Press Release Before 2004

Ted Waitt Establishes 'Digital Divide Fund' at The San Diego Foundation

Ted Waitt, the founder and owner of Gateway and head of the Waitt Family Foundation, recently established the Digital Divide Fund at The San Diego Foundation. The fund will grant to organizations and projects that are working to bridge the digital divide in America. Ted and his family believe in using the power of technology to build strong communities, and are working to provide computer resources to empower individuals, families, organizations, and communities.

Ted Waitt: Donor Highlight

Survey of San Diego County Nonprofit Organizations Regarding Technical Assistance

The San Diego Foundation believes that nonprofit organizations could be more effective in serving the community if they received assistance in building their own organizational capacity, rather than solely focusing on funding programs and services. The Foundation has also found that nonprofit organizations are asking for this type of assistance more frequently, given the growing needs of their constituents and the changes occurring in the funding environment. This study was designed to measure the technical capacity-building needs of San Diego County's nonprofit organizations. The objective of the survey was to inform The San Diego Foundation's Organizational Success Fund; a fund intended to strengthen nonprofits' ability to organizationally achieve their mission and to raise the awareness of the important role that the nonprofit sector plays as a public benefit to our community. This survey was made possible with generous support from the Annie E. Casey Foundation.

Technical Assistance Survey Coverpage
List of Participating Organizations
Table of Contents and Introduction & Methodology
Appendix A
Appendix C

Darcy Bingham and Carrie Stone give back to community by donating time, money with partners

Read article featured in San Diego Union Tribune, 5/14/02
Visit SDSVP's website

Disaster Recovery Funds Support Relief Efforts from September 11

The September 11th Fund, established by The New York Community Trust and United Way of New York City, has awarded an additional 28 grants to continue to meet the immediate needs of victims, their families, and communities affected by the tragic events of September 11th. The 28 new grants awarded November 9-30 total $14.7 million.

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September 11 Fund Fact Sheet
List of September 11 Fund Grants to Date

The San Diego Foundation is currently offering two funds that support relief efforts from the September 11 tragedy.

Learn How to Make a Contribution

The San Diego Foundation's Board of Governors Approves 155 Grants to San Diego County

At the Board Meeting in September 2001, The San Diego Foundation's Board of Governors approved 155 grant recommendations from Donor Advised funds, a total amount of $1,038,571, to a number of organizations in San Diego County.

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The San Diego Foundation Conducts Survey to Assess Financial Impact of Energy Crisis on San Diego Nonprofit Organizations

A recent survey conducted by The San Diego Foundation examined the impact of California's energy crisis on local nonprofit organizations. It assessed the degree of impact the crisis has had, the consequences of increased energy costs on nonprofits, and how local nonprofits will pay for larger utility expenses. It also presents several actions foundations and grantmakers can take to address the crisis.

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$862,369 in Science & Technology and Environment Grants Awarded to San Diego Organizations

The first grants from the Science & Technology and Environment Grants Programs were awarded this spring to 23 San Diego County organizations. Seventeen Science & Technology grants were be awarded, a total of $573,354. Eleven Environment grants were awarded, totaling $289,015. These grant programs correspond to the Environment and Science & Technology Community Knowledge Working Groups that The San Diego Foundation has recently formed to answer our donors' various information needs. The groups are composed of experts and specialists in particular fields and headed by Directors of Analysis and Strategy.

List of Award Winners
Article in San Diego Union-Tribune, 6/14/01

Scholarships Invest in San Diego County Students

105 San Diego County students, each with unique circumstances and life experiences, but all possessing a similar goal of receiving a quality education and making a positive contribution to society, have been awarded scholarships from The San Diego Foundation to help them achieve their dreams. These students have received scholarship awards from 35 different scholarship funds at The San Diego Foundation. Their awards range from $350 to $35,000, and together total more than $300,000.

Press Release
Article in San Diego Union-Tribune, 5/20/01

Darcy Bingham and Carrie Stone Form San Diego Social Venture Partners

Two San Diego entrepreneurs, Darcy Bingham and Carrie Stone, have established the San Diego chapter of Social Venture Partners, a group which seeks to develop philanthropy and volunteerism to achieve positive social change in the geographical region in which it is located. Using the venture capital approach as a model, SVP is committed to giving time, money, and expertise to create partnerships with non-profit organizations. The San Diego Social Venture Partners Fund will gather financial contributions for charities and hopes to begin its first grant cycle later this year or early next year.

www.sdfoundation.org/sdsvp

The San Diego Foundation Awards UCSD Biologist $250,000 Blasker Award for Environmental Science and Engineering

The San Diego Foundation has awarded the $250,000 Blasker Award for Environmental Science and Engineering to Julian I. Schroeder, a professor of biology in UCSD's Division of Biology, who has uncovered the molecular mechanisms that allow plants to remove toxic metals from contaminated soil and resist drought.

