City of Ventura Community Grants Program — Category 4: Community Wellness Projects (2026–2027) is a competitive financial-assistance grant for qualified local nonprofit organizations conducting projects that improve health, wellness, access to services, and community well-being for City of Ventura residents. This is an applicant grant, not a vendor procurement contract.
Funding
Individual project awards range from $3,000 to $20,000. The Category 4 funding pool is $130,000; the broader four-category Community Grants Program totals $340,000. Those aggregate amounts are not individual applicant awards. Applicants may request only one category per cycle. No matching-fund requirement is specified in the published October 6 guidelines; consult the City for clarification before assuming one does or does not apply.
Who can apply
Eligible applicants are (1) Ventura County-based 501(c)(3) social-service or community-serving organizations addressing social, environmental, or community needs in Ventura, or (2) City of Ventura-based nonprofit social-service or community-serving organizations with a qualifying 501(c)(3) fiscal sponsor. All funded work must take place within the City of Ventura and benefit City residents. Organizations receiving direct annual City funding outside City-administered grant programs, applicants with unresolved City financial obligations, and applicants with incomplete prior City grant reporting are ineligible.
Eligible work and restrictions
Projects may address physical and behavioral health, homelessness, domestic violence, substance-use prevention or recovery, disability and older-adult services, employment, literacy, transportation access, or environmental stewardship. Reasonable direct project expenses may include personnel, professional services, supplies, rentals, accessibility services, and local participant-transportation costs. The program excludes political campaigning or lobbying, religious worship or promotion, debt, construction or major capital improvements, pre-agreement costs, alcohol, travel and lodging for applicants or staff, and most hospitality costs. Costs must occur after grant agreement execution and no later than December 31, 2027. Applicants must be able to satisfy City insurance requirements.
Deadlines and application
Applications opened October 5, 2026. Request a secure submission-portal link by October 26, 2026, before 1:00 PM. Complete applications are due October 30, 2026, before 5:00 PM. The official October 6 guidelines label these cutoff times “PST,” although California normally observes daylight time in October; applicants should promptly verify the precise local cutoff with City staff rather than risk a late submission. Request the secure portal link by emailing Communitygrants@cityofventura.ca.gov; the City sends a secure upload link within 24 business hours. Late or incomplete submissions are not accepted.
Required materials
Submit the Category 4 application and itemized project budget, a current City business license or business tax certificate for the applicant or fiscal sponsor, the applicable IRS 501(c)(3) determination letter, recent Form 990, current organization operating budget, board/leadership roster, and any applicable fiscal-sponsor and DBA documentation. Application narratives address community impact, planned project, equitable access, and organizational readiness. Grants are competitively scored and subject to available funds and City approval.
Official sources: City program and application portal instructions; controlling guidelines (revised October 6, 2026); Category 4 application.