Join the Giving Revolution: Santa Cruz Gives
November 17 - December 31, 2021
This year's holiday campaign raises funds for 80 local nonprofits. Learn about their projects on each profile page and be inspired! Minimum donation is only $5.
If you have walked on a clean beach, enjoyed a park, attended an arts or music event live or on zoom, adopted a pet, received health care services, or enrolled a child in an activity — you have encountered the good work of numerous local nonprofits.
Often the benefits are not visible — when the work prevents or mitigates negative impacts. One thing is certain: Our community would be far less desirable without the dedication of these groups, driven only by a desire to improve our collective circumstances.
We vetted and selected 80 valuable local nonprofits and created a platform to make it easy for you to browse, donate and help make our community an even better place to live.
Join us!
Three $1,000 awards sponsored by Oswald Restaurant
will be granted for:
Most Donors | Most Innovative Project | Most Creative Campaign
By Jeanne Howard At a recent meeting of 80 local nonprofit organizations, Karen Delaney, longtime executive director of the Volunteer Center, shared the results of a 2021 study on charitable giving trends. “National research conducted with more than 5,000 adults shows numbers we have not ever seen before,” she said. By “ever,” Delaney means not […] Read more
SANTA CRUZ, CA - January 27, 2021
By Jeanne Howard
Santa Cruz Gives was so successful this year, it took more time than usual to verify and double-verify the results, and there was a long wait for the postal delivery of checks postmarked on December 31.
Thank you, Donors, for making us work so hard to manage the growth: Total funds raised is 73 percent over the 2019 campaign! $709,617 compared to $413,161. We are happy to report that the average donation was up significantly, too. The community stepped up with gusto in these unpredictable times.
Read moreSANTA CRUZ, CA - December 23, 2020
By Jeanne Howard
Last night Santa Cruz Gives hit its OMG goal — its higher of two goals we set each year! $600,000! In all of the five past years of this campaign, December 31st has been the largest day for donations, so we’ll see if that trend continues.
Read more