Santa Cruz has a history of community activism in large numbers. Here's a list of some of them— feel free to add your own.
For groups devoted to pastimes and hobbies other than activism and public service, see Clubs and Interest Groups For religious organizations, see Spiritual Organizations For support groups, see Support Groups For cooperatives, see Co-ops
Agriculture
- Agri-Culture
- Camp Joy Gardens
- Community Alliance with Family Farmers
- LocalHarvest
- Mesa Verde Gardens
- Santa Cruz County Farm Bureau
- Santa Cruz Fruit Tree Project
- Santa Cruz Live Oak Grange
Animals
- American Wildlife Rescue Service
- Leash Law Advocates of Santa Cruz County
- Santa Cruz County Animal Services
- Santa Cruz SPCA
Arts
General/Misc.
- Art For Art
- Cultural Council of Santa Cruz County
- The Fábrica
- Mariposa’s Art
- Pajaro Valley Arts Council
- Pajaro Valley Performing Arts Association
- Santa Cruz Ethnic Arts Network
- Santa Cruz Institute of Contemporary Arts
- Santa Cruz City Arts Commission
- Santa Cruz Design Innovation Center
- Santa Cruz Performing Arts
- Santa Cruz Woodworkers
- Scotts Valley Artisans
- Scotts Valley Performing Arts
- Shakespeare Santa Cruz
- Simply Arts
- Tannery Arts Center
Art Guilds
Also see: Art
Dance
- Dance Odyssey Studio
- Esperanza del Valle
- Salsa Rueda Santa Cruz
- Santa Cruz Ballet Theatre
- Santa Cruz Dance
- Traditional Dancers of Santa Cruz
Literature
Music
Business Related
- Aptos Chamber of Commerce
- Ben Lomond Business Association
- Better Business Bureau
- Boulder Creek Business Association
- Capitola-Soquel Chamber of Commerce
- Capitola Village and Wharf Business Improvement Area
- Consumer Affairs
- Downtown Association of Santa Cruz
- Felton Business Association
- Pajaro Valley Chamber of Commerce (Watsonville)
- Referral Santa Cruz
- San Lorenzo Valley Chamber of Commerce
- Santa Cruz Chamber of Commerce
- Santa Cruz County Conference and Visitors Council
- Santa Cruz Design Innovation Center
- Santa Cruz SCORE
- Scotts Valley Chamber of Commerce
- Small Business Administration
- Think Local First
Children/Family/Teens
- Above the Line
- Balance 4 Kids
- Barrios Unidos (Eastside)
- Beach Flats Community Center (Boardwalk)
- Big Brothers Big Sisters of Santa Cruz County
- Birth Network of Santa Cruz County
- Boys & Girls Club of Santa Cruz (Downtown)
- Boy Scouts of America
- CASA of Santa Cruz County
- Children’s Learning Museum
- Community Bridges
- The Daisy
- Divorced Fathers Network
- Familia Center (Downtown)
- Family Service Agency of the Central Coast
- First 5 Santa Cruz County Services and education for families with young children
- For The People
- Gene Hoularis Waldo Rodridguez Youth Center (Watsonville)
- Girl Scouts of Monterey Bay
- Grind Out Hunger
- Jacob's Heart Children's Cancer Support Services
- Live Oak Family Resource Center
- North Coast Teen Center (Davenport)
- O'Neill Sea Odyssey
- Padres Con Padres
- Pajaro Valley Prevention and Student Assistance
- PAPÁS
- Santa Cruz Teen Center (Downtown)
- Santa Cruz Toymakers
- Second Saturday Network
- Shoreline Teen Center (Live Oak)
- Ways to Work Family Loan Program
- Youth Services
Community Centers
Computers
Crafting and Building
- Santa Cruz Bead Society
- Stitches from the Heart Knits/crochets/sews hats and blankets for newborns
Cultural/Ethnic
- Chinese Community Association of Watsonville
- Hanuman Fellowship
- Japanese American Citizens League
- Loch Lomond Celtic Society
- Pacific Cultural Center
- Santa Cruz Hillel
- Scandinavian Cultural Center
African Heritage
- African-American Resource & Cultural Center (UCSC)
- Black By The Bay
- NAACP Santa Cruz County Branch No. 1071
- Second Saturday Network
Native American
- American Indian Resource Center
- Nastao Nation
- Native TANF Program
- Pajaro Valley Ohlone Indian Council
- Santa Cruz Indian Council
- Save the Knoll
Education
- Association of Mexican-American Educators
- Friends of the Santa Cruz Public Libraries
- Literacy Center in Watsonville
- Pajaro Valley Federation of Teachers
- Santa Cruz Education Foundation
- Santa Cruz Free Skool
- Scotts Valley Educational Foundation
Environmental
- Arana Gulch Watershed Alliance
- California Alliance to Stop the Spray
- California Native Plant Society-Santa Cruz Chapter
- Chemtrails911
- Coastal Watershed Council
- Common Ground Center, UCSC Kresge College
- Community Alliance with Family Farmers
- Earth First!
