Focus On Giving

Supporting Our Communities

A dedicated initiative designed to help local nonprofits strengthen their organizations and empower their mission. Nonprofits receive community development support and fundraising and organizational capacity building. We focus our efforts on making an impact in the following areas that we are passionate about:

Affordable Housing

Finding ways to provide shelter and safety to solve an issue facing our communities

Entrepreneurship

Supporting those that use business and creative intellect to empower communities

Financial Literacy

Educating on key topics related to one’s financial journey

Underserved Youth

Providing support early in life to help set up for future success

Grantmaking Focus

First Foundation invests exclusively in programs of social impact that furnish direct services in Affordable Housing, Economic and Community Development. Priorities will be given to nonprofit organizations that:

Serve low- and moderate-income individuals and communities.
Enable us to share our expertise in financial literacy and economic self-sufficiency.
Focus on development assistance and lending solutions for small businesses.

On top of a monetary contribution grant recipients receive pro bono consulting services such as:

Strategic planning

We develop strategic plans that help build a long-term plan

Board development

Our team works closely to build strong Boards who can make an impact

Investment advisory

We can review or create investment policies that address the unique needs of the nonprofit

Interactive workshops

We can lead workshops and seminars to educate and engage the team

Sponsorships

Our Nonprofit Giving Program includes our community giving efforts related to sponsorships. Our contributions are designed to be strategic and impactful and reflect our institutional values: Listen and respect, collaborate and innovate, and serve with purpose.

These are evaluated on a case by case basis. Preference is given to organizations that have a long standing or mission aligning relationship with FF, the involvement of the employee/s with the organization, and the ROI for the bank. For consideration contact your local business partner.

To be considered for grant funding, nonprofit organizations must meet the following criteria:

Have a nonprofit, tax-exempt classification under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.
Be located or provide service in First Foundation’s service area(s) – State of California: Counties of Alameda, Imperial, Los Angeles, Orange, Placer, Riverside, Sacramento, San Bernardino, and San Diego; and State of Hawaii: Honolulu County and State of Nevada: Clark County.
Demonstrate fiscal and administrative stability.