Community foundation scholarships in California
Community foundations pool local donors' funds, and many run dozens of small scholarships with one shared application for students from their area. The IRS lists 49 community foundations in California with at least $1 million in assets.
Largest in California (by assets)
Silicon Valley Community Foundation
All 49 in California
Largest first. Most smaller foundations serve one city or county. Look for the one where you live or went to high school, then check its website for "scholarships". Deadlines are often months before the school year, so check early.
| Foundation | City | Assets | Verify |
|---|---|---|---|
| Silicon Valley Community Foundation | Mountain View | $12.3 billion | IRS filings (ProPublica) ↗ |
| California Community Foundation | Los Angeles | $2.3 billion | IRS filings (ProPublica) ↗ |
| Marin Community Foundation | Novato | $1.3 billion | IRS filings (ProPublica) ↗ |
| Orange County Community Foundation | Irvine | $744 million | IRS filings (ProPublica) ↗ |
| East Bay Community Foundation | Oakland | $514 million | IRS filings (ProPublica) ↗ |
| Community Foundation for Monterey County | Monterey | $420 million | IRS filings (ProPublica) ↗ |
| Sacramento Region Community Foundation | Sacramento | $257 million | IRS filings (ProPublica) ↗ |
| Community Foundation Santa Cruz County | Aptos | $252 million | IRS filings (ProPublica) ↗ |
| Ventura County Community Foundation | Camarillo | $250 million | IRS filings (ProPublica) ↗ |
| Sonoma County Community Foundation | Santa Rosa | $231 million | IRS filings (ProPublica) ↗ |
| Pasadena Community Foundation | Pasadena | $225 million | IRS filings (ProPublica) ↗ |
| Humboldt Area Foundation | Bayside | $196 million | IRS filings (ProPublica) ↗ |
| Inland Empire Community Foundation | Riverside | $169 million | IRS filings (ProPublica) ↗ |
| Community Foundation San Luis Obispo County | Sn Luis Obisp | $99 million | IRS filings (ProPublica) ↗ |
| Community Foundation of the Napa Valley | Napa | $97 million | IRS filings (ProPublica) ↗ |
| Community Foundation of Mendocino County Inc. | Ukiah | $66 million | IRS filings (ProPublica) ↗ |
| Los Altos Community Foundation | Los Altos | $64 million | IRS filings (ProPublica) ↗ |
| Desert Community Foundation | Palm Desert | $60 million | IRS filings (ProPublica) ↗ |
| Stanislaus Community Foundation | Modesto | $51 million | IRS filings (ProPublica) ↗ |
| Tahoe Truckee Community Foundation | Truckee | $46 million | IRS filings (ProPublica) ↗ |
| Kern Community Foundation | Bakersfield | $46 million | IRS filings (ProPublica) ↗ |
| North Valley Community Foundation | Chico | $44 million | IRS filings (ProPublica) ↗ |
| San Joaquin Community Foundation Inc. | Stockton | $42 million | IRS filings (ProPublica) ↗ |
| Shasta Regional Community Foundation | Redding | $40 million | IRS filings (ProPublica) ↗ |
| El Dorado Community Foundation | Placerville | $35 million | IRS filings (ProPublica) ↗ |
| The San Bruno Community Foundation | San Bruno | $32 million | IRS filings (ProPublica) ↗ |
| Community Foundation of San Benito County | Hollister | $29 million | IRS filings (ProPublica) ↗ |
| Placer Community Foundation | Auburn | $22 million | IRS filings (ProPublica) ↗ |
| Sonora Area Foundation | Sonora | $22 million | IRS filings (ProPublica) ↗ |
| Legacy Endowment-the Community Foundation | Bonsall | $18 million | IRS filings (ProPublica) ↗ |
| Community Foundation of the Verdugos | Glendale | $15 million | IRS filings (ProPublica) ↗ |
| Solano Community Foundation | Fairfield | $14 million | IRS filings (ProPublica) ↗ |
| Elk Grove Community Foundation | Elk Grove | $6.9 million | IRS filings (ProPublica) ↗ |
| Richmond Community Foundation | Richmond | $6.8 million | IRS filings (ProPublica) ↗ |
| Anaheim Community Foundation | Anaheim | $6.1 million | IRS filings (ProPublica) ↗ |
| Three Valleys Community Foundation | Pleasanton | $5.6 million | IRS filings (ProPublica) ↗ |
| Belvedere Community Foundation | Belvedere | $3.4 million | IRS filings (ProPublica) ↗ |
| Calaveras Community Foundation | Angels Camp | $3.1 million | IRS filings (ProPublica) ↗ |
| Community Foundation of San Carlos | San Carlos | $3.1 million | IRS filings (ProPublica) ↗ |
| Avila Beach Community Foundation | Avila Beach | $2.5 million | IRS filings (ProPublica) ↗ |
| Montecito Community Foundation | Santa Barbara | $1.7 million | IRS filings (ProPublica) ↗ |
| Coalinga Community Foundation | Coalinga | $1.3 million | IRS filings (ProPublica) ↗ |
| Community Foundation of Merced County | Merced | $1.3 million | IRS filings (ProPublica) ↗ |
| Crockett Community Foundation | Crockett | $1.3 million | IRS filings (ProPublica) ↗ |
| Lincoln Community Foundation | Lincoln | $1.2 million | IRS filings (ProPublica) ↗ |
| San Francisco Police Community Foundation | San Francisco | $1.2 million | IRS filings (ProPublica) ↗ |
| Garden Grove Community Foundation Inc. | Garden Grove | $1.1 million | IRS filings (ProPublica) ↗ |
| The Community Foundation of Orange | Orange | $1.1 million | IRS filings (ProPublica) ↗ |
| Corte Madera Community Foundation | Corte Madera | $1.1 million | IRS filings (ProPublica) ↗ |
More for California: California scholarships on this site · California state grants · California apprenticeships
Source & coverage. Foundation list: IRS Exempt Organizations Business Master File ↗ (file dated Oct 13, 2026). We include active 501(c)(3) public charities the IRS codes as community foundations (NTEE T31) with at least $1 million in assets, and drop names that are clearly faith-based funds, schools, colleges, hospitals or health funds, service clubs or national donor-advised-fund sponsors. That filter can miss a foundation or include one that works a little differently, and local affiliates that file under a larger foundation don’t appear separately, so a small count doesn’t mean your area has no community foundation. Assets are the IRS figure from each group’s latest filing. Scholarship pages were checked Oct 17, 2026 for the largest foundation in each state only. Not affiliated with the IRS or any foundation listed. For the full national directory, see the Council on Foundations locator ↗.