- Eat for the Earth
- Ecology Action
- Friends Of The Harbor Group
- Friends of Santa Cruz State Parks
- Fungus Federation of Santa Cruz
- Helping Our Peninsula's Environment They are currently working to stop the Light Brown Apple Moth spraying
- Integrated Watershed Restoration Program
- Land Trust of Santa Cruz County
- Long Range Resistance
- Mountain Parks Foundation
- Open Space Alliance of Santa Cruz
- Pelagic Shark Research Foundation
- Peninsula Open Space Trust
- People Against Chemical Trespass
- Resource Conservation District of Santa Cruz County
- Santa Cruz Climate Action Network (SCCAN)
- Santa Cruz Desal Alternatives
- Santa Cruz Mountains Bioregional Council
- Save Our Shores
- SAVE THE FROGS!
- Sempervirens Fund
- Sierra Club - Ventana Chapter This chapter covers both Santa Cruz and Monterey County
- Stop the Spray An on line petition to stop the Light Brown Apple Moth spraying
- Surfrider Foundation
- Teach The Forest
- Trailworkers.com
- Transition San Lorenzo Valley
- Transition Santa Cruz
- Watsonville Wetlands Watch
- Wildlands Restoration Team
Food Distribution
- California Grey Bears A seniors group that distributes food locally and runs a recycling center
- Food Not Bombs Serving free vegetarian food to promote peace
- Grind Out Hunger
- Meals on Wheels
- Second Harvest Food Bank
- Valley Churches United A non-profit group that distributes food, offers rental relief, and performs disaster assistance
Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Trans, Intersex and Questioning
Also see: Gay, Lesbian, Bi & Transgender Community
- The Diversity Center
- Equality Action Project
- Equinox
- Gay-Straight Alliance
- GLBT Alliance
- Lionel Cantú GLBTI Resource Center (UCSC)
- Parents, Families, and Friends of Lesbians and Gays
- STRANGE
- Triangle Speakers
Health Services
Also see: Health Services
- Cabrillo College Stroke Center
- Doran Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired
- Health Projects Center
- Jacob's Heart Children's Cancer Support Services
- Mental Health Client Action Network
- Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies
- Network of Care
- Santa Cruz AIDS Project
- Santa Cruz County Health Services Agency A county agency that is a great health information resource
- Santa Cruz County Red Cross
- Survivors Healing Center For survivors of sexual abuse and their allies
Disabilities
- Access Santa Cruz County
- Central Coast Center for Independent Living
- Del Mar Caregiver Resource Center
- Hope Services
- Special Parents Information Network
Drugs and Alcohol Related
- Al-Anon/Alateen Support group for families and friends of alcoholics
- Alcoholics Anonymous Support groups for people coping with alcohol addiction
- Narcotics Anonymous Support groups for people coping with drug addiction
- Nicotine Anonymous Support group for people coping with nicotine addiction
- Needle Exchanges Exchanges dirty needles for clean ones to reduce needle-transmitted infections and diseases
Women's and Reproductive Services
- Women's Crisis Support / Defensa De Mujeres
- Planned Parenthood Local branch of this national organization; providing family planning and contraceptive services
- Walnut Avenue Women's Center
- Women's Health Center Health services at affordable prices for women and children
Homeless Services
Also see: The Homeless
- Community Action Board An organization to combat poverty, their website lists local shelters and emergency food locations
- Homeless Garden Project
- Homeless Persons Health Projects
- Homeless Services Center An organization that runs multiple shelters
- Homeless United for Friendship and Freedom Fighting for the rights of the Santa Cruz homeless and poor
- Human Rights Organization
- Imagine Positive Change
- Santa Cruz Sanctuary Camp
Housing
- Habitat for Humanity
- Housing Authority of the County of Santa Cruz housing assistance for low and moderate income residents
- Housing Choices Coalition Assists those with developmental disabilities with housing options
Human Rights and Justice
- ACLU of Santa Cruz County The Santa Cruz chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union
- Freedom Advocates
- Japanese American Citizens League
- Resource Center for Nonviolence
- Santa Cruz Peace Coalition
- Tea Party
- United Nations Association The Santa Cruz chapter of the United Nations Association
- Women's International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF) Empowers women and men to work together for peace and justice. Local chapter.
