RFP

Thank you for applying to Santa Cruz Gives for the 2025 holiday giving program.

The deadline to apply is September 1, 2025.
Organizations will be notified of their application status approximately September 18-20.

Please review the FAQ before applying to the program.

New in 2025: You may apply with a specific project or general program support — just be sure to clearly explain how funds will be used and why it matters now.

INSTRUCTIONS:
1. You may save your partially completed application at any time and return to it later by scrolling to the bottom of this page and clicking on: Save and Continue Later. Attachments will not be saved—you’ll need to upload these when you're ready to submit.
2. You will receive a link and have the option to have the link emailed to you. If you do not copy and save the link or have the link emailed, it is not possible to retrieve it.
3. If this page is open too long, it may time out and the Save and Continue feature will not work.
4. Images and document uploads will not be saved using Save and Continue. Nonprofits with a fiscal sponsor are invited to apply. All funds raised must be for local projects that benefit Santa Cruz County only. Please have photos and content on your application approved by board and staff members who want to weigh in. We use it to write your final profile page.

Please also add Jeanne@SantaCruzGives.org to your email whitelist and be sure to check your spam folder so as not to miss any important updates.

Organization's legal name as it appears on your IRS 990 form*

Name as it appears on your IRS 990 form

Common name you prefer, if different from legal name

Name by which you prefer to be listed

Your organization's mission:*

Project Name*

What is your Big Idea for 2025?*

Optional second campaign: Provide a brief title and description for a second project or program you'd like us to consider. You may submit up to two total.

Explain either or both in more detail if you’d like.

Estimated budget for this campaign*

This can be the full cost of the project or program, even if you're only seeking partial funding from Santa Cruz Gives.

Estimated budget for your Project #2 - OPTIONAL (numbers only, no $ sign or decimal points).*

Please estimate the number this budget (or each budget, for two projects) will serve in one year.

For example, the number of families, the pounds of produce, the days, or the sessions. We recognize that some work is extensive and the numbers may be few — this will be considered!

How does your organization benefit Santa Cruz County? Be specific.*

Does your work impact all of Santa Cruz County or a specific community/area?*

Include a video link if you have a video. YouTube or Vimeo platforms only.

We only accept YouTube or Vimeo links. Use the share feature in the app to copy and paste the link here.

Testimonial — Provide a one-to-two sentence quote from someone your organization has benefited .*

Testimonial Name — Include name, city of residence, and age of the person providing the testimonial. For sensitive content, "Anonymous" is acceptable.*

Include name, city of residence, and age of the person providing the testimonial above. For sensitive content, "Anonymous" is acceptable.

SELECT ONE CATEGORY THAT BEST DESCRIBES YOUR PROJECT (rather than your organization's mission, if they differ; we will include multiple categories if more than one applies) on your profile page if you are chosen):*

Select one:*

ONE TIME PROJECT
ONGOING PROJECT

Year organization founded*

Address*

Street Address City ZIP Code

Phone*

Website URL*

Preferred URL for your Santa Cruz Gives profile page. (Example: santacruzgives.org/secondharvest or santacruzgives.org/CASA **Note: This is the link you will share with your supporters. When you visit your profile page, the URL will include "nonprofit," but users typing the URL don't need to include this part. It will appear as santacruzgives.org/nonprofit/secondharvest or santacruzgives.org/nonprofit/CASA.)*

Primary contact for Santa Cruz Gives*

First Last Title

Primary contact email*

Primary contact phone*

Secondary Contact for Santa Cruz Gives

First Last Title

Secondary contact email

Secondary contact phone

Executive Director's Name*

First Last

Number of paid staff full-time equivalent (FTE).*

Number of volunteers.*

Non-monetary donations. List one to three items you could use. (Optional)

501(c)(3) tax ID number, enter a number (no hyphens).

501(c)(3) tax ID number, enter a number (no hyphens)*

Most recent 990 Form: Please attach your 2025 or most recent IRS 990 Form as a PDF*

Max. file size: 128 MB.

Photo

Use same photo as last year

Yes

Landscape Photo for Your Profile Page*

Accepted file types: jpg, png, jpeg, Max. file size: 128 MB.

Upload a single high-quality image—no logos, no text overlays, no collages. Minimum photo size:  1500 px x 550 px OR 2000 px (photos will be cropped to 1500 x 550). The filename cannot have special characters (&, *, $, #, etc.). Visit the pages for last year's organizations to understand how the image is displayed.

Annual budget (if a chapter of a national organization, list local budget)*

Percentage of your budget raised from foundations*

Number of Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or other social media followers—please separate each platform:

Total number of email addresses on your organization's list that you send newsletters or promotional content to (supporters).

List your local board of directors and their titles*

Notifications regarding acceptance will be emailed by September 20, 2025, to the primary contact you provided.

QUESTIONS? Email: Jeanne@SantaCruzGives.org
THANK YOU AND GOOD LUCK!

Comments

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Santa Cruz Gives Request for Proposals

Photo

QUESTIONS? Email: Jeanne@SantaCruzGives.org THANK YOU AND GOOD LUCK!

QUESTIONS? Email: Jeanne@SantaCruzGives.org
THANK YOU AND GOOD LUCK!