Robert Blodgett
Panagraph, Inc.
(619) 733-3455
rblodgett@panagraph.com

San Diego, CA, February 15, 2006 – The San Diego Foundation, a nonprofit, community-based organization focused on improving the quality of life in San Diego through responsible and effective philanthropy, announced today that a $100,000 gift was granted to Nativity Prep Academy as a result of its Endow San Diego initiative. The endowment, provided to the privately funded college prep school located in the Logan Heights area of San Diego, will benefit its scholarship program.

“The endowment for Nativity Prep is a great example of the power of an endowment. This money will provide a financial base for student scholarships well into the future,” said Bob Kelly, President and CEO of The San Diego Foundation. The Endow San Diego initiative is designed to build permanent endowments to improve the quality of life in San Diego’s communities.

“This is just one more example where sage wisdom and advice of the business community not only foster a long term sustainable program for at-risk children, but even help initiate it,” said David Rivera, founder of Nativity Prep Academy.

The new $100,000 gift announced today comes in two increments; $50,000 having been received in December and the other $50,000 to be received in March. With this new gift, the total amount of the school’s endowment is now $500,000. The endowment was first established in July 2005 with $300,000 from Lebherz Insurance Services and another $100,000 received in September from Hoehn Motors.

“Community support like this is essential to San Diego’s future,” said Charlene Pryor, Sr. Vice President, Endowments and Planned Giving at The San Diego Foundation. “Through our Endow San Diego initiative, The Foundation works to inform community members regarding the importance of charitable giving and the difference it makes. By investing in the education of this region, you are working to create a better future for San Diego because today’s students are tomorrow’s leaders.”

“It’s for the Kids”: Nativity Prep Academy
Currently, about half of the students enrolled at Nativity Prep have been granted a scholarship to attend. “Today’s gift will allow us to move closer to our goal of providing all of our students with a scholarship and a meaningful opportunity to reach their own life goals,” says Rivera.

Nativity Prep Academy was started to give at-risk children a chance to break the cycle of crime, drugs and poverty faced in their neighborhoods. Rivera opened the school to give kids the structure, attention and encouragement needed to see a future filled with opportunity. At first, it was widely believed that opening a private and independent Catholic school in San Diego’s poorest neighborhood was a daunting if not impossible task. But now, the focus is different.

“We used to be focused on keeping the doors open, but now our eyes are set on providing for the students in perpetuity,” says Rivera regarding the new endowment.

About Nativity Prep Academy
Nativity Prep Academy’s mission is to provide a college prep middle school education to at-risk and impoverished children from southeast San Diego. It is committed to each student’s total development by emphasizing serious study and personal responsibility.

The school models itself after the original Nativity School in New York City, founded in 1971 by Jesuits. Now, sending over 80 percent of its graduates to college, the original school has shown its success in educating inner-city youth. Since Nativity Prep opened in 2001, the student body has grown from a 5th grade class of 20 students to roughly 60 students in the 6th – 8th grades, and test scores are well above the county average for academic growth.

About Endow San Diego:
Endow San Diego is a regional, multi-year initiative designed to build permanent endowments for citizens and organizations committed to improving the quality of life in San Diego’s communities. This initiative unites organizations and individuals with the common goal to increase endowments in the San Diego region between now and the end of 2007. Endow San Diego – realizing the full potential of life in San Diego.

An endowment is a tool that builds long-term stability for organizations, reducing dependence on the success of annual fundraising to support programs and operations. An endowment fund preserves a charitable donation permanently. The money is invested and the earnings provide continual support for a cause or organization. To learn more about endowments and the Endow San Diego initiative, visit www.endowsandiego.org

About The San Diego Foundation:
Founded in 1975, The San Diego Foundation was created by and for the people of the San Diego region. Its purpose is to promote and increase charitable giving that is effective and responsible. The Foundation manages nearly $500 million in assets, almost half of which reside in permanent endowment funds that extend the impact of today’s gifts to future generations—continuing to make San Diego a better place to live, work and play. Since its inception, The Foundation has granted more than $400 million to nonprofits serving the community. For more information about The San Diego Foundation, visit www.sdfoundation.org or call (619) 235-2300.