There are plenty of reasons Kara Ballester’s philanthropic efforts are so focused on climate change. Two of them are her 9- and 11-year-old daughters. “This is happening now,” Kara says. “We have kids, and the negative impacts are going to be happening throughout their life. My husband and I have an opportunity, and obligation, to do something.”
Kara and her husband Andy, through a private foundation as well as their fund at San Diego Foundation, have developed and supported initiatives that greatly reduce carbon emissions while lowering utility costs for an array of community organizations. Their work includes helping to deliver solar and battery projects for neighborhood centers, offsetting nearly all their energy use and generating millions of dollars in savings that can be reinvested into vital programs.
“We’re running out of time to prevent the worst effects of climate change from happening. It’s going to take a global effort, and we need to be doing this yesterday. We have an obligation and we have an opportunity.”
Midwestern Roots
Born and raised in the Illinois capital of Springfield, Kara says she was conscious of ecological topics as a child, but was hardly an environmental activist.
“I’ve always just loved the natural world a lot,” she says. “As a family growing up, we’d go out hiking and vacation on Midwestern lakes and stuff like that. I wouldn’t say I was this passionate environmental person during my childhood, but I enjoyed science and I enjoyed being outdoors.”
That approach continued through her years earning a psychology degree at the University of Illinois and while securing a master’s degree in anthropology and a teaching credential from San Diego State University.
For nearly a decade after moving to San Diego, Kara was working as an educator. Her career took a turn when Kara and Andy launched their BQuest Foundation. The nonprofit was in the process of homing in on a cause about the time the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released a landmark Special Report on Global Warming of 1.5°C that underscored the urgent and present-day effects of human-induced carbon emissions.
The Foundation’s mission was set: “Use creative grantmaking and financing to build and support projects and programs that lower carbon emissions, create more sustainable and resilient communities, and address housing inequities.”
Partnering with SDF
Photo Credit: BQuest Foundation
Kara and Andy first got involved with SDF in 2019 to open a BQuest Foundation fund at SDF. Since then, they have also worked alongside SDF to support the community during the Covid-19 pandemic and helped launch the Black Community Investment Fund.
“SDF has been around for 50 years and has so many resources,” shared Kara. “I would guess they know every nonprofit in town. A lot of donors go through the foundation, so that gives SDF that leader, convener, collaborator role where they can provide a lot of information and thought leadership when things come up like Covid or the flooding in San Diego. San Diego Foundation is really well positioned at taking the lead and bringing resources together. That’s been helpful for us because we’re a really small organization. We’re able to tap into the knowledge and the connections and all the things that San Diego Foundation has to offer.”
Today, Kara is an active member of the San Diego Regional Climate Collaborative – established in part by SDF’s leadership. In addition, she works closely with SDF’s Climate Initiatives team to co-invest in projects further advancing decarbonization and supporting green spaces throughout San Diego County.
One such initiative is the Growing Green Spaces program. Part of SDF’s Fifty & Forward Campaign aimed at granting $500 million in the key targeted areas of education, children and families, and the environment in celebration of SDF’s 50th anniversary, Growing Green Spaces focuses on community-led projects expanding access to parks, school gardens and other green spaces in areas lacking such options. A recent project at Olivewood Gardens and Learning Center illustrates how SDF, BQuest and other funders can together improve underserved neighborhoods.
“It’s all about leveraging our funds through a collaborative approach,” Kara says, citing partnerships with SDF, the San Diego Community Power’s Community Clean Energy Grants Program and the San Diego Climate Funders Collaborative.
The Future of Giving
As millennial philanthropists, Kara and Andy Ballester are part of a younger generation working with SDF and others to build a healthier, more resilient future. They realize the challenges are far too complex for one organization to tackle alone.
You, too, can pool your resources and join the collective effort to support your community and neighbors by becoming involved with SDF’s landmark Fifty & Forward Campaign.
“Being engaged with your community in a positive way – and if you get lucky enough to have the resources to give back – is incredibly rewarding,” says Kara.