Press Release
Article in San Diego Union-Tribune, July 2, 2001

Sandra Brue's Breast Cancer Guide Available Free to the Public

Sandra Brue, the fund advisor of the Sandra Brue Fund at The San Diego Foundation, recently published a guide to breast cancer resources that is available free to the residents of San Diego. Sandra spent more than four years researching and compiling this directory, which outlines a background of the disease, treatment options, resources, and numerous strategies and ideas to help women deal with this disease. You may obtain a copy by calling Lorraine Scanlon at 1-858-695-9611.

Press Release
Sandra Brue: Donor Highlight

San Diego Results of the Social Capital Survey

The San Diego Foundation has partnered with three dozen other community foundations throughout the nation on a long-term campaign to rebuild levels of connectedness in America's communities. As the first step of this campaign, we have undertaken a massive survey which outlines the strengths and areas that need improvement in the civic behavior of our nation's communities. This survey reveals that quality of life and happiness are the highest in communities with high levels of social interaction and engagement, or social capital.

Press Release
Executive Summary
Social Capital Survey Frequently Asked Questions
Social Capital Survey Factoids
Article in San Diego Union-Tribune, March 2, 2001
Things You Can Do to Build Social Capital in San Diego
The San Diego Foundation's Civil Society Programs that Increase Social Capital
Great Grants Made by The San Diego Foundation that Support Social Capital
How The San Diego Foundation Will Continue to Build Social Capital for the Future

The San Diego Foundation Sponsors "Diversity and Division" in San Diego Magazine

The San Diego Foundation is a community sponsor of a "Diversity and Division," a three-part special insert in San Diego Magazine discussing the issues of race and ethnicity in San Diego. The insert will be available in February, March, and April 2001.

The San Diego Foundation Leads in all Categories in a National Survey of Community Foundations

The 1999 survey of U.S. community foundations conducted by the Columbus Foundation reports that The San Diego Foundation ranked 20th among all U.S. community foundations in grants awarded, 27th in market value, and 7th in gifts received. The survey reports on 582 foundations and utilized financial data from 1999 or the most recent fiscal data available. The 1999 data has 27 more community foundations than in 1998 and the overall data demonstrate huge growth in gifts, grants, and assets. Overall gifts received exceeded $3.6 billion, a 28 percent growth. Grants paid exceeded $3.9 billion, up 26 percent and assets climbed to $29.9 billion, a 19 percent increase. All categories-gifts, grants, and assets-reached new record highs. Please see the 1999 Community Foundation Survey for the complete results.

Grant Enables Students to Participate in Youth Symphony

The kids couldn't come to the program, so the program came to them. A $15,000 grant from The San Diego Foundation has made it possible for 30 students at St. Stephen's school to participate in the acclaimed Youth Symphony, a project that for 51 years has trained young musicians in Balboa Park. The grant funds the symphony's first satellite program for economically-disadvantaged children, covering the costs of musical instruments and music instruction for St. Stephen's students right in their school.

Groups Join to Form Fundraising Powerhouse
August 10, 2000 - Gay & Lesbian Times

Spreading The Wealth
August 6, 2000 - The North County Times

Harvard University and the San Diego Foundation to Gauge "Social Capital" in the US
July 25, 2000 - Press Release

Group's Silver Anniversary is Golden Time
July 18, 2000 - The San Diego Union Tribune

Modest pair leave gift to S.D. charity: $80 million
June 24, 2000 - The San Diego Union Tribune

San Diego Foundation Becomes Charity Giant
June 21, 2000 - The San Diego Union Tribune

San Diego Enters Philanthropic Big Leagues With $20 Million Gift From Baseball Team Owner
May 9, 2000 - The Philanthropy News Digest

Foundation Helps You Help Community
May 9, 2000 - The San Diego Union Tribune

North County is Central to San Diego's Largest Foundation: The San Diego Foundation Marks 25 Years of Philanthropy

The San Diego Foundation Marks 25 Years Of Philanthropy With Celebration Of The Past — And A Major Gift In Its Future

Tom Brokaw to be featured at 25th Anniversary Gala

Review past press items in our Press Archives.