Grants for Churches in California (2026 Guide)

This guide is for: pastors, church boards, ministry leaders, and administrators of California congregations who want to know which foundations, state programs, and local funders actually reach churches in California, and what limits come with the money.

Full answer: California churches get foundation grants, but fewer than the state's size suggests. According to Grantsights analysis of Form 990-PF grant records, 2,186 foundations made 3,381 grants totaling $108.9 million to California churches, ministries, and congregations, with a median of $5,000. California ranks fourth, behind New York, Texas, and Pennsylvania. The main state program open to churches is the California State Nonprofit Security Grant Program, whose last round offered $76 million and closed December 12, 2025. Pantries get USDA food through 49 TEFAP food banks. State historic preservation money for churches is thin, so a historic church's best grant routes are private.

Data note: California counts in this guide come from Grantsights analysis of Form 990-PF grant records (mostly tax year 2023, the latest year most foundations have filed), as of October 2026. A grant counts when the recipient's name says church, parish, ministry, or congregation, or the purpose names a church, and the recipient is in California. Grantsights checked the California Supreme Court's Riles opinion, Cal OES's CSNSGP and NSGP materials, the Office of Historic Preservation's grant and tax credit pages, CDSS TEFAP documents, EFSP allocation tables, and each funder's own site on October 15, 2026.

Last updated: October 15, 2026.

If you're new to church funding, our national grants for churches guide explains the federal programs and the basic rules first. This page covers what's specific to California.

Foundation Giving to California Churches, by the Numbers

According to Grantsights analysis of Form 990-PF grant records, California churches, ministries, and congregations received 3,381 foundation grants from 2,186 foundations. That's fewer than Pennsylvania, a state with a third of California's population.

What stands out:

One gift skews the total. California's $108.9 million includes one gift above $11 million, about a tenth of the state's total by itself. Without it, the average gift would drop sharply. The median, $5,000, is the number a congregation should plan around.

Big gifts are more common than in New York or Pennsylvania. 6% of California church grants were $100,000 or more, compared with 3% in New York and 4% in Pennsylvania. There are only 210 of them, though, so they don't change what a typical congregation should expect.

Food grants are rare, youth grants aren't. Only 24 grants named food in their purpose, the fewest of the six states with the most church grants. 124 named youth and 74 named building, repair, or capital work. A case in point: a California church pantry should expect its outside support to come from its food bank, not from foundations, because foundations named food in only 24 church grants statewide.

Most funders give once. 75% of the foundations gave to just one California recipient, often a congregation tied to the family. The 212 foundations that gave to 3 or more are the realistic first targets.

See how many foundations gave to churches in California, with two of their names, in the free preview.

Where California Church Grants Go

Six cities account for 785 of California's 3,381 church grants, about 23%, according to the same Grantsights analysis. Giving is spread across the state rather than concentrated in one metro.

Irvine's 79 grants put it ahead of every other California city outside the four largest, including Sacramento and Oakland. A Central Valley or Inland Empire church faces a thinner local foundation pool, which makes denominational funds and food bank partnerships relatively more important there.

Using the $29 Church Funder List in California

Grantsights sells a list of the foundations that reported grants to churches and ministries on their own IRS Form 990-PF filings, by state. For California, that's all 2,186 foundations behind the figures above: what each gave, to which church or ministry, for what, and a link to its filings. The list covers every other state as well. It costs $29 once, there's no subscription, and there's a 30-day refund if it doesn't help.

Getting value from it in a state this size:

1. Filter by region first. A San Diego funder that gave to 4 San Diego congregations is a better lead for a Chula Vista church than a Bay Area family foundation with one gift.
2. Separate the big-gift funders. Foundations whose church gifts run into six figures usually fund large institutions. Look for funders whose gifts sit near the $5,000 median.
3. Check Part XIV of the 990-PF. If the foundation gives only to preselected organizations, don't send a proposal.

Reading a 990-PF for the first time? Our guide to foundations that give grants to churches walks through Part XIV and a sample first letter.

California's Constitution and Public Money for Churches

California's Constitution has two clauses on public money and religion, and the California Supreme Court has read them strictly. Grantsights couldn't load the official text on leginfo.legislature.ca.gov on October 15, 2026, so this section relies on how the court described it.

• Article XVI, section 5. In California Teachers Assn. v. Riles (1981), the court described this section as "an even broader injunction" than the school clause, "forbidding the Legislature to grant 'anything to or in aid of' any church or religious sect, or 'help to support' any school controlled by a church or a sectarian denomination."
• Article IX, section 8. The court described it as prohibiting "the appropriation of public money for the support of sectarian schools or schools not under the jurisdiction of the officers of the public schools."

In Riles, the court struck down a program lending state textbooks to students at church schools, holding it violated both sections. A 2018 California Senate Education Committee analysis also summarized the two sections as barring state support for religious schools.

