The San Marcos Community Foundation (SMCF) is a nonprofit public benefit corporation founded in 1987 by the San Marcos City Council with the intent to enrich the quality of life for residents of San Marcos, California. The Foundation was established through an endowment fund seeded by a one-million-dollar contribution from developers of the North County Energy and Resource Recovery Center. SMCF operates to provide grants to nonprofit organizations that serve San Marcos residents, targeting a broad range of service areas including arts and culture, children and youth, civic engagement, education, health and well-being, senior services, and wildlife.
SMCF offers financial assistance to organizations classified as 501(c)(3) and located in or serving the San Marcos community. The Foundation provides two types of grant funding: Mini Grants for requests of $1,500 or less and Regular Grants for funding requests above $1,500 up to a maximum of $10,000. Grants are reviewed and awarded on a quarterly basis by the SMCF Board, which meets in February, May, August, and November. These grant cycles are scheduled annually with specific deadlines for application submissions each quarter.
To apply, eligible organizations must complete the online application available through the City of San Marcos website. The application process requires submission by 5:00 PM on the published deadline dates. Applications may be submitted electronically or physically, and incomplete submissions are not accepted. The CAP platform used by SMCF automatically saves application drafts and allows applicants to download their submissions post-submittal.
Each quarter follows a consistent timeline that includes grant application deadlines, review meetings by the Grant Funding Committee, and final board decisions. For 2026, the grant deadlines are scheduled for January 2, March 27, June 26, and October 2, with corresponding board review meetings approximately six weeks later. The board meetings are open to the public and held at San Marcos City Hall, beginning at 6:00 PM.
While the Foundation does not list specific evaluation criteria, its focus on diverse nonprofit service areas and its regular public meetings suggest a transparent and community-centered review process. Contact for inquiries is available through the San Marcos City Clerk's Office via phone at 760-744-1050 or email at cityclerk@san-marcos.net. The program operates on a recurring quarterly schedule and is expected to continue offering grants in 2027 and beyond.
Deadline compliance and application completeness are critical.
