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Community Spaces Matching Grant Program

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Overview

Our Community Spaces Matching Grant Program centers community in open space by supporting open space projects that reflect the needs and vision of Sonoma County’s diverse communities. The program focuses on protecting land and creating open spaces within our cities and communities, through partnerships with local public agencies, nonprofits and federally recognized Tribal organizations. 

Community Spaces projects provide places to enjoy nature, find solitude, hold public gatherings, grow local food, and more. Since 1994, this unique program has helped develop 69 urban open spaces and dedicated over $50 million towards projects in all nine incorporated cities and in most unincorporated areas.

Questions about the program? Please email Pamela Swan, Grants Coordinator, at MatchingGrant@sonoma-county.org

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Application process

Step 1:

Review the program guidelines and complete the Pre-Application, both linked below. The Pre-Application assesses project eligibility. Once your Pre-Application has been reviewed, Ag + Open Space staff will contact you with any questions and next steps. Once staff determine that the project is eligible, you will be invited to complete the Full Application. Please do not hesitate to reach out to us – we’re here to help! 

Step 2:

Once invited, complete the Full Application, linked below.  Ag + Open Space staff will evaluate the Full Application, follow up with any questions, and keep applicants informed of next steps. Applications are batched and reviewed once a year, and then staff make initial funding recommendations based on project scores and funding available at that time. Staff will present these findings to its advisory bodies for guidance, which inform the funding recommendations to the Board of Directors, who make the final funding decisions. 

Projects not awarded funding in one batch may be considered in the next round.

Project Acceptance

Once a project is accepted into the Community Spaces Matching Grant Program, the grantee is contacted by the Grants Coordinator and an Acquisition Lead, who will steward you through the implementation process. To support the timely implementation of your project, please utilize the following templates:

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Project map + examples

Matching Grant Program projects throughout Sonoma County.

Click photo to enlarge.

For project examples, read about the most recently funded projects.

Program Resources