerbated by the COVID-19 crisis in or for communities of color, with an emphasis on the needs of the Black community, and
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Have leadership or boards that are reflective of, and accountable to communities of color, in particular the Black community
Women's Giving Circle of the Kitsap Peninsula
The Women’s Giving Circle of the Kitsap Peninsula (WGCKP) invites larger organizations (Annual Revenue over $100,000) and smaller organizations (Annual Revenue under $100,000) that serve women and/or children in the Kitsap Peninsula to use this simplified grant application to request up to $10,000 for large organizations and $2,500 for small organizations.
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Grant Eligibility & Restrictions coming soon.
Youth Mentoring
One or more grants of up to $1,200-$1,400 will be allocated in 2025. These grants are provided through the Youth Mentoring Endowment Fund and are specifically for mentoring programs. The Foundation defines mentoring programs as organized, ongoing activities aimed at providing quality and mutually beneficial relationships between competent adults and young persons, with the goal of creating positive youth development.
How To Apply
Instructions
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CommonGrantApplication.com manages our grant applications. If this is your first time using the Common Grant Application, please open an account by signing up here. If you already have an account, login here.
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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 an application.
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If you have any questions about using the Common Grant Application site, please contact Common Grant Application directly. Their contact information can be found at www.commongrantapplication.com, where you can click on the Contact button. A representative may also be reached by phone at (310) 490-1277.
General Restrictions
The Foundation does not award grants to provide or support:
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Annual campaign appeals
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Capital campaigns or facility improvements
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Endowments
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For-profit organizations
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Individuals
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Political or lobbying activities
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Private operating foundations
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Religious organizations for sacramental or theological purposes*
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Tuition, scholarships, or core operating expenses for (K-12) public schools, charter schools, private schools or universities and colleges.
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Organizations that discriminate with regard to age, gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, national origin, religious affiliation, or presence of a disability
Other Eligibility Restrictions
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National and regional organizations unable to clearly demonstrate that these funds will be used for operations within Kitsap County and/or North Mason County
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Applications from “start-up” organizations must be pre-screened
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Organizations with an Endowment Fund over $1 million
*Faith-based social service, youth, or community programs are eligible if the following conditions are met: 501(c)(3) organization; program/project has a board-approved mission statement and program/project budget separate from the organization's sacramental or theological budget; secular programs or services are available to eligible participants without regard to religious belief or willingness to participate in religious activities; and the organization ensures that Foundation contributions are not used to support religious activities such as worship or proselytizing.
If you have questions about your eligibility, please contact the Grants Committee Chairperson by email at grants@kitsapfoundation.org or call the KCF office at (360) 698-3622.
2025 Grant Cycle Calendar
Monday, August 18, 2025
The 2025 Grant Cycle opens, and KCF will begin accepting applications for Community Grants, Foster Care & Family Reconciliation, Youth Mentoring, and the Women's Giving Circle of the Kitsap Peninsula (both large and small grants) through the Common Grant Application.
Wednesday, August 20, 2025, TBD
KCF Grant Application Orientation for new and returning nonprofits - Learn more about the 2025 Competitive Grants Process and applying through Common Grant Application during an interactive session. Time and Location TBD. Click here to watch the recording
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Wednesday, September 3, 2025, TBD
KCF Grant Review Committee Hybrid Training & Orientation. Committee members will be emailed the Zoom link.
Monday, September 15, 2025, at 5pm
ALL grant applications are due on Common Grant Application.
Friday, October 17, 2025
2024 Community Grant, Youth Mentoring Grant, and Foster Care and Family Reconciliation Grant reports are due. If reports are not submitted in a timely manner, your organization may not be eligible for the 2025 grant cycle.
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Monday, December 8, 2025
2025 KCF Community Grant applicants will be notified of their status via Common Grant Application ​
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Monday, December 15, 2025
2025 KCF Community Grant award letters and checks will be mailed out ​
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Friday, January 5, 2026
2025 KCF Community Grant applicants will be offered the opportunity to receive feedback on their applications.
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Friday, October 16, 2026
Reports from 2025 awardees are due.