Great Grants

The San Diego Foundation has made numerous grants to various community organizations and programs since its inception in 1975, but several grants stand out as having had a particularly significant impact on the San Diego Community. Some of these grants are made through grant programs of The San Diego Foundation such as the Community Impact Grants Program, but many are made by individual donors who have taken a personal interest in the programs.

These grants demonstrate the enormous commitment of our donors to furthering the mission of The San Diego Foundation, and demonstrates the many creative grantmaking opportunities that are possible through a Fund at The San Diego Foundation.

Examples of some of the grants and grant programs in which we take great pride are listed below:

1975 - 1985

The Swinging Bridge - a landmark in Mission Hills
The "Swinging Bridge," or Spruce Street Bridge, long a historic part of the neighborhood of Mission Hills, crosses a small canyon with rich plant diversity. In 1977, Virginia McKenzie Smith made a gift to The Foundation to help acquire the bridge and the land around this local landmark. The Foundation gave this property to the City of San Diego, where it is now protected in perpetuity. This was our first major community gift, and demonstrated the value of a community foundation to leading citizens.

San Diego Performing Arts League - Half Price ARTS TIX Booth
In December of 1984, The San Diego Foundation awarded a $10,000 grant to the San Diego Performing Arts League (formerly the San Diego Theatre Foundation) to research the feasibility of a half-price ticket booth for San Diego. At that time, it was the single largest gift of unrestricted funds granted by The San Diego Foundation. As a result of The Foundation's support, the ARTS TIX Booth, the flagship operation of the Performing Arts League, opened in 1986 in the Spreckels Theatre offering half-price day-of-show tickets to local performances. In 1989, ARTS TIX moved to its current location in Horton Plaza and has become a "beacon for the arts" and a downtown San Diego landmark.

1985 - 1995

San Ysidro Urban Council
In the 1994 Spring competitive grants cycle, The San Diego Foundation gave a $10,000 seed grant to support the San Ysidro Urban Council's Villa Alta, providing housing for low-income seniors. The project has 69 subsidized one-bedroom units and one two-bedroom manager's unit. With 84,000 square feet, the building offers an outdoor terrace, a community room, a planting garden for residents' use, and underground secured parking. Funding from The Foundation supported initial architectural and engineering work.

This grant is truly a success story. This initial seed grant of $10,000 was utilized to leverage $12 million in funding from HUD and the San Diego Housing Commission, allowing Villa Alta to open its doors to the public. In 2000, the project celebrated its grand opening with the hope of continuing the San Ysidro Urban Council's long history of providing housing to low-income individuals. This is just one example of how a small grant to an organization can lead to lasting support for the community.

African-American Beauticians Breast Cancer Awareness Program
This unique program uses cosmetologists in neighborhood salons to increase awareness of breast cancer dangers and detection among African-American women. Gloria Robins Sadler, then Associate Director of the community outreach program of the UCSD Cancer Center, developed the program in 1994 when she learned of research indicating that many African-American women do not follow recommended schedules for breast cancer detection. Research also showed that black women in California die from breast cancer at an 18 percent higher rate than white women despite the facts that more white women are diagnosed with the disease. Sadler chose cosmetologists because many women utilize them for information. Neighborhood salons are centers for communication. The program provides written materials, displays, and training about the importance of regular breast self-examinations, clinical breast exams, and mammograms. The program has been very well received in the community, and has reached an estimated 10,000 women since its launch.

Balboa Park Endowment Funds
After the establishment of modern Balboa Park in 1914 (for the 1915-16 Panama California Exposition), it was more than 60 years before a central endowment was organized for what has been called "America's greatest urban park." That endowment was established with the help of Union Bank and the City of San Diego at The Foundation in 1985, and now includes several family funds and estate gifts. Now totaling more than $2 million in assets, revenues generated by the Balboa Park Endowments Funds are distributed by the Board of Governors on the recommendation of a broad-based advisory board. The Funds have supported dozens of Park projects including several historical architectural and décor renovations, the first-ever survey of trees in the Park, and important citywide events such as Christmas on the Prado and Buds n' Blooms.

