One of the largest community foundations in the country, MCF distributes charitable resources in two ways: by assisting more than 500 individuals, families and businesses in their grantmaking locally, nationally and internationally; and by directing Buck Trust resources to an array of nonprofits and schools in Marin County. They currently manage more than $1.6 billion in total assets and distribute more than $60 million annually in grants.

Grantmaking Thematic Areas
They have identified four key themes that are central to addressing the inequities that exist in Marin:

Education
> Early School Success: Increase the number of low-income children and children of color who are prepared for academic success through access to quality PreK-3 education, parent involvement, and after-school learning.

> Access To, And Support For, College: Increase access to college for low-income students through scholarships, and help them develop persistence and achieve success in college.

> Teaching Through The Arts: Increase the use of the arts to improve education for low-income children and children of color.

> Access To English As A Second Language (ESL): Increase the delivery of ESL services for low-income immigrant children and their parents.

Economic Opportunity
> Workforce Training: Invest in job training programs that result in substantial wage and career progression for low-income adults, parents and disconnected youth.

> Access To Quality Childcare: Increase access to high quality childcare for low-income families in Marin.

> Affordable Housing: Increase the supply of affordable housing in Marin.

> Economic Security For Older Adults: Increase the economic stability of struggling older adults in Marin through financial education, benefits assistance, and workforce opportunities. 

Health
> Quality Healthcare Delivery: Improve healthcare services for low-income people through quality improvement and innovations that bridge medical and public health approaches.

> Healthy Eating & Active Living: Support changes in policy, systems, and neighborhoods to foster healthy eating and active living for low-income people in Marin.

> Accelerating Business Capacity of Aging Service Providers: Increase the sustainability of older adult service providers in Marin by building their business acumen to take advantage of opportunities presented by the Affordable Care Act. 

Environment
> Health and Energy Efficiency of the Built Environment: Support improvements in home and health conditions for low-income households and communities by integrating energy sustainability.

> Stewardship Of The Natural Environment: A second strategy will focus on the natural environment. The first step will be a comprehensive analysis of current efforts and the key issues, including climate change, in order to gain a deeper understanding of the greatest opportunities in Marin. 

Other Grants
While the majority of MCF's discretionary grants fall into issue-based themes, they also execute a variety of other grants to meet community needs. These include:
> Investments in the Safety Net: provides funding to support safety-net services, including food and emergency shelter. These are made proactively by MCF once per year, and do not use a competitive application process.

> Investments in Capacity Building: provides funding for some of MCF’s grantees to improve organizational health and performance.

> Investments in Civic Engagement: provides funding to build civic engagement, participation, and leadership, and the opportunity to create and maintain Marin as a vibrant community by working with the faith community, grassroots advocacy organizations, and social justice organizations.