Blog & Events

Scholarships and College Affordability

College affordability and student loan debt are serious issues for prospective college students. Especially among low-income and first-generation college students, the high costs of tuition, book, housing and transportation along with an aversion to debt create barriers to attaining a college degree. Many students don’t even consider college, attend only part-time (drastically decreasing their likelihood of completion), or drop out...

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Next Steps for Small Nonprofits

If you are like many small nonprofits in Monterey County, you have a track record of delivering a strong program, but the dream of tackling projects to strengthen your nonprofit’s infrastructure often gets stuck on the back burner. Next Steps for Small Nonprofits aims to help make that dream a reality for eight local organizations. Grantmaking “Plus” Wrap-around Support Next Steps...

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A Record Year for Scholarships

2015 was another big year for scholarships at the Community Foundation for Monterey County (CFMC). In 2015 the CFMC awarded 85 scholarships totaling $285,000. Scholarship winners came from throughout Monterey County, representing every public high school. Recipients are attending schools such as UC Berkeley, UC Irvine, Fresno State, UC Davis, and UCLA as well as CSU Monterey Bay and Monterey...

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President’s Blog – Looking Back, Looking Ahead

Writing a blog in January begs the question of whether to look back or look forward.  Maybe some of both. 2015 was another remarkable year for the CFMC. As the year progressed, we began to adopt a theme of “Giving Together,” a recognition that the assets and grants of the CFMC stem from a collection of funds and donors with...

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Finding the right fit for your grant request

Finding the right grant program for your organization is not always easy. We recommend calling us to discuss the best grant program for the proposed need; here is a brief overview on the differences between some of our popular grant programs to help you navigate our grant programs. Opportunity vs. Small Community Impact If you recently incorporated as a nonprofit organization or are operating a pilot...

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Monterey County Gives! 2015

Monterey County Gives! The 2015 Monterey County Gives! campaign is here. The campaign kicks off with nearly $450,000 in matching funds and challenge grants. Now it’s the community’s turn to support the Big Ideas of 141 local nonprofits. Visit www.montereycountygives.com between November 12 and December 31, 2015 to leverage your gift by a pro rata share of the match. Donate Now...

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Partnering With Donor Advisors

A Message from CFMC President/CEO Dan Baldwin Community foundations have always thought of themselves as important partners with their donor advisors. Conversations around the formation of funds typically begin with a description of our ability to match a donor’s interest to community need, or how the CFMC will connect the donor to urgent or emerging circumstances they may want to support. I’ve been the CEO of a community foundation since...

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