Rancho Bernardo Community Foundation Awards $82,000 in Grants to 20 Nonprofit Initiatives

For Immediate Release

December 1, 2020 – San Diego, CA – The Rancho Bernardo Community Foundation (RBCF), an affiliate of The San Diego Foundation, awarded $82,000 to 20 nonprofit programs that are addressing currently needs in the community and helping to make Rancho Bernardo a great place to live, work and play.

“This year, we’ve seen the needs of the community grow as we all face the COVID-19 health and economic crisis together,” shared RBCF President Steve Dreyer. “This is what the Rancho Bernardo Community Foundation was created to do. Together, thanks to the generosity of our members and community leaders, we have been able to fund COVID relief efforts and a host of other programs that are benefiting residents in our community now, and into the future.”

Due to the COVID pandemic, RBCF was not able to hold its Annual Thanksgiving Luncheon, so in lieu of an in-person event, community members donated the price of their “ticket” to address food insecurity in the community. Thanks to their generosity, $6,000 was awarded to the Community Food Connections and $6,000 was awarded to Interfaith Community Services.

The remaining nonprofit grantees will support a variety of social impact areas, including COVID-19 relief, education, youth development, science and technology, the arts and more.

For more than three decades, RBCF has granted over $800,000 to the nonprofit community through membership and fundraising programs, such as Pathway of Pride, Hats Off to Volunteers and the Annual Thanksgiving Luncheon. The annual giving is bolstered by an endowment fund that supports the Rancho Bernardo community in perpetuity.

RBCF was founded by local leaders as a way for residents to give back to the community and invest in programs that make Rancho Bernardo an even better place to live and work. Through its annual grantmaking, the organization has addressed a wide range of community issues including health and human services; youth development and education; access to the outdoors; arts & culture and more. This year, members decided to use part of the organization’s grantmaking to respond to the needs of the community caused by the ongoing pandemic.

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

List of 2020-2021 Grantees:

• $12,000 to address food insecurity through the Thanksgiving GiveTogether Campaign
• $10,000 to the San Diego COVID-19 Community Response Fund
• $7,500 to Alzheimer’s San Diego for its Supporting Rancho Bernardo Families Impacted by Dementia program
• $7,000 to Rancho Bernardo High School for the SOLE Effects youth program
• $6,000 to Rancho Bernardo Senior Services for the Collaborative Informational Services and Assistance to Seniors programs
• $5,000 to Rancho Bernardo High School Friends of the Library for learning and technology resources for students
• $5,000 to San Diego Zoo Global for the STEM Careers in Conservation program for middle school students
• $3,500 to Rancho Bernardo Retired Senior Volunteer Patrol to upgrade license plate reader technology
• $3,500 to Poway Symphony Orchestra Foundation for the public concerts planned in 2021
• $3,000 to Autism Tree Project Foundation to provide autism screening for Head Start-eligible preschool and elementary school students
• $3,000 to Rancho Bernardo Historical Foundation for archive and document preservation
• $2,500 to Continuing Education Center for adult education classes in Rancho Bernardo
• $2,500 to FOR LOVE & ART for virtual museum tours and education
• $2,000 to Friends of the Rancho Bernardo Library for public concerts in 2021
• $2,000 to Poway Center for the Performing Arts Foundation for music education programs for local students
• $2,000 to Resounding Joy for music therapy for families and children
• $2,000 to Tremble Clefs San Diego for a therapeutic singing program for people with Parkinson’s Disease
• $1,500 to Rancho Bernardo Neighborhood Watch to grow the Neighborhood Watch Sign Program
• $1,000 to Burn Institute for its Fire Safe Kids program
• $1,000 to San Dieguito River Valley Conservancy for the Sikes Adobe Pollinator Garden Enhancement