September 15, 2014, 2014 – San Diego, CA – The Escondido Charitable Foundation (ECF) today announced it has granted $1 million to local nonprofit organizations focused on programs that serve Escondido residents, including $187,715 this year.

Six organizations, including Del Dios Middle School, Encuentros Leadership, Zoological Society of San Diego, North Broadway School, San Elijo Lagoon Conservancy and The Kid’s College, will receive this year’s grants at a celebration on September 25.

Thirty nonprofits that make Escondido a better place to live, work, learn and play have received grants from ECF since its inception in 2006. Collectively, ECF’s 162 historical members have not only granted $1 million to nonprofits in the community, but have also made a $2 million total impact through endowment building and grantmaking.

The local impact of ECF nonprofit grantees has been significant and diverse, varying from providing food to hungry seniors; science, math and technology equipment to schools; an Escondido pocket park; community gardens; field trips for Escondido fifth graders to visit Daley Ranch; various arts and cultural opportunities; mentorship for disadvantaged youth; van transport for food distribution to the needy; and many more programs and projects funded by this group of caring residents. (Full list available atsdfoundation.org/ECFgrants)

“This milestone is something that our members and the entire community can celebrate as it demonstrates the power of pooled philanthropy and the impact that collective giving makes in your community,” proclaimed Jack Raymond. “Our members united after the devastating fires in this community and granted more than $100,000 in 2007 and facilitated the awards of another $300,000 to Escondido wildfire survivors this year,” he continued.

“Serving on the grants committee, I have become engaged by personally going out on site visits to nonprofits and seeing the needs of the community,” ECF Grants Chair Rebecca Raymond shared. “It is impressive how much impact these organizations make to enhance our communities. I would not have known that seniors in our community are at risk of malnutrition and food insecurity as they await their Social Security checks. The Angel’s Depot addresses this problem by providing food boxes that supply a week’s worth of meals. Our members were inspired to provide a grant that will help distribute 140 meals to Escondido seniors.”

Beyond grantmaking, ECF members have built community pride and engagement, resulting in residents uniting to address the devastating wildfires; members facilitating a community cleanup day; and, providing free meeting space for nonprofits.

Each year, The Escondido Charitable Foundation’s philanthropic model earmarks half of membership fees for grants to local nonprofits, and sets aside the other half to grow their community endowment that ensures sustainability as well as agility to respond to emerging needs.

For more information about ECF, visit sdfoundation.org/ECF on the Escondido Charitable Foundation, or contact Trudy Armstrong at trudy@sdfoundation.org or (619) 764-8602.


About Escondido Charitable Foundation & the Regional Outreach Program
The Regional Outreach program, including the Escondido Charitable Foundation, was established by The San Diego Foundation to build and promote a regional network of community affiliate foundations by leveraging local leadership in building endowments, increasing responsible and effective philanthropy, and promoting local and regional civic engagement. Since 2006, The San Diego Foundation has established affiliates in Carlsbad, Chula Vista, Escondido, La Jolla, Oceanside, Ramona, Rancho Bernardo, San Ysidro, and 4S Ranch-Del Sur. The Regional Outreach program has exceeded 475 members, built endowments of more than $3.4 million overall, and granted more than $2.5 million in total to nonprofit organizations throughout the region. For additional information, please visit sdfoundation.org/CommunityFoundations.

About The San Diego Foundation
Founded in 1975, The San Diego Foundation’s purpose is to promote and increase effective and responsible charitable giving. The Foundation manages more than $665 million in assets, $400 million of which reside in permanent endowment funds that extend the impact of today’s gifts to future generations. Since its inception, The Foundation has granted more than $887 million to the San Diego region’s nonprofit community. For additional information, visit sdfoundation.org.

Contact
Vince Heald, Beck Ellman Heald, 858-453-9600, vheald@behmedia.com
Heather Back, The San Diego Foundation, 619-235-2300, heather@sdfoundation.org