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 for Collaboration / Innovation (formerly the BCF Trustees' Award) is presented to nonprofits with applications promoting a joint collaboration between nonprofit organizations or are 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.
The application, including questions on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) within each organization and in programs, reflecting the importance the foundation places on this issue. BCF encourages all sectors of our nonprofit community serving greater Bainbridge Island to apply.
2024 Grants Cycle: The 20th Anniversary of the CGC!
For a list of nonprofit grantees, click here. For the full 2024 CGC report, click here.
In 2024, 55 volunteers from the community reviewed 76 applications to the CGC, and 74 of those proposed projects were vetted and approved. BCF provided $60,000 in initial funding, and the rest of the support came from generous donors who gave at all levels. BCF was able to fund all of the approved applications, for a total of $768,041.
BCF has awarded more than $5.3 million in grants for community causes through this program.
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 |
