By Cris Alarcon, InEDC Writer. (Aug 25, 2025)<\/p>\n
PLACERVILLE, Calif.<\/strong> \u2014 The El Dorado Community Foundation (EDCF) will open its 2025 fall competitive grant cycles on Aug. 28<\/strong>, inviting nonprofits and school-based groups serving El Dorado County to apply for funding aimed at community needs, youth projects, agriculture education and student field experiences. Application instructions and program overviews are posted on the foundation\u2019s grants catalog.<\/p>\n EDCF administers competitive, request-for-proposal grants throughout the year and regularly convenes local partners to strengthen services countywide. The fall window features four programs: the El Dorado Hills Area Foundation (EDHAF) Grant<\/strong> (up to $10,000), the F.E.E.T. Fund<\/strong> for Lake Tahoe Unified School District field trips, the Locher Agricultural Grant<\/strong> for 4-H\/FFA programs, and the Pay It Forward Project School Grant<\/strong> for student-led service initiatives. Specific deadlines for each cycle appear below and in the foundation\u2019s announcement provided to this newsroom.<\/p>\n El Dorado Hills Area Foundation Grant<\/strong> \u2014 Open to nonprofits serving El Dorado Hills; the program encourages ideas that respond to unmet community needs. Starting in 2025, EDHAF notes that organizations funded two consecutive years must sit out one year<\/strong> before reapplying. \u201cStarting in 2025, organizations that have been funded by EDHAF in the prior two consecutive years will need to sit out one year before reapplying,\u201d<\/em> the foundation states in its catalog.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n F.E.E.T. (Fulfilling Equitable Educational Trips) Fund<\/strong> \u2014 Supports standards-based, overnight field trips<\/strong> for LTUSD elementary grades. The fund\u2019s mission is to \u201cprovide funds for overnight, standards-based field trips for Grades 5 and below,\u201d<\/em> prioritizing socioeconomically disadvantaged<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Locher Agricultural Grant<\/strong> \u2014 Offers small grants (historically up to about $4,500<\/strong>) to 4-H and FFA<\/strong> programs serving El Dorado County; the fund is rooted in a bequest intended to inspire youth in agriculture. Public listings of the program and recent cycles appear in regional grant directories.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Pay It Forward Project School Grant<\/strong> \u2014 Provides microgrants to student clubs<\/strong> in El Dorado County (CA) and nearby Nevada high schools for community service and environmental projects. The program\u2019s ethos is to grow volunteerism; it \u201cencourag[es] everyone to volunteer a minimum of two hours per month,\u201d<\/em> according to a July 2025 program update.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\nWhat\u2019s new and who\u2019s eligible<\/h3>\n
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Key dates and amounts (from EDCF\u2019s Aug. 28 release)<\/h3>\n