Community Partnerships
Caring for the Common Good
The Foundation understands the San Diego community. In fact, you can always find us hard at work, gathering data and increasing understanding on the issues faced by our very special region. If you are ready to donate but are unsure where your money should go, consider a donation to the Fund for Common Good, which utilizes our expertise to grant dollars in ways that will be most beneficial to the community.
You can donate to the Fund for Common Good in general, or to one of our seven focus areas:
| Arts & Culture | Health and Human Services |
| Civil Society | Scholarships |
| Environment | Science and Technology |
| Organizational Success | Teachers' Fund |
Spotlight On: Health & Human Services
Assisting San Diego Region Families in Need
Arturo Rivera , Chair
Working Group
With soaring food and gas prices, hundreds of thousands of San Diego County families are struggling to make ends meet despite working hard and trying to do the right thing with their money. Living a paycheck-to-paycheck existence, with poor credit and high debt, many working poor families are one car breakdown or healthcare emergency away from an eviction notice. Now, more than ever, the keys to financial stability -- budgeting, saving, and controlling debt -- are imperative.
Since 2003, The San Diego Foundation's Health & Human Services Working Group has focused on preventing homelessness among low-income families through family asset building. This strategy involves a process of learning, saving, and acquiring assets, generally taught through a financial education program. Asset building moves families forward to financial stability and economic independence by teaching people how to create realistic financial goals and plan their financial future. Studies across the nation show amazing results in the lives of people who attend financial education or "financial literacy" classes.
Living in poverty or near-poverty can Studies show that people who receive financial counseling increase their credit score, reduce debt, and begin saving for their futures. Research has also shown that first-time mortgage borrowers who receive financial education prior to the purchase of a home are less likely to default on their loans than those who do not receive counseling.
The San Diego Foundation believes that financial education is critical to enabling American families to create their own financial security and, thereby, strengthening the economy of the San Diego region.
What you can do to help today. If you'd like to expand economic security and opportunity for our region's working poor families, please consider making a donation designated for Health & Human Services through Friends of The Foundation. Your gift will help break the cycle of poverty in the San Diego region.
For more information on specific family asset building strategies, click here
For a list of the San Diego Asset Building Coalition Organizations, please click here
For more information on the Health & Human Services Working group, click here
For more information on the Health & Human Services Program, please contact Anahid Brakke at 619-235-2300 or Anahid@sdfoundation.org.
Thank You to Our Partners
This work would not be possible without the generous support of the Ford Foundation, through the Border Philanthropy Partnership, and the Annie E. Casey Foundation.
Arts & Culture l Environment l Civil Society l Organizational Success Program l Scholarships l Science & Technology
l Teacher's Fund
