About Community Foundation of Merced County
Community Foundation of Merced County’s recent giving shows a clear pattern of local support for education, community assistance, and public-serving institutions in Merced County. Among the largest recent awards are $55,000 to Merced Community College and $54,320 to Steady Studios, followed by $48,000 to Valley Harvest Church of Merced and $29,000 to UC Merced. Those grants sit alongside support for schools, scholarship groups, nonprofits, and civic organizations, indicating a funder that works across the county’s education pipeline and community safety-net network. The foundation also backed Merced County Historical Society, Merced Firefighters Scholar Foundation, and United Way of Merced County, which points to a mix of institutional, cultural, and service-oriented beneficiaries. Its grantmaking is tied to Merced County residents and local organizations, with a strong emphasis on trust-based support and community initiatives. The recent record also shows repeated support for schools and colleges in Los Banos, Merced, and nearby communities, suggesting sustained attention to place-based needs within its service area.
What Community Foundation of Merced County Funds
Education and scholarships are a visible part of the foundation’s portfolio. It gave $55,000 to Merced Community College and $29,000 to UC Merced, while also supporting Merced Firefighters Scholar Foundation with $15,000. School-based awards include $14,348 to Merced City School District and grants to Pachecho High School and Los Banos High School.
Community assistance and basic needs also appear regularly. The foundation awarded $10,000 to Love Inc of Greater Merced and $25,000 to Ace Overcomers, both in Merced, as part of community-serving support. It also gave $10,000 to United Way of Merced County.
Arts, culture, and local heritage show up as another thread. Merced County Historical Society received $25,000, Merced Symphony Association received $10,000, and the foundation’s community development priorities align with civic and cultural life in Merced County.
How Community Foundation of Merced County Gives
Typical grants cluster around five figures: the 25th percentile is $8,094, the median is $10,000, and the 75th percentile is $14,837. The recent record includes both larger institutional awards and many grants at or near $10,000, with several smaller education-related awards under $8,000. The grant list also shows repeated support to the same recipients across multiple years, including Merced Community College, Mariposa SPCA, Pachecho High School, Los Banos High School, and Merced Community College again in 2024 and 2025, which suggests recurring relationships rather than one-off grants. The foundation describes its nonprofit grantmaking as trust-based and general operating support, and its scholarships program pays awards directly to the institution providing instruction. Unsolicited applications are accepted in several nonprofit and scholarship programs.
