We inspire and support Santa Cruz County to provide nourishment for all community members.
Second Harvest Food Bank Santa Cruz County’s recent grantmaking is built around food distribution through local partner agencies, with very large pass-through awards flowing to member organizations serving people in need across Santa Cruz County. Two 2024 grants show the scale of that model: $16,961,749 to Various Member Agencies and $159,031 to Various Other Food Banks, both marked “For Those in Need.” The foundation also uses direct support for specific local providers, including $180,234 to St Francis Kitchen in Santa Cruz and $39,210 to Grey Bears in Santa Cruz. That mix of broad agency funding and targeted grants reflects a funder focused on getting food and operational support to organizations that can reach households facing hunger quickly. Its programs emphasize partner agency food distribution, emergency food assistance, nutrition support, and capacity support for agencies working in the county. The grant pattern is local and highly concentrated, with all reported grants going to recipients in California.
Food distribution is the clearest theme in the grant record. In 2024, Second Harvest Food Bank Santa Cruz County awarded $16,961,749 to Various Member Agencies for “For Those in Need,” showing how much of its support moves through a network of local partners. It also funded St Francis Kitchen in Santa Cruz with $180,234 as pass-through support, tying grant dollars to direct meal and food access. Another local grant went to Grey Bears in Santa Cruz for $39,210, also labeled pass-through. Beyond food distribution, the foundation’s stated focus areas include hunger relief, nutrition education, CalFresh outreach, volunteer programs, and community advocacy, all aligned with direct service and basic needs support for low-income households and other vulnerable residents.
Grant sizes are highly uneven. The stated distribution shows a p25 of $34,605, a median of $159,031, and a p75 of $7,406,750, which fits a model that combines many smaller operating-style awards with a few very large pass-through grants. The same recipient type appears across years: Various Member Agencies received major funding in both 2024 and 2023, and Grey Bears received grants in both years as well. The organization is a nonprofit food bank rather than a DAF or family foundation, and its active programs indicate unsolicited participation through an Agency Portal for partner agencies.
$14.2M
$23.5M
$30.1M
$28.5M
Most grants fall between $35K and $7.4M, with a median of $159K.
25th Percentile
$35K
Median
$159K
75th Percentile
$7.4M
ERICA PADILLA-CHAVEZ
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Grantmaking is local and entirely within the United States. All reported grants went to California recipients, and the foundation’s top state by grant count is CA. Recipient locations include Santa Cruz, with St Francis Kitchen and Grey Bears, and Hollister, with Food Bank San Benito. The largest awards were made to Various Member Agencies and Various Other Food Banks listed as VARIOUS, CA, indicating a county- and region-based distribution network rather than a single-city focus.
It funds food distribution and agency support. The active programs describe donated and purchased food, supplies, operational support, nutrition resources, and emergency food assistance for partner agencies such as pantries, shelters, soup kitchens, and community organizations serving Santa Cruz County.
The stated grant-size distribution is p25 $34,605, median $159,031, and p75 $7,406,750. That spread suggests a mix of smaller direct support grants and very large pass-through awards to member agencies.
No reported grants went outside the United States, and every grant listed in the recent-grants table went to California recipients. The top state by grant count is CA, and the recipient-country distribution is 100% US.
Yes. The active programs say agencies enroll via the Agency Portal to receive resources through the Partner Agency Food Distribution / Agency Partnership Program. Another program description also says it accepts unsolicited participation from local nonprofit agencies.
Recent recipients include Various Member Agencies, St Francis Kitchen in Santa Cruz, Grey Bears in Santa Cruz, Various Other Food Banks, and Food Bank San Benito in Hollister.
2026
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2026.
Current and upcoming funding from Second Harvest Food Bank Santa Cruz County that your nonprofit may be able to apply for.
Who can apply: Community-based nonprofit agencies and programs that provide food to clients in Santa Cruz County (partner agencies must register/qualify via Second Harvest's agency onboarding process).
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Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| VARIOUS MEMBER AGENCIES | VARIOUS, CA | $14,051,898 | 2026 | FOR THOSE IN NEED |
| VARIOUS OTHER FOOD BANKS | VARIOUS, CA | $152,114 | 2026 | FOR THOSE IN NEED |
| VARIOUS MEMBER AGENCIES | VARIOUS, CA | $13,294,247 | 2025 | FOR THOSE IN NEED |
| VARIOUS OTHER FOOD BANKS | VARIOUS, CA | $323,918 | 2025 | FOR THOSE IN NEED |
| THE SALVATION ARMY | LONG BEACH, CA | $87,270 | 2025 | PASS-THROUGH |
| NEW LIFE COMMUNITY SERVICES | SANTA CRUZ, CA | $82,866 | 2025 | PASS-THROUGH |
| PAJARO VALLEY UNIFIED SCHOOL | WATSONVILLE, CA | $72,938 | 2025 | PASS-THROUGH |
| WATSONVILLE SEVENTH DAY | WATSONVILLE, CA | $8,400 | 2025 | PASS-THROUGH |
| PARTICULAR COUNCIL OF SCC | SANTA CRUZ, CA | $8,078 | 2025 | PASS-THROUGH |
| COMMUNITY ACTION BOARD OF SCC | DAVENPORT, CA | $5,488 | 2025 | PASS-THROUGH |
| VARIOUS MEMBER AGENCIES | VARIOUS, CA | $16,961,749 | 2024 | FOR THOSE IN NEED |
| ST FRANCIS KITCHEN | SANTA CRUZ, CA | $180,234 | 2024 | PASS-THROUGH |
| VARIOUS OTHER FOOD BANKS | VARIOUS, CA | $159,031 | 2024 | FOR THOSE IN NEED |
| GREY BEARS | SANTA CRUZ, CA | $39,210 | 2024 | PASS-THROUGH |
| VARIOUS MEMBER AGENCIES | VARIOUS, CA | $14,633,266 | 2023 | FOR THOSE IN NEED |
| GREY BEARS | SANTA CRUZ, CA | $30,000 | 2023 | PASS-THROUGH |
| FOOD BANK SAN BENITO | HOLLISTER, CA | $7,500 | 2023 | PASS-THROUGH |
VARIOUS MEMBER AGENCIES
$14,051,898FOR THOSE IN NEED
VARIOUS OTHER FOOD BANKS
$152,114FOR THOSE IN NEED
VARIOUS MEMBER AGENCIES
$13,294,247FOR THOSE IN NEED
VARIOUS OTHER FOOD BANKS
$323,918FOR THOSE IN NEED
THE SALVATION ARMY
$87,270PASS-THROUGH
NEW LIFE COMMUNITY SERVICES
$82,866PASS-THROUGH
PAJARO VALLEY UNIFIED SCHOOL
PASS-THROUGH
WATSONVILLE SEVENTH DAY
$8,400PASS-THROUGH
PARTICULAR COUNCIL OF SCC
$8,078PASS-THROUGH
VARIOUS MEMBER AGENCIES
$16,961,749FOR THOSE IN NEED
ST FRANCIS KITCHEN
$180,234PASS-THROUGH
VARIOUS OTHER FOOD BANKS
$159,031FOR THOSE IN NEED
VARIOUS MEMBER AGENCIES
$14,633,266FOR THOSE IN NEED