Legal Aid
- California Rural Legal Assistance
- Community Options Court referral community service agency.
- Conflict Resolution Center
- Santa Cruz County Bar Association
- Watsonville Law Center
Local/Community Issues
- Action Pajaro Valley
- Bread for the Journey
- Citizens Organized for Responsible Ecology A San Lorenzo Valley based group
- Coalition for Limiting University Expansion A group that seeks to limit the growth of UCSC
- Community Foundation of Santa Cruz County
- Davenport Resource Service Center
- Friends of Lighthouse Field
- Friends of Locally Owned Water FLOW is a group in Felton trying to transfer control of the water system to the public
- Happy Santa Cruz
- Long Range Resistance
- LRDP Resistance (defunct)
- Mother Grizzlies Against Gangs
- Mountain Community Resources Assists with health and human services in the San Lorenzo Valley
- The Neighborhood Salon
- Nextdoor.com
- Omega Nu of Santa Cruz
- Pajaro Valley Historical Association
- Peace On the Streets
- Right To Vote On Desal
- Santa Cruz Desal Alternatives
- Santa Cruz Meth Project
- Santa Cruz Neighbors
- Santa Cruz Next
- Save the Knoll
- Take Back Santa Cruz
- Take Back Watsonville
- United Way of Santa Cruz County
- Valley Women's Club of the San Lorenzo Valley
- Watsonville Brown Berets
Media
- Community Television Community Television of Santa Cruz County
- Free Radio Santa Cruz Local pirate radio station, 101.1 FM
- Guerilla Drive-in Showing free movies and reclaiming public space
- Santa Cruz Independent Media Web-based local news
See the Local Media page for a complete list
Nonviolent Communication
Political
- Constitutional Tea Party Patriots of Santa Cruz County
- Freedom Advocates
- Monterey Bay Educators Against War
- Occupy Santa Cruz
- People's Democratic Club of Santa Cruz County
- Raging Grannies
- Romero Institute
- Tea Party
Prison Reform/Abolition
Racism
Radical Resources
- Anarchist Library At the Sacred Grove on Soquel avenue
- Occupy Santa Cruz
- Santa Cruz Anti-Imperialist League
- Watsonville Brown Berets
Science
Seniors
- See: Senior Services
Service
Sexuality
Sports
Transportation
- Bike Church Bicycle repair/tool cooperative
- Bike to Work
- Campaign for Sensible Transportation
- Community Traffic Safety Coalition
- Cyclists for Cultural Exchange
- Mountain Bikers of Santa Cruz
- People Power Human powered transportation for peace and environmental preservation
- Santa Cruz Bicycle Industry Coalition
- Santa Cruz County Cycling Club (SCCCC)
- Santa Cruz County Friends of the Rail Trail
- The Santa Cruz Hub For Sustainable Transportation
Unions and Workers' Rights
- UNITE HERE Local 483 Restaurant and Hotel workers union
- Western Service Workers Association
- Work Force Santa Cruz County Resources for employers and job seekers, including youth options
Vegetarian
- Vegan Meetup Group of Santa Cruz Potlucks and restaurant treks
- Vegetarian Meetup Group of Santa Cruz Potlucks and restaurant treks
Veterans
- Monterey Bay Veterans Inc Non profit that provides disabled veterans and others with marine recreation programs
- Veterans Service Office Provides services and resources for veterans
Volunteers
Women
- Santa Cruz County Women's Commission
- Women's International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF) Empowers women and men to work together for peace and justice. Local chapter.