Jewish Family Services is a program of the Jewish Community Center of SLO. We support people of all backgrounds and faiths with dignity, respect, & care. 

Micro-Grants Program ⛽​
​(Requires a Local Case Worker)

Jewish Family Services (JFS) offers limited financial micro-grants for individuals in San Luis Obispo County who need help with emergency costs. Individuals cannot apply directly. 

Case workers, please scroll down for details.

ARE YOU A POTENTIAL CLIENT?

Having your case worker submit the online form on your behalf is the only way to request micro-grants.
​Please DO NOT CALL OR EMAIL.
​Don't have a caseworker?  ​
Please see this resource page for additional financial assistance options.
​We recommend starting by 📞 dialing 211 or visiting www.211slo.org to connect with local resources. Stay on the line -- it may take awhile but you will get through. 
You can apply for up to $50 in gas from our partner station in the city of San Luis Obispo. 
​Please do note that you will be ineligible for other help within the next year if you obtain a gas award.

INFORMATION FOR CASE WORKERS

​Please use our online application process.
​PLEASE DO NOT CALL OR EMAIL, or send clients to us directly.
  • ​Requests are reviewed and processed in the order they are received based on the online form only.  
  • We have extremely limited part-time staff and cannot currently process requests by phone or email.​
  • We go down the list in order of receipt, and are currently working on requests from several months back. 
  • If monthly funds have been fully distributed, we will do our best to revisit your request the following month.
  • If you applied for assistance earlier in the year or even in 2025, there is no need to re-apply. Rest assured that we will be in touch once funding becomes available. 

1) ENSURE YOUR CLIENT QUALIFIES

CURRENT STATUS:  ​Our grants are limited to $200 and we are focusing on clients in extreme need (e.g., if $200 will assure that they will stay in their homes).   Unfortunately, we’re not currently able to issue checks quickly enough to meet a 3-day pay-or-quit notice. Even after approval, most requests (other than gas grants) take about a week to process. 
✅ CLIENT ELIGIBILITY GUIDELINES
  • The client must be a resident of San Luis Obispo County or Northern Santa Barbara County (from San Miguel to Santa Maria).
  • The need should be urgent and one-time (e.g., rent assistance, vehicle needs, transportation, food).
  • Micro-grants are typically for up to $200 - $250 on a one-time basis as funds are available. This is per family/household, per year. 
  • ​​If a client request is over $200, we need to know they can pay the balance of funds BEFORE we can assist them.
  • The client must not have received any other assistance from the JFS program within the last 365 days (including gas awards).
  • Jewish Family Services considers itself an "agency of last resort". We define that as:
    • ​"​An applicant should have exhausted all other means such as family, friends, employers, other institutions and lenders before asking for a grant from JFS. If JFS believes an applicant has other alternatives than a grant, this shall be sufficient to deny a request."​
  • ​Payments are typically made directly to landlords, vendors, or service providers, not to individuals.
  • Funds are limited and not guaranteed.​

2) SUBMIT THE ONLINE FORM

Before You Apply:
  • Obtain your client's consent that other agencies, organizations and references may be contacted and information shared and verified in order to assess whether the grant should be made.
  • Ensure that you have verified required supporting documents prior to referring a client.**

​✅ Then, submit the following online form to request micro-grant assistance for your client:
** PRIVACY NOTES
  • By having a Case Worker apply on their behalf, a client is providing consent that other agencies, organizations and references may be contacted and information shared and verified in order to assess whether the grant should be made.
  • ​While information about the applicant is kept confidential, JFS volunteers, the JFS Steering Committee, JCC staff and the JCC-Federation of SLO Board of Directors might be informed of the grant and all or some of the relevant information obtained in connection with the grant review process.

​REPAYMENT
  • Whenever possible, as recipients’ financial situations stabilize, JFS encourages grant recipients to repay grants and contribute to the Jack Pearl/Jewish Family Services Fund so funds will continue to be available to families or individuals in need for the future.​​
​

3) WAIT TO HEAR FROM US

OUR JFS ADMINISTRATOR WILL REACH OUT IF/WHEN FUNDS ARE AVAILABLE.
We'll reach out to you with next steps at that time. 
  • Requests are reviewed in the order they are received and funding is extremely limited at this time.  We are working on several months of backlogged requests, in the order they were received.
  • Please note that JFS is staffed by one part-time administrator for a few hours a week. She does not work on Mondays or Fridays.​
JCC-Federation of San Luis Obispo 
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JCC-Federation of SLO and Jewish Family Services programs and grants are available to all otherwise qualified individuals and without regard to the individual’s race, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age or disability.
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