March 3, 2026 – San Diego, CA – More detox beds. Thousands of additional meals for low-income seniors. Trauma-informed mental health services for children and families. As federal funding shifts continue to strain San Diego’s safety net programs, San Diego Foundation today announced $1.8 million in new Unity Fund grants to local nonprofits delivering these and other essential services to residents in need.
The funding comes at a pivotal moment for the region’s nonprofit sector. A new report released last month by The Nonprofit Institute at the University of San Diego found that 68% of San Diego County’s more than 13,000 nonprofits experienced increased demand for services, while 81% reported reductions in funding from government, corporate sponsors, foundations and individual donors.
“The Unity Fund gives these essential local nonprofits breathing room to meet growing need, helping keep families housed, fed and healthy when federal support becomes less certain,” said Mark Stuart, President and CEO of San Diego Foundation. “Through the generosity of local donors, we are ensuring critical services remain available for families who need them most.”
One of the grantees, Cura Smiles, received $100,000 and will use the grant to double clinic capacity and provide free dental care five days a week for uninsured adults impacted by coverage losses.
“Good oral health is crucial to systemic health, self-esteem, mental health and overall well-being. This grant will sustain the care of hundreds more patients this year, and we could not be more thankful,” said Christine Passmore, Executive Director of Cura Smiles.
Kitchens for Good, another grantee, received $175,000 to nearly double their weekly prepared meal production and provide paid workforce training opportunities for people overcoming hunger and homelessness.
“This investment enables Kitchens for Good to deliver more than meals. It drives sustainable food security model powered by earned revenue and built to launch people into meaningful employment,” said Jennifer Gilmore, CEO of Kitchens for Good.
Other grantees include:
- Alliant Educational Foundation ($50,000) — Expanding access to free, trauma-informed mental health services for families across San Diego County.
- Community Housing Works ($100,000) — Continuing home-delivered, nutritionally balanced meals for low-income seniors after federal food assistance was eliminated.
- Fraternity House, Inc. ($31,200) — Expanding semi-independent housing for people living with HIV to help more individuals remain stable and housed amid federal funding cuts.
- Health Advocacy Mutual Inclusivity (H.A.M.I.) ($150,000) — Coordinating health, housing, food security and healthcare access for families in Southeast San Diego to prevent displacement and crisis as federal supports decline.
- Home Start, Inc. ($125,000) — Sustaining trauma-informed housing and around-the-clock support for young parents with disabilities and their children.
- IWC Community Care ($100,000) — Providing health literacy education, free health screenings and community resource fairs to improve long-term health outcomes in Southeastern San Diego.
- Opsam Health ($173,553) — Sustaining bilingual outreach staff who connect families facing barriers to food assistance, health coverage and financial counseling.
- HomeAid San Diego ($50,000) — Constructing and renovating shelters and transitional housing by leveraging donated labor and materials from the building industry to expand capacity for people experiencing homelessness.
- Father Joe’s Villages ($250,000) — Sustaining and expanding a 44-bed detox program that helps people experiencing homelessness begin recovery and transition into longer-term housing and care.
- Women’s Resource Center ($200,000) — Stabilizing emergency shelter, transitional housing and sexual assault response services for survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault in North County.
- YMCA of San Diego County ($150,000) — Training child welfare staff and lived experience leaders in the HOPE framework to reduce disparities and strengthen outcomes for children and families.
Since launching the San Diego Unity Fund in September, San Diego Foundation has raised more than $32 million and granted or committed more than $25 million to more than 100 local nonprofits, playing a critical role in helping organizations sustain essential services for San Diego residents as federal funding shifts and pressures on the safety net persist.
Created in response to federal funding reductions impacting food, housing and healthcare programs, the San Diego Unity Fund is San Diego Foundation’s rapid response fund for local nonprofits. Learn more and donate at SDFoundation.org/Unity.
About San Diego Foundation
San Diego Foundation believes in just, equitable and resilient communities where every San Diegan can prosper, thrive and feel like they belong. We partner with donors, nonprofits and regional leaders to co-create solutions that respond to community needs and strengthen San Diego. Since our founding in 1975, our community foundation has granted $1.8 billion to nonprofits to improve quality of life in San Diego County and beyond.
Contact
Nancy Ives Schroeder
nancy@intesacom.com
(619) 540-3751
