About Oakland Methodist Foundation
Support the Oakland community and the mission and ministry of the United Methodist Church, primarily through the Community Assistance Fund which awards grants to small or fledgling charitable organizations in the East Bay and provides grants for maintenance and improvement of Lake Merritt United Methodist Church.
Focus Areas
Community servicesReligious organizations / church supportFacility maintenance and improvementArts and music education (local nonprofits)
Who They Fund
low-income householdsfood-insecure individuals and familieschurch congregation / faith communitylocal community residents
Funding Style
direct serviceoperational/ongoing supportfacility maintenance/capital support
About Oakland Methodist Foundation
Oakland Methodist Foundation pairs church support with small-community grantmaking in the East Bay, and its largest recent awards show both sides of that mission. In 2024, it gave $99,698 to Lake Merritt United Methodist in Oakland for church upkeep and a food pantry, followed by a $63,822 award to the same recipient in 2023 for the same purpose. Those grants sit alongside support for mission-aligned local nonprofits, especially smaller or fledgling organizations tied to community assistance. The foundation also uses a quarterly maintenance fund for Lake Merritt United Methodist Church, which signals a recurring commitment to facility upkeep rather than one-time project support. Its active programs include a Community Assistance Fund and a Community Outreach Assistance Fund, each aimed at local charitable work in Oakland and the East Bay. Recent giving also reached a housing-related program in Hayward, showing that the foundation’s work extends beyond church infrastructure to direct community services. Across the available data, its grantmaking remains local and concentrated in California.
What Oakland Methodist Foundation Funds
Community services are a central part of the foundation’s work. It gave $7,750 to Hous Authority of Alameda Co in Hayward for a low income housing program, linking its local giving to housing support. Church facility support is another consistent area: the maintenance and improvement fund provides quarterly grants to Lake Merritt United Methodist Church for facilities and infrastructure. Food access also appears in the recent grants record through support for church upkeep and a food pantry at Lake Merritt United Methodist. The Community Assistance Fund adds another layer by supporting small or fledgling charitable organizations in the East Bay, especially mission-aligned groups in Oakland and nearby communities.
How Oakland Methodist Foundation Gives
Typical grants are substantial for a local funder: the grant-size distribution sits at $35,786 at the 25th percentile, $63,822 at the median, and $81,760 at the 75th percentile. The foundation’s pattern is not limited to one-off awards. Lake Merritt United Methodist appears in consecutive recent grant years, and the maintenance and improvement fund is described as making quarterly grants. The structure also mixes bequest-funded support with program-specific funds, including the Community Assistance Fund, Community Outreach Assistance Fund, and LMUMC Maintenance and Improvement Fund. One of those funds explicitly accepts unsolicited requests.
Financial Snapshot
Annual Giving
$171K
Total Assets
$2.2M
Total Revenue
$140K
Total Expenses
$112K
Typical Grant Size
Most grants fall between $36K and $82K, with a median of $64K.
25th Percentile
$36K
Median
$64K
75th Percentile
$82K
Geographic Reach
Local1 state funded
About 100% of grants go to recipients in CA.
Funding intensity
LowHigh
Headquarters
Leadership
Wayne Fabrizio
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