San Diego Foundation Awards $100K Grant to Advance DEI Training for Local Nonprofits

February 28, 2023 – San Diego, CA – San Diego Foundation announced today the awarding of a $100,000 grant to RISE San Diego to provide diversity, equity and inclusion training to local nonprofits to advance racial and social justice efforts in the region.

“Like many communities across the country, San Diego is increasingly diverse,” said Pamela Gray Payton, Vice President, Chief Impact and Partnerships Officer at San Diego Foundation. “Through this program, we hope to increase the number of diverse, authentic nonprofit leaders with the ability to lead across differences and better enable community solutions that improve the quality of life in our region.”

The grant-funded program will help provide free training to leadership and staff of a selected cohort of 15 to 20 local nonprofit organizations. Priority will be given to nonprofit organizations that:

• Serve North, East or South County
• Are located in the San Diego Promise Zone or San Diego Communities of Concern
• Are small- to mid-sized nonprofit organizations led by or serving Black, Indigenous and/or People of Color communities

The program will consist of 10 training workshops designed to inform, enhance and cultivate racial equity for San Diego County nonprofit organizations. It will have a specific focus on root-cause analysis of inequities and evidence-based research on their impact on communities, in addition to providing both organizational and personal development needed to foster inclusive cultures. The goal is to help participating organizations translate theory into action and invite deep inquiry into San Diego’s most challenging problems.

The mission of RISE San Diego is to elevate and advance urban leadership through dialogue-based civic engagement, dynamic nonprofit partnerships, and direct training and support to increase the capacity of urban residents to effect meaningful community change. To learn more, visit the RISE San Diego website.

As part of its Strategic Plan launched in 2021, San Diego Foundation is committed to four pillars that influence its work, including advancing racial and social justice, fostering equity of opportunity, building resilient communities and delivering world-class philanthropy.

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. The Racial & Social Justice Initiative supports policies and programs that seek to eradicate systemic discrimination. For more than 47 years, SDF and its donors have granted more than $1.4 billion to support nonprofit organizations strengthening our community. Learn more at SDFoundation.org.

Contact

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