Clif Family Foundation Open Call Grants 2027: $5,000 to $50,000 in General Operating Support

Clif Family Foundation Open Call Grants 2027: $5,000 to $50,000 in General Operating Support

The Clif Family Foundation Open Call program offers one-year grants for general organizational support. The foundation says typical awards range from $5,000 to $50,000. Its homepage identifies March 1, 2027 at 11:59 p.m. Pacific Time as the next Open Call deadline and lists August 2, 2027 as the second 2027 deadline. The application portal is not open for this cycle yet: the foundation says its Temelio portal will reopen early in 2027. These are the foundation’s announced dates; confirm the live Temelio instructions after reopening before submitting.

This is not a project-specific award. The grant is intended to support an eligible organization’s general operating costs, so applicants should explain how flexible funding would support mission delivery across their work. The foundation gives priority to groups aligned with its values and strategic priorities, focused primarily in the United States and its unincorporated territories, rooted in their communities, and operating at the grassroots level. It gives priority to organizations with operating budgets under $8 million; that is a stated preference, not a promise of funding or a substitute for checking the full guidelines.

Key details

The foundation homepage provides a year-specific 2027 schedule: March 1 and August 2, with decisions expected on or near June 30 and November 30, respectively. The standing grants-program page describes the recurring schedule as March 1 and August 3. For the announced 2027 cycle, the homepage is the source for the year-specific August 2 date; the grants-program page remains the source for the recurring schedule and the program guidelines. Check the live Temelio application after it reopens in case the foundation updates the calendar or provides instructions not included in the public summaries.

What the grant supports

Open Call awards support general operating costs for one year. That flexibility distinguishes the program from a call that will only pay for one named activity or deliverable. A general operating request should make clear what the organization does, who is part of its community, and how its ongoing work advances the foundation’s priorities. Use the application to explain the value of supporting the organization as a whole; do not describe the award as a restricted project grant unless the foundation’s live instructions say otherwise.

The stated range is substantial enough to contribute to core costs for many community organizations, but the award range is not a formula for an individual request. The foundation does not publish a guaranteed amount for each applicant in the summary. Build a request around the organization’s actual operating needs, scale, and financial information, and follow any amount guidance in the portal when it becomes available. A one-year award should be incorporated into a responsible operating plan rather than treated as recurring income.

The program operates alongside a separate By Invitation Only grant program. The Open Call is the public route described here. It supports general operating costs and is open to qualifying 501(c)(3) organizations or fiscally sponsored applicants; the invitation-only program has its own focus and should not be confused with this application.

The foundation’s priorities

The foundation identifies six strategic priority areas for its grantmaking:

• Regenerative and organic farming: practices that move agriculture toward organic, climate-resilient, equitable, and agroecological approaches.
• Food production workers’ health and safety: efforts to secure healthy, safe, just, and empowering working and living conditions for food production workers.
• Climate justice: community-centered responses to climate change that build resilience and empower people who have been historically marginalized.
• Healthy food access: changes that make healthy, sustainably produced food accessible, affordable, and culturally appropriate.
• Inclusive outdoor access: solutions that expand access to safe places for physical activity and mental health.
• Indoors and outdoors safe from pollution: preventive approaches that identify and eliminate toxics from air, water, soil, and human-made materials.

Applicants should connect their work to the foundation’s actual descriptions rather than rely on broad labels. For example, a food access group can explain how its work changes access, affordability, or cultural appropriateness; an environmental organization can describe the communities involved and the pollution or climate problem it addresses. The foundation also points applicants to its expanded strategic priorities and pathways. Consult those materials if they clarify how the organization’s work fits.

Alignment is a priority, not simply a keyword exercise. A credible application explains what the organization does in practice, which people or places shape the work, and how its approach advances a relevant priority. If the relationship is indirect, describe that honestly and avoid stretching the mission statement to resemble the foundation’s language.

Who should consider applying

An applicant must be registered as a 501(c)(3) organization or be fiscally sponsored by a 501(c)(3). The foundation gives priority to applicants whose work focuses primarily in the United States and its unincorporated territories. It also prioritizes strong community ties, grassroots operations, and operating budgets under $8 million. These are the foundation’s published screening preferences; meeting them does not guarantee eligibility for every circumstance or an award.

The guidelines describe grassroots organizations as groups implementing change at local, state, or national levels. The relevant question is not just whether an organization is small. Applicants should be able to show that the people affected by the work are connected to its design, leadership, delivery, or accountability. Explain that relationship with concrete examples, and give a clear picture of the organization’s reach and role.

The foundation lists many areas it does not fund. These include after-school academic programs; capital construction; chapters or affiliates of national organizations; deficit funding; endowments; faith-based or religious organizations; food banks unless they engage in wider systemic change; fundraising events; individuals; local and state public agencies; media projects such as films, books, or radio; medical or health centers; natural-disaster or emergency first response; primarily pass-through grant programming; product donations; PTAs, PTOs, or individual school boosters; sponsorships; and summer camps. This list matters: being connected to a priority area does not make an excluded activity eligible. Applicants should compare the proposed organizational support and the organization’s principal work with the complete current list before investing time in an application.

