Escondido Charitable Foundation News – January

(Above, left to right) ECF members Elmer and Ruth Cameron pose with board member Jack Raymond.

Happy New Year Escondido Charitable Foundation (ECF) Members!

This is a significant year for The Escondido Charitable Foundation. This year we will mark the 10th anniversary of ECF grantmaking on September 22. We will celebrate and recognize each of you who have made this incredible journey possible and who continue to make ECF so successful.

Watch for more information on the location, but mark your calendars now for Thursday, September 22, 2016.

We will also be gathering for an opportunity to connect with your fellow foundation members in April. More information will be sent out in the next few weeks!

Looking Back

Just last September at our 9th Annual Grant Celebration held at Classical Academy High School, $168,860 was awarded to eight nonprofit organizations that promote the rich natural resources and open spaces of Escondido. Programs funded included:

• Chaparral Passport and Naturalist Program with The California Chaparral Institute ($21,560);
• Children’s Natural Play Area with El Caballo Park Conservancy ($24,500);
• Clean Canyons for a Clean Coast with I Love a Clean San Diego County ($17,000);
• Daley Ranch 7th Grade Field Trip with The Friends of Daley Ranch ($25,000);
• Escondido Outdoors with Outdoor Outreach ($10,000);
• Exploring and Conserving the Escondido Creek Watershed with San Elijo Lagoon Conservancy ($30,000);
• Girls on the Run San Diego ($10,800);
• Save Our Aquatic Resources Program with Zoological Society of San Diego ($30,000)

The Friends of Daley Ranch received a grant of $25,000 from ECF to fund a Daley Ranch 7th grade field trip.

What a difference you have made in just 10 short years.

With the power of pooled philanthropy, you have made more than a $2.5 million impact on our community. The ECF endowment, which will support Escondido’s emerging needs in perpetuity, has grown to $897,000 and you have awarded over $1.5 million in grants.

The Year Ahead

This year, your Grants Committee did research on needs in our community and determined that assisting those on the verge of homelessness and those trying to climb their way out of homelessness present a significant need in our community.

The 2016 grant guidelines were recently released. Please share with any organization that you feel might be able to design a program addressing these needs. The proposals are due February 22.

In June we will have a social and presentation event where you will learn about the proposals that have made it to the ballot. Your participation and votes are critical.

There is still time to join the 2016 Grants Committee! The committee will accept new members up to the February deadline. If you are interested in joining the Grants Committee for 2016, please contact Trudy Armstrong at Trudy@sdfoundation.org prior to February 21.

Notable Volunteers

Chair John Goodrich was recognized as a 2015 Volunteer of the Year by the North County Philanthropy Council.

Congratulations to two ECF members who received North County Philanthropy Council’s 2015 Volunteers of the Year recognition: Chair John Goodrich and ECF Grants Chair Ruth Tsoulos. These incredible volunteers were recognized at the North County Philanthropy Luncheon in November.

We welcome the following new members that have joined ECF since July 1, 2015:

• Tim and Claudia Costanzo
• Frank Foster
• Charles and Susan Patrick
• Cristina Coleman
• Jean Russo
• Sara Slade
• Monica and Jeff Hofstetter

Learn More

With such an important year ahead, now is the time to help your friends and neighbors learn more about the fantastic work being done by ECF members. Contact Trudy Armstrong at Trudy@sdfoundation.org for assistance in helping your friends join.

You may also direct them to our website for more information.

Learn more