Escondido Charitable Foundation Breaks Ground on Giving Arch

December 6, 2019 – San Diego, CA – Escondido Charitable Foundation (ECF), an affiliate of The San Diego Foundation, today announced that is has broken ground on the welcome arch over Grand Avenue at Centre City Parkway. The arch, which will be named “The Giving Arch” in recognition of the generosity and community spirit of Escondido residents, is expected to be completed by spring 2020.

Thanks to an anonymous gift from an Escondido resident, the 40-foot by 108-foot structure is a gift to the city from ECF and will welcome residents and visitors to Escondido. The design of The Giving Arch reflects the architectural lines of Escondido City Hall and the philanthropic spirit of the community.

 “The Giving Arch pays homage to the spirit of what we do at the Escondido Charitable Foundation and the anonymous donor who entrusted us with carrying out a project like this that fosters community pride and identity,” explained Lisa Ruder, Board Member at ECF.

The project has generated individual donations that will be recognized with personalized plaques on the arch’s pillars. All donations toward The Giving Arch project will be used for future community enhancement projects, as well as emerging, yet unforeseen needs in Escondido.

“Since 2006, the Escondido Charitable Foundation has served as a catalyst of community impact for those who live, work and visit Escondido,” explained Jackie Skay, Board Chair for ECF. “In just 13 years, ECF has awarded $2.4 million in grants to 48 nonprofit organizations serving the community of Escondido and has built a $1.5 million endowment which will provide for community needs in perpetuity.”

The Giving Arch complements ECF’s past two grant cycles, which invested in programs and projects that focused on enhancing the Escondido community. ECF is also accepting applications for its 2020-2021 grant cycle. Grant guidelines can be accessed online and the deadline to submit Letters of Intent is January 6, 2020.

ECF was founded to provide community members a vehicle to increase effective and responsible philanthropy in Escondido. Through more than a decade of grantmaking, ECF has addressed a wide range of community issues including health and human services; Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics education; access to the outdoors; advancing arts & culture and more.

To learn more about ECF or become a member, visit EscondidoCharitableFoundation.org or contact Trudy Armstrong at trudy@sdfoundation.org.

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About the Escondido Charitable Foundation & the Regional Affiliate Program

The Regional Affiliate program, including the Escondido Charitable Foundation, was established by The San Diego Foundation to create a regional network of affiliate foundations by leveraging local leadership, building endowments, increasing impactful philanthropy, and promoting civic engagement. Affiliates reside in Carlsbad, Chula Vista, Escondido, La Jolla, Oceanside, Ramona, Rancho Bernardo, and 4S Ranch-Del Sur. The Regional Affiliate program has exceeded 1,000 members, established endowments of more than $5 million overall, and granted more than $6 million in total to nonprofit organizations throughout the region.