The San Diego Foundation Grants Record $77.8 Million to Nonprofit Community in 2020

For Immediate Release

November 19, 2020 – San Diego, CA – The San Diego Foundation today announced it awarded $77.8 million to nonprofit organizations in Fiscal Year 2020, the most ever granted by The Foundation and its donors in a single year.

The news was shared at a virtual Annual Report to Community on November 18, where donors, nonprofit and government partners, and other community leaders celebrated the value of philanthropy and the positive impact San Diego donors have in the region.

As The San Diego Foundation’s Annual Report highlights, during Fiscal Year 2020, 6,353 nonprofit grants were awarded, many of which went directly toward the relief and recovery efforts stemming from the COVID-19 crisis. The grants supported nonprofits working in a variety of social impact areas, including $23 million for Health & Human Services, $14.4 million for Education, $10.1 million for Civil Society, $9.8 million for Arts & Culture, $9 million for Youth Development, and $6.9 million for the Environment.

“For all the positivity that philanthropy brings to the region, it is difficult not to focus on the hardship and loss that the events of 2020 have brought to our doorstep,” expressed Kay Coleman, Board Chair of The San Diego Foundation during the virtual Annual Report. “The past year has challenged us to come together like never before.”

To date, The San Diego Foundation has raised $56 million and granted $53 million to address the health and economic crisis caused by the pandemic. Grantmaking from the COVID-19 Community Response Fund has supported more than 190 nonprofits organizations, focusing on everything from the digital divide and food security, to childcare and economic resilience. In addition, San Diegans have used their donor-advised funds at The San Diego Foundation to give directly to local nonprofits supporting those disproportionately affected by COVID-19. From the period of March through July 2020, total giving from donor-advised funds was 75 percent more compared to the same period last year.

“This year, San Diegans invested in the place they call home. In their neighbors. In their co-workers. And in their community. More than 87 percent of all grants this year benefitted San Diego nonprofits,” shared Mark Stuart, President & CEO of The San Diego Foundation. “Your acts of kindness and love have lifted up those in need. As a community, we came together to keep hope alive for those who didn’t have a roof over their head, food to sustain them or a computer to learn.”

The San Diego Foundation continues to work with leaders from all sectors to prioritize key regional challenges through its initiatives and grantmaking, including the COVID-19 Community Response Fund, Black Community Investment Fund, Regional Disaster Fund and others.

“Our work will not be complete until everyone who calls San Diego County home has the opportunity to prosper, the opportunity to thrive and, most of all, the opportunity to feel like they belong,” added Stuart.

Since 1975, The San Diego Foundation has focused on joy-making for donors, partners, nonprofits and the many San Diegans whose lives are strengthened by charitable work in the community. The organization has granted more than $1.2 billion to the nonprofit community and manages $1 billion in total assets, including $572 million in endowment funds, which will benefit the region for generations to come. To learn more about The Foundation’s impact this year, visit SDFoundation.org/AnnualReport.