Deadlines and review schedule

The next Open Call deadline listed by the foundation is March 1, 2027 at 11:59 p.m. Pacific Time. Its homepage gives August 2, 2027 for the second 2027 round, while the standing grants-program page gives August 3 as the recurring second deadline. Follow the homepage for the published 2027 calendar and recheck the live Temelio instructions when the portal reopens. The foundation says the portal will reopen early in 2027, so organizations can prepare now but should not assume that the form is currently available.

The foundation says applications are reviewed twice a year. It expects to notify applicants on or near June 30 for the first deadline and November 30 for the second. Its grants-program page describes announcements as occurring approximately four months after a deadline. These are planning estimates from the foundation, not a guarantee of an individual notification date. Organizations should avoid treating a pending application as committed revenue and should make operating plans that can withstand a decision later than hoped.

The announcement of a future cycle means this page is an active opportunity guide, although the portal is not yet open. Do not submit through an unofficial service or rely on an old application form. Start from the foundation’s own grants page or homepage once the portal reopening is confirmed.

Application steps

The foundation says its grant programs moved to Temelio in 2026 and that the portal will reopen early in 2027 for the next cycle. Although the foundation site links to Temelio, it says the application portal is not yet open for this cycle. Do not treat an older quiz or application screen as an open 2027 application. The public Open Call summary does not give a fixed attachment checklist. Prepare using the published guidelines, then treat the reopened Temelio form as authoritative for required fields, materials, and submission instructions:

1. Review the official guidelines. Read the foundation’s Open Call priorities, eligibility preferences, and areas not funded. Confirm that the organization’s work and the requested support are a fit before preparing a submission.
2. Confirm the applicant structure. Ensure the applicant is registered as a 501(c)(3), or clarify the fiscal sponsor arrangement if applying through a sponsor. Have the sponsor’s role and relevant financial information ready for the eventual application.
3. Prepare a concise account of the work. Describe the organization’s mission, community ties, programs, geography, and how its work advances one or more stated priorities. Support the explanation with specific examples rather than broad claims.
4. Prepare financial and organizational information. The public summary does not provide a complete document checklist. Gather current organizational and budget information so it can be entered or uploaded if requested, then follow the Temelio instructions for required fields and attachments once the next-cycle application is available.
5. Wait for the next-cycle application to open. Start from the “Apply for Grant” link on the foundation’s own site, which routes into Temelio. Complete the eligibility quiz and application when the 2027 application is available, following the instructions shown there. The portal’s live guidance takes precedence over assumptions based on a past application.
6. Submit with a buffer. The published deadline is a specific cutoff. Aim to complete the submission before deadline day, check that the portal confirms receipt, and retain a copy of the submitted materials for the organization’s records.

For unresolved Open Call questions, the foundation asks applicants to use [email protected]. It specifically directs Open Call applicants not to contact the individual managers of its invitation-only programs with Open Call questions.

Preparing a clear general operating request

Because this is general operating support, applicants should make the organizational case legible. Start with the central purpose of the organization and the community it serves. Explain how its work contributes to a priority and why it is positioned to do that work. Then describe the organization’s operating needs in a way that shows how flexible support would help sustain or strengthen its mission. The application should make sense to a reviewer who has not encountered the organization before.

Community ties should be demonstrated rather than asserted. Useful evidence may include who participates in setting priorities, how residents or workers shape decisions, what relationships enable the work, and how the organization responds to community feedback. Choose examples that reflect the group’s actual structure and practice. The foundation’s published guidance does not prescribe one particular form of community engagement, so applicants should avoid claiming that an example is mandatory when it is simply evidence of fit.

Make the budget picture coherent with the narrative. If the foundation asks for financial materials, ensure that figures match across the application and any attachments. Explain the scale and purpose of the request using the organization’s real operating context. Since the grant is one year and general operating in nature, describe how the organization will manage the support within its operating plan without assuming that the award will renew.

Finally, distinguish fit from certainty. A group may work in one of the foundation’s priority areas and still be affected by the exclusions, geographic preference, budget guidance, or competitive review. Use the public guidelines to decide whether to proceed, and rely on the live portal for final requirements rather than inventing an application checklist in advance.

Questions applicants often ask

How much does the program award? Typical Open Call grants range from $5,000 to $50,000 and last one year.

What can the grant pay for? It supports general operating costs. Follow the live application guidance for any details on allowable uses and the information the foundation expects.

When is the next deadline? The foundation lists March 1, 2027 at 11:59 p.m. Pacific Time. It also lists August 2, 2027 as the second deadline that year.

Can an organization apply today? The foundation says the Temelio portal will reopen early in 2027. Until then, review the guidelines and prepare, then use the official application link when the portal is available.

Can a fiscally sponsored project apply? The published Open Call summary says applicants may be registered as, or fiscally sponsored by, a 501(c)(3) organization.

Does every nonprofit qualify? No. The foundation gives priority to applicants meeting its focus, geographic, community-ties, budget, and grassroots guidance, and it lists categories it does not fund. Review the full guidelines for the organization’s specific situation.

Official information

Use the Clif Family Foundation grants-program page for the Open Call description and guidelines. The foundation homepage currently carries the next deadline, portal reopening note, annual schedule, and decision timing. When applications reopen, enter through the foundation’s own “Apply for a Grant” link to reach Temelio. The dates and general terms in this guide reflect the foundation’s current published information; recheck the official pages and the live application before submitting.