In 1993, San Francisco Foundation created FAITHS (Foundation Alliance with Interfaith to Heal Society) — now a nationally recognized program — to enhance the work of faith-based organizations and congregations to organize and advocate for equitable policies and improve services and outcomes in their neighborhoods and the region.
FAITHS is now a multi-faith network of more than 600 congregations, faith-based agencies, and community organizations that address racial and economic equity issues in the five Bay Area counties that the foundation serves (Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, San Francisco, and San Mateo).
FAITHS convenes faith leaders, offers technical assistance and capacity building training, and makes grants focused on building the power of faith-based organizations to support greater racial equity and economic inclusion in the region.
FAITHS grantmaking and other program activities align with the foundation’s goals to ensure that every Bay Area resident has access to a good job, lives in a safe and affordable home, and has a strong political voice.
Our Focus
“Our liberation is bound together. We cannot achieve justice for some without justice for all.” ~ Alicia Garza
FAITHS Community Partners Grant Program
FAITHS Community Partners grants support programs that strengthen interfaith relations, increase civic participation, develop leaders, and use the provision of community services to build a base, policy advocacy, and community organizing.
Grant duration and range: Applicants can apply for a one-year grant up to $25,000.
The grantmaking program will support faith-based organizations and congregations to:
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Build and strengthen the capacity of organizations and leaders to engage in racial and economic equity issues, through nonpartisan voter engagement, policy advocacy, and community organizing.
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Provide programs that promote economic security, leadership and training opportunities, and community well-being, i.e. advocating for and providing more affordable housing.
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Provide programs and activities that address institutional and structural racism, discrimination, and implicit bias, i.e. leadership development of previously incarcerated community members.
The FAITHS Community Partners Grant Program applications are closed. Applicants will be informed of the decision by February 2026.
The next FAITHS Community Partners Grants will be opened again Summer 2026.
APPLICATION PROCESS
The FAITHS Community Partners Grant Program applications are closed.
The application process opens August 15, 2025, with a submission deadline of September 29, 2025. Applications must be submitted through the SFF grantee portal. Grant notifications will be sent via email in February 2026. Approved grants will be for 12 months and will begin on January 2, 2026.
APPLICATION GUIDELINES
The FAITHS Community Partners Grant Program applications are closed.
All applicants must meet the following eligibility criteria:
- Faith-based organizations/congregations (501(c)3, 501(c)4 or fiscally sponsored).
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Serve low-income communities and people of color in one or more of five Bay Area counties (Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, San Francisco, and San Mateo).
- If your organization’s headquarters is outside of the Bay Area and the organization serves one or more of the five Bay Area counties, you are eligible to apply.
The FAITHS Community Partners Grant program does not fund capital improvements, grants to individuals, or event sponsorships
Priority will be given to applicants that:
- Provide programs for underserved communities that also increase the civic and community engagement of those communities (e.g., low-income people of color, systems involved and/or formerly incarcerated residents, low-wage workers, mental health programs, youth, unhoused individuals, seniors, and immigrants).
- Foster collaboration and partnership with other faith-based organizations and/or nonprofits.
All applications must have some civic engagement, advocacy, and/or policy component in the program. It must be included as the primary activity in the application. For example: Voter registration and/or civic engagement activities.
HOW TO APPLY
The FAITHS Community Partners Grant Program applications are closed.
To submit an application please log onto the SFF grantee portal.
Your organization must have an active organizational account in the SFF grantee portal in order to apply. If you do not have an active account, you can create one following the instructions on the right side of the login page. Account creation takes three business days to confirm before you can log into the grantee portal and start the FAITHS Community Partners Grant application. Please plan ahead accordingly!
GRANT APPLICATION OFFICE HOURS
The FAITHS Community Partners Grant Program applications are closed.
We are offering additional support for the application process. If you are interested in applying for a FAITHS Community Partners Grant, we encourage you to drop in during our Zoom Office Hours for hands-on support. Join us during one (or several!) of the times below to learn about the Community Partners Grant requirements, how to create an account in our grantee portal, or to have any of your questions answered by members of our team.
FAITHS Leadership Council Meetings (FLC)
FAITHS Leadership Council Meetings
The FAITHS Leadership Council comprises a diverse representation of faith-based leaders from the five Bay Area counties: San Francisco, Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, and San Mateo. These quarterly meetings provide a forum for training, information and resource sharing, and community building. Community leaders interested in participating are invited to register below. Meetings are conducted in a hybrid format, offering both online and in-person attendance options at the San Francisco Foundation.
Dates and registration for FLC Meetings in 2025:
November 18, 2025 – Register here
Questions? Email FAITHS[at]sff.org.
2026 FAITHS Retreat
FAITHS bring congregations and faith-based organizations together to build collective power and drive meaningful change in our communities. We champion active collaboration with partners offering solutions, and we mobilize faith leaders to take action in support of society’s most vulnerable populations. By fostering resilience, self-care, and sustainable practices, we strengthen the capacity of our communities to thrive. Through these efforts, we develop leaders, expand organizing power, and amplify civic participation, ensuring that our communities have the voice and influence to shape a just and equitable future.
Join us on January 22, 2026, for our FAITHS Retreat. More details to come! Register here.
Capacity Building
Trainings and Technical Assistance
OCCUR and FAITHS Program Virtual Workshops
These annual workshop series are designed to support faith-based and other non-profit leaders in creating communities of opportunity throughout the Bay Area. The trainings are FREE and equip participants with the skills they need to develop stable organizations, design impactful programs and build passionate teams. Sessions are presented in workshop settings and small group intensives. Individual coaching sessions are also available.
When available, register for upcoming OCCUR and FAITHS workshops:
- No workshops at this time; check back again later.
THRIVE! FAITHS Master Class Series
Over the past two years, we have learned to pivot into a new normal. In the process, we’ve become transformational leaders. You know them. You see them daily in our faith-based and nonprofit organizations. Much more than a title, transformational leadership is a calling. It is said that “transformational leaders do not care about how they were called. They only care about what they are called to do.” Through the leans of a fixed vision, they inspire positive changes within an organization. They increase morale, lead to organizational innovation, resolve conflicts, build unity then help the team, united, to press forward.
The THRIVE! FAITHS Master Class Series II trainings draw on the knowledge of experts in their fields with decades of experience. Sessions will prepare nonprofit and faith-based transformational leaders to navigate key critical areas. They will inspire leaders to lean into the wind of turbulent times, to emerge whole, to press forward and to THRIVE!
When available, register for upcoming THRIVE! training sessions:
- No training sessions at this time; check back again later.
See the THRIVE! Master Class Series Resources Toolkit.
Watch recordings of past THRIVE! Master Class sessions on our FAITHS YouTube Playlist.
Civic Engagement
In partnership with the Interfaith Movement for Human Integrity, FAITHS provides trainings and policy briefings for its grantees and broader network. Through these trainings, faith- and community-based organizations learn how to successfully engage in nonpartisan voter registration, education and policy work that supports the foundation-wide focus on racial and economic equity.