FOUNDATION GIVES $303K IN GRANTS
The Escondido Community Foundation gave $302,825 in grants this year to area nonprofits, which is the highest annual amount the foundation has g iven since it was established in 2006.
The grants, rang ing from $1,000 to $40,000, are going to 17 area programs supporting COVID-19 relief and recovery efforts for Escondido community members and teaching students about environmental stewardship.
Grant recipients ranged from the Escondido Union School District, Interfaith Community Services and the COVID-19 Community Response Fund to the Escondido Creek Conservancy, Friends of Daley Ranch and San Diego Children’s Discovery Museum.
Grants for COVID-19 relief included $40,000 to the Escondido Union School District, $20,000 to Interfaith Community Ser vices, $20,000 to Feeding San Diego, $17,000 to the COVID-19 Community Response Fund, $15,000 to the Salvation Army Escondido, $10,000 to Neighborhood Healthcare, $5,000 each to Palomar Health Foundation and San Diego Futures Foundation and $1,000 to the Front Line Appreciation Group.
In addition, $15,000 went to San Diego Zoo Global for the Exploring Conser vation Science Program for eighth-grade students i n the Escondido Union School District. A $24,000 grant went to the Escondido Creek Conser vancy Habitats: A Program for All Escondido Union District 3rd Graders that fosters environmental stewardship.
$25,000 grants went to San Pasqual Union School for the Interactive Science
Garden; Friends of Daley Ranch for the program, Opening Young Eyes to Nature in Escondido and EcoLife Conservation for Environmental Education & Food System Awareness Through Classroom Aquaponics.
San Diego Children’s Discovery Museum received $20,825 for its Water & Environmental Education Workshops f or Children in Escondido. Coastal Roots Farm’s Environmental STEM Education Programs received a $17,500 grant to provide Escondido students with vir tual farm visits and I Love a Clean San Diego’s Food for Thought received $17,500 grant to address food waste and food insecurity in Escondido.
Foundation members had planned to earmark grants for local environmental initiatives, but after the pandemic hit, the group decided grants should also go to helping area residents hur t by COVID-19.
Over the past 14 years since it formed, the Escondido Community Foundation, an affiliate of The San Diego Foundation, has given more than $2.7 million in grants help the community.
Earlier this year, members of the foundation dedicated a 40-by-108-foot Giving Arch, spanning Grand Avenue along Centre City Parkway, which recognizes the community spirit of Escondido residents.
“This year’s historic generosity is a testament to the spirit of everyone in Escondido,” said Jack Raymond, the Escondido Charitable Foundation’s board chairman.
To become a member, email trudy@sdfoundation.org.