Investing in Community
The Annual Community Grants Cycle is the heart of the Bainbridge Community Foundation (BCF) grants program. Each year since this program's beginning in 2005, BCF staff and dozens of well-trained community volunteers have spent hundreds of hours reviewing applications, conducting site visits, and setting priorities. BCF discretionary funds provide initial proposal funding; then Fund Advisors and the community at large are invited to partner with BCF to support these important programs. This community-based approach to grant-making ensures that community needs are met — by our own informed and engaged community members.
Funding Sources
In addition to BCF discretionary grant-making funds, we partner with Charitable Fund Advisors, private foundations, and the public through Bainbridge Gives — BCF's online giving platform — to fulfill the rest of the funding requests. The BCF Shel Klasky Award (the BCF Trustees' Award) is presented to nonprofits with applications promoting collaboration between organizations or creating innovative programs, and is funded by donations from board, staff, and Community Grants Cycle team members. In 2021, BCF launched its first Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, Accessibility, and Social Justice (IDEAS) Award that honors proposed projects focused on equitable access to programs and services for everyone.
2023 Grants Cycle: In It Together
For a list of nonprofit grantees, click here. For the full 2023 CGC report, click here.
Application questions were similar to last year, including questions on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) within each organization and in programs, reflecting the importance the foundation places on this issue. BCF encouraged all sectors of our nonprofit community serving greater Bainbridge Island to apply.
In 2023, 53 volunteers from the community reviewed 68 applications to the CGC, and 65 of those proposed projects were vetted and approved. BCF provided $50,000 in initial funding, and the rest of the support came from generous donors who gave at all levels. BCF was able to fund 65 of the approved applications, for a total of $605,975. To learn about the awards given to nonprofits, click here.
BCF has awarded more than $23 million in grants for community causes since inception.
Comparative Overview
| Year | Grant Total | Average Grant | Number of Grants |
| 2012 | $137,039 | $2,538 | 54 |
| 2013 | $139,166 | $2,840 | 49 |
| 2014 | $165,109 | $3,839 | 43 |
| 2015 | $195,202 | $4,067 | 48 |
| 2016 | $243,661 | $4,597 | 53 |
| 2017 | $269,887 | $4,353 | 62 |
| 2018 | $273,535 | $5,583 | 49 |
| 2019 | $321,823 | $6,310 | 51 |
| 2020 | $507,313 | $8,430 | 60 |
| 2021 | $422,589 | $7,030 | 52 |
| 2022 | $561,692 | $9,361 | 60 |
| 2023 | $605,975 | $9,322 | 65 |