What happens in practice. California does fund houses of worship in at least one program. Cal OES's California State Nonprofit Security Grant Program is state money, and its RFP addresses churches, mosques, and synagogues directly, noting they're automatically exempt if they meet section 501(c)(3) requirements. That program funds security for people at risk of hate crimes, a public safety purpose. Grantsights didn't find a California court decision or Attorney General opinion after 2017 on how Article XVI, section 5 applies to grants like these, so this guide won't predict the answer for other programs.

Where the U.S. Supreme Court comes in. Riles was decided decades before three cases that changed the rules. In Trinity Lutheran Church v. Comer (2017), the Supreme Court held that a state can't deny a church a generally available grant because it's a church. Espinoza (2020) held that a state no-aid provision can't be applied to exclude religious schools from a program open to other private schools, and Carson v. Makin (2022) rejected Maine's "nonsectarian" requirement for its tuition program. These cases limit how California could apply Article XVI, section 5 to shut churches out of a program open to other nonprofits, though they don't settle every question about religious use of state money. If a California program open to nonprofits excludes churches only for being churches, that's a red flag worth raising with the agency and a lawyer.

Federal pass-through money, including NSGP, brings federal faith-based rules with it; our guide to government grants for churches explains them.

Security Grants for California Churches: CSNSGP and NSGP

California runs the largest state-funded nonprofit security program Grantsights found: $76 million in the FY2025-26 round of the California State Nonprofit Security Grant Program. Cal OES released that RFP on October 31, 2025, and proposals were due by email on December 12, 2025.

Per the Cal OES announcements page, CSNSGP RFPs came out in August 2022, August 2023, the 2024-25 cycle, and October 31, 2025. No 2026-27 RFP was posted on October 15, 2026. On that timing, a church should have its paperwork ready by late summer or fall.

The shared-building rule catches churches. If a church, its school, and a ministry share one building, Cal OES will consider only one proposal for that location. Decide internally which entity applies before the RFP opens.

Vulnerability assessments. In the FY2025-26 RFP, Support Services applicants could fund vulnerability assessments for nonprofits that have never had one, need a new one, or can't get one on their own. That's one way a small church without an assessment can get help.

Federal NSGP through Cal OES. Cal OES is also California's State Administrative Agency for FEMA's Nonprofit Security Grant Program. Its FY2026 webinar said FEMA released the $300 million FY2026 notice on June 24, 2026, and applications to Cal OES were due July 10, 2026, about 16 days later. The Investment Justification is scored out of 40 points, with risk worth 15. According to USAspending.gov data for Assistance Listing 97.008, California's NSGP obligations were $43.2 million in FY2025 and $44.2 million in FY2024. Our church security grants guide covers the federal program in detail.

Food: TEFAP, CalFood, and California's Food Banks

California's TEFAP network has 49 participating food banks running about 2,400 distribution and congregate feeding sites, according to the CDSS TEFAP fact sheet for 2026. The Department of Social Services is the single responsible state agency for the program, according to its FFY 2025 TEFAP State Plan. From October 1, 2024 through September 30, 2025, California received 119.7 million pounds of USDA food under TEFAP, valued at $130.3 million, and its FFY 2025 administrative funding was $22.1 million.

How a church pantry takes part:

• Sign a site agreement with your food bank. CDSS contracts with food banks as eligible recipient agencies, and each distribution site signs a TEFAP site agreement with its food bank.
• Follow the sign-in rules. Recipients self-certify income on the EFA-7 sign-in sheet, against an income guideline of 235% of the federal poverty level. The site can't redistribute food to other sites without the food bank's written approval.
• Ask about CalFood. According to the CDSS state food programs page, CalFood allocates state funding to TEFAP food banks to buy, store, and transport food grown or produced in California. It flows through the food bank, not directly to a pantry.

California Food Banks, the statewide association, works with 43 member food banks. The faith-based rules on USDA food still apply, so worship or prayer can't be part of a TEFAP distribution. Our church food pantry grants guide covers records and the religious-activity rules.

EFSP: Emergency Food and Shelter Money in California

California's Emergency Food and Shelter Program allocation for Phase 43 (FY2025) is $16,119,733, down from $18,329,059 in Phase 42, according to the EFSP National Board's Phase 43 allocation table. The largest local allocations are Los Angeles City and County at $4,280,014, San Diego County at $1,151,167, Orange County at $1,009,554, and Riverside County at $1,000,848.

Each qualifying area has a Local Board that picks the nonprofits. In Los Angeles, United Way of Greater Los Angeles administers EFSP, and its local board includes Catholic Charities of Los Angeles and the Ecumenical Council of Pasadena Area Churches, according to United Way's EFSP page. A church pantry, shelter, or rent and utility ministry applies to its Local Board when a phase opens. The National Board's latest news page said Phase 43 awards and the spending period were still pending on October 15, 2026.

Historic Church Buildings: Why California's State Options Are Thin

California's state historic preservation incentives mostly don't reach a working church building. Grantsights checked each on the Office of Historic Preservation site on October 15, 2026.

