For a list of specific program areas supported by the High Tide Foundation, please visit the Program Areas.

Grants are not made to:

• Organizations who discriminate for any reason.
  
• Political campaigns, lobbying groups, or organizations engaged in political activities.
  
• Medical research organizations.
  
• Agencies primarily financed from government sources, except school programs.
  

Grants are generally not approved for:

• Deficit or debt reduction, contingency or endowment funds.
  
• Capital campaigns.
  
• Individuals.
  
• Privately funded schools.

Preference is given to:

• Organizations providing services in California, with particular preference to
  Santa Barbara and Ventura counties.
  
• Projects likely to become self-sustaining.
• Organizations that are financially efficient.
  

Range and duration of grants available:
Grant sizes will range from $1,000 to $10,000. Rare exceptions may occur.

Grants are made for a period of one year. A progress report is due within the last 3 months of the grant period, and should be postmarked no later than the grant submission deadline for the year following the grant. Thus, for a grant application submitted for the Fall funding cycle and approved, the progress report for that grant is due no later than the grant submission deadline for the following Fall. Failure to provide a progress report can result in future proposals being disapproved. Grant recipients may re-apply for funding in subsequent years subject to all standard deadlines.

Organizations are expected to mature and diversify their means of fundraising. The High Tide Foundation is disinclined to fund any program for longer than three consecutive years.

Funding is always at the discretion of the Foundation’s Board of Directors. Other than legal requirements, these guidelines are not absolute and may not always apply, but they provide some guidance about the Foundation's intent.

Regrettably, only a limited number of grant requests can be funded in each cycle. Lack of approval should not be considered a reflection on the merits of a proposal.


Current grant review timetable:
There are two funding cycles during the year:

Applications postmarked by:	Grants Awarded:
March 1	April 30
September 1	October 31

Applications received after postmark deadline will be considered in the next funding cycle. Please do not mail anything to the P.O. box which requires a signature (i.e. no Certified Mail).

How to apply for a grant:
If you are doing work within the scope of the mandate of the High Tide Foundation, please view our grant application and download/submit as instructed.

Applications are encouraged to be legible, well-organized, concise and with only necessary materials included.