September 30, 2026 – San Diego, CA – San Diego Foundation (SDF) today announced $983,439 in Binational Resilience Initiative (BRI) grants for 10 projects bringing together 21 nonprofit organizations in the United States and Mexico. Several projects directly address the Tijuana River sewage crisis by reducing pollution and flooding, improving wastewater treatment and making water quality information easier for communities to understand, while others will restore coastal habitats and support research and education across the broader Cali-Baja region.

The Tijuana River sewage crisis affects water quality, public health and communities on both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border. While major infrastructure improvements are critical, addressing the crisis also requires coordinated work throughout the watershed to reduce pollution, prepare for flooding and better understand water conditions.

“The Tijuana River sewage crisis has affected our communities for far too long, and the need for action is urgent,” said Pamela Gray Payton, vice president, chief impact and partnerships officer at San Diego Foundation. “Water and pollution don’t stop at the border. Neither can our response. These investments bring organizations in San Diego and Baja California together to protect the health of our communities and the places we all share.”

Five projects directly address the Tijuana River sewage crisis and related challenges across the watershed:

  • 4 Walls International and Universidad Autónoma de Baja California, $145,000: To improve stormwater management and reduce flooding in the Tijuana River Valley through green infrastructure, sediment control and floodplain restoration. Note: Support for 4 Walls International was made possible through a Partners for Places grant from The Funders Network; SDF provided funding for Universidad Autónoma de Baja California.
  • Fundación La Puerta and Tijuana Estuary Foundation, $99,980: To improve water quality in the Tijuana River watershed by planning projects that better manage stormwater and improving a community wastewater treatment plant in Tecate.
  • Institute of the Americas and Universidad Iberoamericana, $115,000: To study the costs and energy use of different ways to improve Tijuana’s water supply, including reducing water loss, reusing treated water and turning seawater into drinking water.
  • San Diego Coastkeeper and Proyecto Fronterizo de Educación Ambiental AC, $100,000: To make Tijuana River water quality data easier for communities on both sides of the border to understand.
  • San Diego State University Foundation, $49,926: To provide a yearlong education series for healthcare providers in the United States and Mexico focused on health impacts connected to pollution in the Tijuana River.

Coastal and regional projects grantees include:

  • The Chaparral Lands Conservancy and Jardín Botánico de San Quintín AC, $100,000: To assess, protect and restore sensitive coastal ecosystems in the Colonet Natural Reserve, including research on species and ecosystems found on both sides of the border.
  • Friends of International Friendship Park, American Friends of Promotora de las Bellas Artes AC and University of San Diego, $100,000: To develop a landscape design for restoring Cañada de los Sauces that reflects the canyon’s ecology, water, cultural history and connection to the border region.
  • Kilómetro Uno AC and University of California San Diego, $85,000: To provide a binational program for youth ages 16 to 18 that combines outdoor learning, science and leadership to deepen their understanding of the ocean, a changing climate and their local environment.
  • San Diego Bird Alliance and ProEsteros AC, $88,533: To train community members to monitor coastal habitats and restore wetlands in the Tijuana Estuary, Punta Banda and La Misión, including removing invasive plants and improving habitat for native birds and wildlife.
  • San Diego Natural History Museum, EcoTono Sustentable AC and Siempre Viva San Quintín AC, $100,000: To engage students in San Diego and Ensenada in hands-on research and data collection to better understand and protect local plants, wildlife and coastal habitats.

“Water quality in the Tijuana River can change from one week to the next, and most people have no easy way to find out the current conditions and pollution levels,” said Philip Musegaas, executive director of San Diego Coastkeeper. “Our project with Proyecto Fronterizo de Educación Ambiental brings together data collected on both sides of the border and makes it readily available, so a parent deciding whether to take the kids to the beach can make an informed decision.”

Additionally, International Community Foundation serves as the grant maker to several participating Mexican organizations.

“The watershed and the coastline are shared resources on both sides of the border, and so is the expertise needed to protect them,” said Marisa Aurora Quiroz, president and CEO of International Community Foundation. “Organizations in Baja California have been doing this work for generations. Funding them alongside their partners in San Diego is how we get long-term solutions that move us beyond one-off fixes.”

The Binational Resilience Initiative is a cross-border grant program supported by San Diego Foundation, International Community Foundation, Resilient Cities Catalyst and the San Diego Regional Climate Collaborative. Since launching in 2022, it has awarded more than $4.5 million for 42 binational coastal and watershed resilience projects involving 68 community-based organizations in the United States and Mexico. To learn more, visit SDFoundation.org/BRI.

About International Community Foundation

The International Community Foundation works across borders to connect people, ideas and investments in the transformative power of community. Based in the U.S.-Mexico border region, ICF has granted more than $100 million to education, health and environmental initiatives since 1990 and manages high-impact programs throughout Mexico and Latin America. Learn more at icfdn.org.

About San Diego Foundation

San Diego Foundation believes in just, equitable and resilient communities where every San Diegan can prosper, thrive and feel like they belong. We partner with donors, nonprofits and regional leaders to co-create solutions that respond to community needs and strengthen San Diego. Since our founding in 1975, our community foundation has granted $2 billion to nonprofits to improve quality of life in San Diego County and beyond. Learn more at SDFoundation.org.

Media Contact

Nancy Ives Schroeder
(619) 540-3751
[email protected]