GRANT APPLICATION GUIDE

Thank you for your interest in CSF’s 2026 Spring Grant Cycle. The CSF County is a local grant fund whose dollars that come from donations and Rounding Up at the Olympia Food Co-op. We look forward to supporting worthy local (Thurston County, WA), grassroots, start-up applicants and our collective potential!

• Read the Cover Sheets (same as this web page) & fill out the Grant Application form in its entirety
• Submit Grant Application via ThurstonCSF@gmail.com    
• Email submissions strongly preferred but paper applications accepted when mailed 2103 Harrison Ave NW #2715 Olympia WA 98502 by the 11:59pm April/TBD/2026 deadline

The CSF funding pool is limited. Please only request funding tied to a specific need and use. The maximum grant award is $1,500. 

April TBD, 2026:  Grant Round Opens

May TBD, 2026:  Grant Applications Due (by 11:59pm – no exceptions)

May TBD, 2026: In-person Applicant Interviews (during 9am-1pm)

• Applicants that meet CSF’s priorities are scheduled for 15-minute interviews in May. Please ensure that at least one representative from your project can attend as the verbal interview is an integral part of our decision-making process.
• Final consensus-based decisions are made following grant interviews, and award checks are distributed soon thereafter.  All applicants will be notified, whether or not they are awarded funds.  By cashing a CSF award check, applicants agree that all funds will be used in service of the grant for which they applied, and within the established timeline. If an amendment, postponement, or termination of the project is inevitable, CSF must be notified immediately.  Applicants who do not complete the funded project will return the award grant to CSF for community re-disbursement.
• CSF requires all funded projects to provide a Grant Completion Report within 30 days of the completion date specified on the application.
• CSF allows previous grantees to apply again, if: 1) it is at least one year since receipt of a prior grant award, 2) applicant has filed a Grant Completion Report for any previous CSF-funded project, and 3) the Grant Completion Report confirms successful completion of the project and disbursement of the funds.

• Please reach out to ThurstonCSF@gmail.org with any questions!

The CSF, a Washington state registered non-profit corporation, provides grant funding for progressive, community-oriented projects across Thurston County. CSF treats all applications as case-specific and unique.

CSF prioritizes funding for projects which:

• are developed and led by residents of Thurston County within the County
• operate in a democratic, nondiscriminatory manner which is responsive to the constituency served
• actively pursue cultural diversity in group composition
• actively work toward a more just and equitable world of ecological and economic balance and personal and social responsibility

CSF will generally not fund:

• projects offering direct social services, especially those that are, or can be, funded by traditional sources (i.e., government, United Way, major foundations, charities, etc.)
• one-time art or cultural events that do not include community organizing or development as part of the work
• ongoing organizational operating costs. You may request one-time operating (bridge) funding— see the question in the budget section (Part 3) of the application below

CSF seeks to fund groups working in the following topical areas:

Social Justice (people >> people)	Racial Equity, Youth, LGBTQIA, Domestic Violence, Native Peoples, Elderly, Parenting & Child Care, Civil Liberties, Disarmament, Foreign Affairs
Community Building (people >> society)	Education, Economics, Communication, Arts & Culture, Public Health, Health Care, Transportation, Housing & Homelessness, Grassroots Democracy, Unemployed, Underemployed & Working Poor, Labor Issues, Spirituality, Sustainability
Environment (society >> environment)	Environmental Defense, Agriculture, Animal Rights, Land Use Planning, Forestry, Energy, Water Quality, Waste & Recycling, Environmental Racism, Endangered Species

CSF is most interested in applicants who reflect the following: