Operating Grants
PCF’s two-year operating grants are designed to meet nonprofits where they are—providing flexible funding that supports what organizations know they need most. These unrestricted grants help cover the core operating costs that keep programs running and communities supported—from staffing and rent to supplies, outreach, and infrastructure.
Funding is distributed in two equal installments at the beginning of each calendar year, offering both consistency and breathing room for long-term planning.
The application window for the 2026–27 Operating Grant Cycle opens on July 14, 2025. You’ll find eligibility criteria, award details, application guidance, and supplemental resources below.
Before reaching out, we encourage you to review our FAQs—your question may already be answered there.
Eligibility and Track Details
Organizations providing direct services or focused on arts and culture are eligible to apply.
The application process offers two distinct tracks—Direct Community Services and Arts & Culture—with each track further segmented to meet the unique needs of both small and large organizations.
At PCF, we recognize that many nonprofits deliver a blend of services that may not fit neatly into one category. If you’re unsure which track best aligns with your work, we encourage you to reach out—we’re here to help guide you through the process.
Eligibility Criteria
You are eligible to apply for an operating grant if your organization:
Funding Priorities
The PCF Board of Governors has identified four core areas as priorities in its discretionary grantmaking:
Improving Health
- Access to healthcare
- Access to behavioral health
Enhancing Quality of Life
- Aging
- Access to affordable housing
- Financial assistance programming
- Food security
- Homelessness
- Access to justice
- Access to resources
- Trauma
Advancing Education
- Providing scholarships
- Outreach and community education
- Educational programming
- Literacy
- Early learning
Promoting Arts and Culture
- Improve cultural awareness
- Enhance public access to arts
Ineligible Organizations
The following organization types are not eligible for these awards:
Other Considerations
Organizations with multiple programs or sub-organizations may only submit one application.
Fiscally-sponsored organizations may apply, provided the fiscal sponsor does not also submit a funding request.
Please email our grants team if you have any questions about your organization’s eligibility.
Track Details
By supporting both direct service and arts and culture organizations, PCF invests in the full spectrum of what makes a community thrive. From meeting critical needs to enriching lives through creative expression, this funding helps strengthen Pinellas County in lasting, meaningful ways. The application process is shared across both tracks, with tailored questions that reflect the distinct nature of each type of programming.
Please review the details below carefully to determine which track best aligns with your organization’s work.
Direct Community Services
Your organizations fits in this category if its programming focuses on resolving individual and community needs, or bettering the community, through direct services. Examples include food banks, nonprofit behavioral health providers, free health clinics, and literacy programming.
Arts and Culture
Your organization fits in this category if its programming focuses on encouraging clients to create original works of creative expression, fostering an appreciation of the arts locally, or helping educate audiences on specific types of creative works. Examples include museums, arts education programming, nonprofit performing arts venues, and arts alliances.
If your organization operates an arts and culture festival as part of its programming, your organization must have a year-round presence in the community, have the arts as its primary purpose, spend the majority of its budget on arts activities, hire professional artists, and include education and outreach programs. PCF does not intend to fund arts organizations whose primary programming is a singular event or festival.
Award Amounts
Operating Grants funding request amounts will be based upon organizational operating budget size which serves Pinellas County and is not inclusive of major one-time or non-routine capital expenditures.
Budget Amount
< $500,000
Organizations with budgets of less than $500,000 may seek up to $15,000, per year.
Budget Between
$5 K – $2.5 M
Organizations with budgets between $500,000 to $2,500,000 may seek up to $20,000, per year.
Budget Between
$2.5 M – $25 M
Organizations with budgets greater than $2,500,000 may seek up to $25,000, per year.
Operating grants are distributed in two equal installments at the start of each calendar year. For example, if your organization is awarded $30,000, the first installment of $15,000 will be disbursed in January 2026, and the second installment of $15,000 will follow in January 2027, pending the completion of all grant requirements. This structure is designed to provide steady, reliable support that organizations can plan around with confidence.
Due to the extremely competitive nature of operating grants, your organization may not receive its full request.
Application Design
We’ve designed this application process with accessibility and transparency at its core. We strongly encourage applicants to complete both the Letter of Intent (LOI) and full application early, as late submissions will not be accepted. Before reaching out, please review our FAQs—your question may already be answered there.
During the LOI window, PCF staff will be available only for technology-related support. To guide you through the process, we’re offering two webinars: a general overview on July 10 and a deeper dive into outcomes and review criteria on July 31. Links to register for the webinars or view the recordings are below. Once the full application window opens on September 2, additional support will include a walkthrough webinar and live office hours with the PCF Grants team.
Organizations invited to submit a full application will be asked to include a client impact story, financial documents (such as a Form 990 and audit, if available), board details, and demographic information.
For applicants not invited to move forward, the PCF Grants team will offer an opportunity to review your LOI and provide feedback.
Review Criteria for Direct Services Organizations
For direct community service nonprofits, Letters of Intent will be evaluated by the strength of organizational programming and outcomes.
Full applications will be evaluated on the following criteria:
- Clear Story: PCF uses a unique storytelling application to better understand who is served by your organization and how. We want to make sure we understand your clients’ challenges, and your organization’s role in helping.
- Solution-oriented: Demonstrating that your organization has strong leadership, clear and measurable outcomes, and a reasonable plan to implement your mission allows us to understand if you are effectively meeting your clients’ needs. You can use internal data or research to show the impact of your work.
- Need: Your request for funds must clearly support services delivered in Pinellas County. We want to understand how this award from PCF will help you achieve your mission and which programs or services will benefit.
- Financials: We want to be sure that all proposed projects are financially sound. Strong applications will have a reasonable, cost-sensitive budget with achievable outcomes that display all sources of funding. If there are budget variances, they should be explained.
Review Criteria for Arts and Culture Organizations
For arts & culture organizations, Letters of Intent will be evaluated by a clearly defined audience for programming and the strength of the outreach to that audience.
Full applications will be evaluated on the following criteria:
- Clear Story: PCF uses a unique storytelling application to better understand who is served by your organization and how. We want to make sure we understand your mission and how you support arts and culture in Pinellas County.
- Community Impact: Demonstrating that your organization has strong leadership and engages in the local artistic community allows us to understand how you are supporting engagement in the arts. You can use internal data or research to show the impact of your work.
- Need: Your request for funds must clearly support arts programming delivered in Pinellas County. We want to understand how this award from PCF will help you achieve your mission and which programs or services will benefit.
- Financials: We want to be sure that all proposed projects are financially sound. Strong applications will have a reasonable, cost-sensitive budget with achievable outcomes that display all sources of funding. If there are budget variances, they should be explained.
Grant Conditions
PCF values the opportunity to highlight the important work of our grantees and the impact of PCF funding on the community. If awarded an operating grant during this cycle, your organization agrees to:
Any deviation from the above must be agreed upon in writing before the close of the letter of intent window. For awarded applicants, failure to meet these obligations may negatively impact your organization’s future applications for all funding opportunities at PCF.
Timeline
Important Dates:
- July 10, 2:00 PM – Webinar: Operating Grants Overview + Letter of Intent (click here to view recording)
- July 14 – Letter of Intent Window Opens
- July 31, 11:00 AM – Webinar: Outcomes + What Reviewers Look For
- August 11, 12:00 PM (noon) – Letter of Intent Window Closes
- September 2 – LOI Decisions Shared & Full Application Window Opens
- September 3, 11:00 AM – PCF Operating Grants – Full Application Walkthrough
Support Windows:
PCF staff will be available July 14–August 11 to assist with technology-related questions only during the LOI window. We encourage applicants to start early to avoid last-minute delays.
PCF’s Grant Portal:
Whether you’re new to our system or a returning applicant, we recommend confirming your login early. This helps ensure our staff can prioritize support once the LOI window opens.
If you’re unsure about your account status or need help logging in, please reach out to PCF staff before July 14.
Webinar Links
These webinars are designed to guide you through every step of the operating grant process—from understanding PCF’s funding approach to navigating the grant portal and preparing a strong application. Recordings will be available within two business days after each live session.
Use the links below to register or view the recordings.
Frequently Asked Applicant Questions
We’ll continue updating these FAQs as new questions come in. We encourage you to review them carefully before reaching out. If your question isn’t addressed here, on the webpage above, or in one of our webinars, please don’t hesitate to contact us—it may be helpful to others and added to this list.
