Escondido Community Foundation Grants $199,900 at Annual Grant Awards Celebration

September, 2022 – San Diego, CA – The Escondido Community Foundation (ECF), a regional affiliate of San Diego Foundation, held its Annual Grant Awards Celebration Sept. 22 at the Centre at Lexus Escondido and awarded $199,900 to eight local nonprofit programs that support workforce development.

“We are seeking to move individuals into positions that will enhance their quality of life as well as the economic vitality of the entire community,” said Ken Lounsbery, ECF board chair.

Since 2007, ECF has granted more than $3,211,780 to over 120 programs that help grow a more vibrant community, and, in addition, donated the community arch, valued at $1 million, so the current and next generation of Escondido residents have a place they are proud to call home.

List of 2022-2023 Grantees: 

• $15,000 to Escondido Union High School District for its Escondido High Agriculture Farm to Fork Program: an after-school program that teaches culinary and agricultural students to cook seasonal food grown and raised within the onsite farm.
• $33,000 to Escondido Union High School District for its San Pasqual High SuperNURDs Robotics Program: an after-school program that teaches engineering and fabrication skills.
• $17,900 to Fred Finch CARES for its Behavior Education and Skills Training that that teaches the necessary skills in serving youth with developmental disabilities.
• $30,000 to Interfaith for its Veterans Employment Assistance Program which provides veterans residing in Escondido with job training and certification programs.
• $35,000 to Neighborhood Healthcare for its Medical Assistant Training Program that supports student training through the Escondido Adult School.
• $15,000 to Palomar College Foundation to provide 75 tablet computers for up-to-date medical training to students enrolled in the Escondido campus EMT/paramedic program.
• $25,000 to Solutions for Change for Solutions Academy: a workforce development program that teaches professional etiquette, public speaking, time management and more.
• $29,000 to Urban Corps of San Diego County for its dual work-learn program which places participants at the North County Campus in on-the-job internships with the City of Escondido.

To become an ECF member, visit the website or contact Trudy Armstrong at trudy@sdfoundation.org.

About the Escondido Community Foundation & the Regional Affiliate Program

The Regional Affiliate program, including Escondido Community Foundation, was established by 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, 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.

About San Diego Foundation

San Diego Foundation inspires enduring philanthropy and enables community solutions to improve the quality of life in our region. Our strategic priorities include advancing racial and social justice, fostering equity of opportunity, building resilient communities, and delivering world-class philanthropy to realize our vision of just, equitable and resilient communities. For more than 46 years, SDF and its donors have granted more than $1.3 billion to support nonprofit organizations strengthening our community. Learn more at SDFoundation.org.

Contact: Lorena Nava Ruggero, San Diego Foundation, lruggero@sdfoundation.org, 619-814-1365