1995 - 2000

Neighborhood Civic Fund - Golden Hill Trash Tigers
Golden Hill is a diverse and historic community near downtown San Diego. The Golden Hill Trash Tigers was formed in 1979, to organize the community and its students to keep the neighborhood clean. The project was very successful, and the neighborhood is litter free. Now, Director Laura Stansell is leading the group in a new direction aimed at increasing the literacy rate of children in the Golden Hill area. As part of The San Diego Foundation's Neighborhood Civic Fund, the Trash Tigers were awarded a $5,000 challenge grant for "Tiger Tales," a program which utilizes volunteers to promote literacy by reading regularly to children.

Under the leadership of Tiger Tales Project Director Pat Martin, this pilot program provides role models, exposure to literature, and an opportunity to develop reading skills. In addition, children are given free books each week. In cooperation with the San Diego Public Library, a satellite library has been developed to encourage children to learn how to access the public library system.

The Southern California Citizenship Fund
The Southern California Citizenship Fund (SCCF) is an initiative led by The San Diego Foundation in collaboration with the Riverside and Orange County community foundations to support vulnerable, legal immigrants residing in San Diego, Imperial, Orange, Riverside, and San Bernardino counties to become U.S. citizens. Through the SCCF, The Foundation has already assisted over 15,000 immigrants in achieving their goal of becoming U.S. citizens. In recognition of Citizenship Day, prior to the Padres' baseball game on September 21, 1999, The San Diego Foundation and the American Jewish Committee, with the cooperation of the Padres and the Immigration and Naturalization Services, hosted a naturalization ceremony for 50 new citizens. Surrounded by their families and friends, they celebrated their achievement and begin their role as active citizens of the community. Congratulations to each of them!

The Anza-Borrego Desert Foundation - Henderson Canyon Road Wildflower Acquisition Project
Comprised of 600,000 acres, the Anza-Borrego Desert State Park is the largest contiguous state park in the nation and is equal in size to all of California's other state parks combined. The park is located in eastern San Diego County and receives over one million visitors every year. The Anza-Borrego Foundation's continuing mission is to acquire and transfer private land to the State Park. The San Diego Foundation granted to the Anza-Borrego Foundation through the Community Endowment Grants Program in the fall of 1998 to assist in the Henderson Canyon Road Wildflower Acquisition Project. This grant raised awareness among our donors and additional funding for the project was generated from several donors associated with The San Diego Foundation. Thanks to these and other gifts, The Anza-Borrego Foundation was able to raise the $70,000 needed to purchase 153.2 acres of prime wildflower area surrounding Henderson Canyon Road. The Anza-Borrego Foundation continues to work to help California acquire private property from desert areas to augment the Anza-Borrego Desert State Park.

City Heights - Weingart-Price Fund
In its 17 years, the City Heights Community Development Corporation (CHCDC) has been instrumental in creating the institutional infrastructure of City Heights. The CHCDE will provide support for up to two neighborhood-based Resident Advisory Councils that will publish a monthly newsletter to serve 100 households. They will also create a Neighborhood Empowerment Service and Training (NEST) site, as well as a Food and Living Essentials Cooperative.

James R. and Geraldine F. Bertelsen Fund
Mrs. Geraldine F. Bertelsen was a parishioner of St. Patrick's Catholic Church in Carlsbad from 1955 until her death in 1994. She was a devout Catholic who valued her education at Catholic grammar and high schools. Mr. James R. Bertelsen was a retired Marine Master Sergeant, and, though not a Catholic, he always drove his wife to mass at St. Patrick's until his death in 1992. The Bertelsens were married August 3, 1946, at the San Gabriel Mission and were a very devoted couple who had hoped to raise their children in Carlsbad. The Bertelsens were unable to realize that dream and remained childless throughout their lives, although their love for children continued to grow.

The Bertelsens believed that faith and education are the cornerstones in every successful community. To build upon their belief and to honor their love for children, the Bertelsen's estate established a scholarship in their family name to assist college-bound students in need, preferably practicing Catholics. The Bertelsen scholarship assists students with a minimum 3.0 grade point average, who are residents of Carlsbad, and who have applied to, been accepted by, or are attending a Catholic college or university. Due to Mrs. Bertelsen's exceptional generosity, the scholarship program will continue to grow indefinitely, and the couple's dreams will be realized.