Contact:
Cindy Ribant, Vp, Marketing/communications
(619) 235-2300

The names Klauber, Burnham, Gildred, Fletcher, and others - names that stand out on the pages of any local history - are the names of those influential philanthropists who were present at the birth of The San Diego Foundation as the seaside village of San Diego was transforming into an urban city. The new names of philanthropy include Goldfeder, Strange, Katzin, Kuni, Bingham, and others - families familiar in more northern social orbits.

Now, upon its 25th anniversary, The San Diego Foundation will celebrate "Yesterday, Today, for Tomorrow" over a seven-month campaign beginning with a Gala celebration on Friday, June 23 at the La Jolla Hilton Torrey Pines. The celebration is being conducted in partnership with Sempra Energy. Events during the campaign will celebrate new philanthropists from high-tech companies, women philanthropists, and cultural philanthropy.

"The purpose of the celebration is to inspire new philanthropy throughout the San Diego region," says Bob Kelly, president and CEO of The Foundation.

The purpose of The San Diego Foundation is to improve the quality of life in all of our communities by promoting and increasing responsible and effective philanthropy.

The San Diego Foundation has grown steadily from its humble beginnings on May 12, 1975. By the early 1980s, The Foundation had grown to $1.5 million in assets with $90,000 distributed through grants. Today, The Foundation is San Diego's largest public foundation with more than $300 million in assets and some $30 million in grants distributed annually. More than 600 funds comprise The Foundation's asset base.

And the future looks bright. The Foundation anticipates growth to more than $500 million in assets within the next few years. Much of that growth will come from families and individuals in North County, according to Kelly.

"Many of our donors from North County are very concerned about social services and the quality of life in their communities," said Kelly. Over the past 25 years, hundreds of thousands of dollars have been granted to North County-based organizations through the funds and programs of The San Diego Foundation. These organizations include North County Community Services, Vista Community Clinic, Boys & Girls Club of Inland North County, Anza-Borrego Foundation, San Dieguito River Valley Land Conservancy, Friends of Carrillo Ranch, and many more.

Rancho Santa Fe's Robert Strange, a retired senior financial advisor to The Rockefeller Foundation, established an endowment fund in 1992 to help specific educational and conservation causes. He is not surprised by The Foundation's increasing popularity.

"The San Diego Foundation is a well-managed organization that communicates effectively with donors," Strange commented. "The staff does excellent research into causes. It has been a great experience to work with them."

One of the best ways to get to know a new community is to plunge right in with charitable giving, says Howard Goldfeder, a member of The Foundation's Board of Governors. A Rancho Santa Fe transplant from New York City, where he was the chairman and CEO of Federated Department Stores, Mr. Goldfeder and his wife established the Helen and Howard Goldfeder Fund in 1992 to help umbrella charities. But when he lost his wife to breast cancer in 1997, Mr. Goldfeder directed many donations to UCSD for breast cancer research.

La Jolla's Jerome and Miriam Katzin helped establish the Teachers Fund at The Foundation a few years ago. The fund rewards classroom teachers for innovative practices. Mr. Katzin, a retired investment banker and current member of The Foundation's Board of Governors, said the organization is expanding in function and in scope.

"The San Diego Foundation has expanded its impact geographically to the point where it is making a truly valuable contribution to improving lives in the entire San Diego region," he said.

La Jolla donor Bill Kuni is advancing The San Diego Foundation Environmental Initiative to help public education, conservation, and capacity building in agencies concerned with the natural environment. More than 30 similar initiatives with community foundations and private foundations around the country are helping to bring environmental issues into the mainstream of philanthropy.

Anyone can establish a fund in perpetuity at the San Diego Foundation to advance any ethical charitable intent. The minimum investment to establish a fund is $10,000.

For information about The San Diego Foundation's 25th Anniversary Celebration, to set up a fund, or to receive a copy of "25 Ways to become a Philanthropist," please call The San Diego Foundation's downtown office at (619) 235-2300, or our North County office at (858) 756-7489.