Open Call Grants is a grant from the Clif Bar Family Foundation that funds small grassroots nonprofit organizations working on food systems, environmental health, and community resilience across the United States. Grants range from $5,000 to $50,000 for one year and support general operating costs.

Priority areas include regenerative and organic farming, food production workers' health and safety, climate resilience, food access, safe places for physical activity, and prevention of environmental toxics. Eligible applicants must be 501(c)(3) nonprofits or fiscally sponsored organizations with an annual operating budget under $8 million. The next application deadline is August 1, 2026.

Regenerative and Organic Farming Accelerate the adoption of regenerative farming practices, including organic, climate-resilient, equitable, and agroecological approaches. Food Production Workers’ Health and Safety Amplify efforts to secure healthy, safe, just, and empowering working and living conditions for food production workers.

Expand community-centered solutions to climate change that build resilience and empower those who have been historically marginalized. Advance food systems’ changes that make healthy and sustainably produced food accessible, affordable, and culturally appropriate. Catalyze solutions that expand access to safe places to enable healthy physical activity and improve mental health.

Indoors and Outdoors Safe from Pollution Promote preventative health approaches by identifying and eliminating toxics from our air, water, soil, and human-made materials. Clif Family Foundation currently offers two types of grants, Open Call and By Invitation Only. Click on the below links to learn more.

These grants support general operating costs and applicants must be registered as (or fiscally sponsored by) a 501(c)3 organization. The Foundation reviews applications twice a year; the deadlines are March 1 and August 1 . Grant announcements occur approximately four months after the deadline.

Typical grants range from $5,000 - $50,000 and last for one year.

Priority is given to applicants that: Advance our strategic priorities and align with our values Focus their work primarily in the United States and its unincorporated territories Demonstrate strong community ties Have operating budgets under $8MM Operate at the grassroots level to implement change at the local, state or national stage After school academic-based programs Capital construction (construction, demolition, renovation, or renewal of a public building) Chapters of national organizations Faith-based or religious organizations Food banks (unless engaged in wider systemic change) Fundraising events (e.g., fun run, challenges, annual gala) Local and state public sector or government agencies Media projects (such as films, books, radio) Medical or health centers Natural disaster/emergency first response Primarily pass-through grant programming PTAs/PTOs, or individual school boosters We have done our best to provide complete information for our grants program on our website and application portal, but if you still have unanswered questions you may email us at info@cliffamilyfoundation.

org By Invitation Only Grants Our By Invitation Only (BIO) grants support nonprofit organizations in the U.S. working on critical issues that are aligned with the Clif Family Foundation’s strategic priorities and values . There are two main programs for BIO grants: 1.

Food Systems Transformation, focused on: Farmworker Justice, Health and Safety Increased Access to Good Food (i.e., healthy and equitably/regeneratively produced food) for disadvantaged communities Organic and Regenerative Farming, emphasizing human/social and equity dimensions Ann Thrupp, Senior Program Officer in Food Systems Transformation, Ann[at]cliffamilyfoundation[dot]org 2.

Climate Justice, focused on: A Resilient Built Environment: helping communities secure climate- ready structures—places that are safe, affordable, healthy and carbon positive Economic Justice: enabling solutions to come from, benefit, and create jobs in disadvantaged communities including community ownership of energy systems, and community-stewarded lands A More Powerful Climate Movement: helping grow from the bottom up a more effective movement that ensures this moment of unprecedented federal climate support reaches disadvantaged communities Sierra Martinez, Senior Program Officer in Climate Justice, sierra[at]cliffamilyfoundation[dot]org Please do not contact Sierra or Ann for inquiries regarding the Open Call Program; please review the Open Call guidelines and, if you still need assistance, use info[at]cliffamilyfoundation[dot]org Across these programs, Clif Family Foundation aims to support the following pathways: Power and movement-building of disadvantaged communities, including organizing, leadership of historically marginalized communities, and healing injustice Policy initiatives and advocacy, at local, state or national levels Job building, workforce development and/or innovative education/empowerment programs Narrative work in service of building movements Market transformation efforts or other efforts to advance systemic change Local government and/or state government agencies Biofuels, offsets, hydrogen and/or nuclear Food banks and community/school gardens (unless engaged in wider systemic change) Direct air capture or carbon capture and sequestration (not including nature-based sequestration solutions like working lands)