The Bertha M. Rankin Trust was managed by trustees until 2024. The Attorney General of California assigned Kern Community Foundation the estate’s remaining assets to distribute to Kern County nonprofit organizations. Ms. Rankin’s wishes were that the assets support employed and unemployed farmworkers in Kern County.  The funds must be fully distributed by 2027. The grant’s primary focus is to support unemployed and employed farmworkers.

General Information

Who Can Apply

• 501(c)3 public charity, or an organization fiscally sponsored by a 501(c)3. If an organization is using a fiscal sponsor, they must provide partnership history.
• Registered with Kern Community Foundation
• Current with GuideStar Transparency rating (Silver 2024 or higher)
• All organizations applying for a grant must be current on reporting obligations for past KCF grants.

What are the focus areas?

The KCF Farmworker Grant supports unemployed and employed farm workers in Kern County.

Support can include:

• Family Support: Help for spouses, children, or dependents
• Education: Scholarships, tutoring, or job training programs
• Healthcare: Medical, dental, or mental health services
• Housing: Affordable housing or temporary shelter
• Food Assistance: Meal programs or food distribution
• Childcare: Affordable or subsidized childcare
• Legal Aid: Help with immigration or workers’ rights
• Emergency Relief: Support during disasters or emergencies
• Job Support: Job placement or skills training programs
• Transportation: Help with transportation for work or healthcare

When to apply:

The next grant cycle will open in 2027. Check back here for updated dates and application details.

How do we apply?

Grant Guidelines

• Maximum Award: $50,000 per organization
• Project Budget: Overhead costs are limited to a maximum of 5% of the total requested funds.
• Grantees who received a Farmworker grant in 2026 may not apply for 2027 funding.

Grantee Reporting

Grant recipients must submit an interim and final report through the grant portal. Any previous awardees other grants from the Foundation that have outstanding follow-up reports must complete those reports before they can apply for Farmworker grant.

Questions?

Contact us at info@kernfoundation.org or 661-325-5346.

2026 Grantees

• Olinga ($30,000) – A workforce and educational program serving employed and unemployed farmworker families in Arvin, expanding on-farm technology education for 40 farmworker youth while creating workforce training and apprenticeship opportunities for 10 farmworker parents.
• Taft College Foundation ($25,000) – Launch grant-funded dental hygiene and transportation services through Taft College’s Dental Hygiene Clinic for an estimated 350–400 full-time, seasonal, and unemployed farmworkers in the West Kern/Taft area. Grant-supported vouchers will offset the clinic’s $25 patient fee, reducing financial barriers to preventative oral health care.
• Community Action Partnership of Kern (CAPK) ($25,000) – Provide food and transportation assistance to employed and unemployed migrant farmworker families in Kern County enrolled in the Migrant Childcare Alternative Payment (MCAP) program, reducing food insecurity and transportation barriers that limit access to healthcare and essential services.
• Organización en California de Líderes Campesinas, Inc. ($25,000) – A year-round initiative providing monthly access to fresh, nutritious food and essential community resources for unemployed and employed farmworker families in Shafter, Wasco, and surrounding agricultural communities.
• Proteus, Inc. ($25,000) – Provides outreach referrals, housing assistance, food, utility aid, and limited workforce development services to low-income migrant and seasonal farmworkers (employed and/or unemployed) residing in North Kern County (Wasco, Shafter, Delano, McFarland, and surrounding communities).
• California Rural Legal Assistance, Inc. ($25,000) – Protects the economic security and well-being of low-income agricultural workers across Kern County through employment and labor protection work, with wage recovery legal aid identified as the area of greatest need.