• Certified Local Government grants are federal grants awarded each year to certified local governments, not to property owners. A church can benefit only if its city or county runs a project that includes it.
• The Mills Act is a contract between a property owner and a local government for property tax relief. It's set up and run locally, and not every city or county takes part.
• The State Historic Rehabilitation Tax Credit covers eligible historic residential and income-producing properties. OHP's update page says it isn't currently accepting applications for the 2025-2026 program. In the round summarized there, the over-$1 million commercial category had $40 million allocated, drew 36 applications, and had two projects recommended.

That leaves private routes. The National Fund for Sacred Places opens its next application on January 12, 2027, with applications due March 3, 2027 and decisions in October 2027. All its grants require a 1:1 cash match, a quarter of the match must be raised before money is paid, and funds pledged before a congregation enters the program don't count toward it. Our church building repair grants guide covers this and FEMA disaster aid, which matters in a state with wildfire and earthquake risk.

Community Foundations and Denominational Funds in California

California's big community foundations mostly exclude religious purposes, while a few programs and denominational funds are built for congregations. Grantsights checked each funder's own site on October 15, 2026.

The pattern: community foundations fund a church's community program, not its worship or general budget. If you're applying to one, describe the pantry, tutoring program, or shelter and who it serves, and keep religious activities separate and voluntary.

What California Church Grant Lists Don't Tell You

Most "grants for churches in California" lists repeat national foundations and closed programs. Five things they leave out:

1. California punches below its size. With 3,381 church grants, it trails Pennsylvania's 3,392 despite having about three times the population.
2. The state security program is the biggest state door. At $76 million in its last round, CSNSGP dwarfs any other state program open to churches, but it isn't posted on a fixed calendar.
3. Only one nonprofit per building can apply for CSNSGP. A church and its school can't both apply for the same location.
4. State preservation incentives don't fit worship buildings. CLG grants go to local governments, Mills Act is a local tax contract, and the state tax credit is closed and aimed at residential and income-producing properties.
5. Food grants from foundations are rare. Only 24 foundation grants to California churches named food. The food bank is the route.

Our view: the best first grant for a California church is often a modest denominational or community program grant, or CSNSGP if it has a documented risk. Our honest read: bigger foundation money comes after relationships, not cold proposals.

A 90-Day Plan for a California Church

1. Weeks 1 and 2: documents. Gather IRS status evidence (a denominational group exemption letter often works), articles of incorporation, a board list, and a financial statement. Decide which entity applies for programs at a shared building.
2. Weeks 3 and 4: registrations. Get a UEI in SAM.gov for federal NSGP and other federal pass-through programs. Our SAM.gov registration guide covers it.
3. Weeks 5 to 8: security groundwork. Get or update a vulnerability assessment and vendor quotes so you're ready when Cal OES posts the next CSNSGP RFP.
4. Weeks 9 to 12: 3 targeted asks. One foundation that gave to several churches in your county, one community foundation program grant for a public-serving ministry, and one denominational fund.

Before you pick, run the free eligibility checker for programs that fit your organization, or start from a project type on our church grant path index. For California programs beyond churches, see our California grants guide and California nonprofit grants guide.

For other large states, see our church grant guides for New York, Pennsylvania, Texas, Florida, and Georgia. They use the same 990-PF data.

Limits of This Data

California's counts reflect only the foundations in our dataset, and 990-PF filings arrive a year or more after the grants are paid. Purpose lines are often vague, and name-based matching misses churches recorded under another name, such as a school, a community development corporation, or a ministry with a non-religious name.

Sources Checked

All sources were checked on October 15, 2026:

• California Supreme Court, California Teachers Assn. v. Riles (1981), on Article XVI, section 5 and Article IX, section 8; California Senate Education Committee analysis of SCA 16 (2018)
• Cal OES: FY2025-26 CSNSGP RFP, CSNSGP announcements, FY2026 NSGP application webinar, GMM 2026-10
• USAspending.gov, Assistance Listing 97.008 by state, FY2024 and FY2025
• Office of Historic Preservation: State Historic Rehabilitation Tax Credit and its updates page, Certified Local Government Program, Mills Act Program
• CDSS: TEFAP 2026 fact sheet, FFY 2025 TEFAP State Plan, TEFAP site agreement, state food programs page (CalFood); California Food Banks
• EFSP National Board: Phase 43 allocations, Phase 42 allocations, latest news; United Way of Greater Los Angeles EFSP page
• National Fund for Sacred Places application and eligibility pages
• Supreme Court opinions: Trinity Lutheran, Espinoza, Carson
• Funder guidelines on their own sites: San Francisco Foundation, Silicon Valley Community Foundation, California Community Foundation, Episcopal Foundation of Northern California, ELCA Southwest California Synod
• Grantsights analysis of Form 990-PF grant records, as of October 2026