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West Oakland Community Fund

In 2003, the City of Oakland and the Port of Oakland entered into an agreement calling for the creation of a fund to support equity-centered environmental or economic development programs to benefit the West Oakland Community in response to the closure of the former Oakland Army Base (OAB). The Fund is administered by the Rose Foundation for Communities and the Environment and will award grants to Oakland-based nonprofits working in the following four focus areas:

  • Business Development Projects – Including programs that support local entrepreneurship, small business development and other targeted local economic development in West Oakland including local hiring programs serving West Oakland businesses and residents. 
  • Workforce Development Projects – Including job training programs targeted towards West Oakland residents. 
  • Educational Projects – Includes but not limited to programs serving West Oakland K-12 students around the fields of science, technology, engineering, arts and math (STEAM); adult skills development; continuing education programs; and programs supporting community college attendance for West Oakland residents. 
  • Environmental Projects – Including programs that center around reducing existing or historical environmental impacts, and/or providing environmental benefits to the West Oakland community.

Fund Details

All funding decisions will be based on guidance from an advisory committee comprised of a representative from each of the following entities: the West Oakland Community Advisory Group, the Office of the City’s District 3 Councilmember, and the Port of Oakland. Those representatives will appoint up to two additional advisory committee members.

If you are interested in applying to be a member of volunteer advisory committee, you can learn more here and apply here. 

The first round of funding for this grant opportunity is expected to be held in early 2026. Potential grant applicants must be a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, or fiscally-sponsored by a 501(c)(3), and must demonstrate the capacity to complete the proposed project, including experience in successfully conducting similar or related work in the past, or otherwise relevant skills and experience.

For the purpose of this fund, West Oakland is defined as the area:

  • Between I-880 and I-980 (west to east)
  • Between I-80 and I-880 (north to south)
  • Plus the Jack London Square industrial area between I-880 and the Embarcadero, west of Martin Luther King Jr. Way

We encourage eligible applicants to sign up to receive RFP announcements when they become available. 

Let’s Connect:
Have questions? Connect with Jodene Isaacs, Director of Grantmaking, jisaacs@rosefdn.org

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