Spotlight courtesy of Everett Au, MPPA, Manager of Climate Solutions, San Diego Foundation

Image Credits: San Diego Foundation Climate Initiatives

What projects is San Diego Foundation (SDF) working on in the realm of sustainability and community development? We would love to learn more about your ongoing initiatives and how they contribute to creating a more sustainable and vibrant San Diego. 

SDF has been excitingly working with the County of San Diego towards equitable implementation of its Regional Decarbonization Framework, and local decarbonization in general.

• This involves supporting the engagement of harder-to-reach communities who have historically been left out of decision-making spaces that impact communities – Communities of Concern, immigrant/refugee communities, etc. Also, we're working with CBOs on community-identified decarbonization project opportunities and the many benefits these projects provide - projects at the intersection of clean energy, green workforce, health, and decarbonization, for example.

A subset of this work involves supporting a just transition for San Diego’s evolving green workforce while building social capital and strengthening the regional economy.

• Over the past year, we have engaged partners in the decarbonization space, such as San Diego Community Power. Investing in efforts that move communities toward a healthier, more sustainable, clean energy future - of which SDGBC is a grantee for its Electric Home Cooktop Program.
• Beyond direct project support, a part of our climate work involves ensuring the San Diego region has what it needs to successfully pursue and access the influx of local, state, and federal climate and environmental programs. This includes:
  • Holding spaces for collaborations to seed and grow.
  • Technical assistance
  • Supporting the cash flow and fund management

Image Credits: San Diego Foundation

How is San Diego Foundation connected to the San Diego region and its communities? 

• In 1975, The San Diego Community Foundation (later renamed San Diego Foundation) was born, thanks to a group of civically engaged San Diegans who recognized the need for a charitable organization that could engage philanthropy to serve community needs and causes in San Diego County. As San Diego’s largest regional community foundation, we endeavor to understand the needs and priorities of the region so that we can fulfill our commitment to building resilient communities, fostering equity of opportunity, advancing racial and social justice, and delivering world-class philanthropy. We collaborate with donors, community organizations, government, business, policy analysts, and researchers to create new strategies and solutions for the region’s most pressing challenges. The result is a set of programs and funds that encourage better understanding of community needs and advance change in equity, education, environment, and much more to communities throughout San Diego.
• SDF programs and funds evolve to meet the region’s changing needs. In FY22, SDF facilitated $150.8M in funds to support:
  • Education: $47M
  • Civil Society: $36M
  • Health & Human Services: $35M
  • Arts & Culture: $12M
  • Youth Development $7M
  • Environment: $7M 

Image Credits: San Diego Foundation

• SDF focuses on core areas of impact that can transform the lives of San Diegans:
  • Racial & Social Justice: Creating equitable opportunities to build generational wealth is one of the best ways to support our multicultural region and its diverse population.
  • Children & Families: San Diego families can thrive by supporting research, advocacy, and grant-making in areas from early education to health equity.
  • Workforce Development: Along with business and community partners, we champion career training that meets our region's workforce needs. 
  • Education: School districts and nonprofit partners look to us to support enhanced learning and increased access to college.
  • Housing: Through partnerships with municipalities, nonprofits, and developers, we can increase housing access and affordability for all San Diegans.
  • Crisis Philanthropy: When crisis strikes, San Diegans look to us for immediate assistance with emerging needs and ongoing support for recovery.
  • Environment: By committing to increasing equitable access to the outdoors and fighting climate change, we can keep San Diego beautiful.

Image Credits: San Diego Foundation Climate Impact Report

What excites San Diego Foundation about sponsoring San Diego Green Building Council? We greatly appreciate your support as a sponsor, and we would love to hear more about what inspired your organization to collaborate with us.

San Diego Foundation’s mission is to inspire enduring philanthropy and enable community solutions to improve the quality of life in our region.

• On behalf of our Environment Initiatives team, we continue to find alignment with SDGBC’s vision for the future, particularly its pillars:
  • Decarbonization
  • Water Reuse
  • Health & Wellness
  • Equity
• Our team recognizes SDGBC as a valued partner that capacitates regional initiatives and partnerships and amplifies the impacts of collaborations. Also, SDGBC’s role as a hub for knowledge sharing, best practices, and innovation is another critical value the organization and its programming provide for the region.     
• On behalf of our environmental initiatives, we especially find alignment around issues of decarbonization, equity, and a layer deeper, growing the region’s green workforce.   

If you would like to learn more about San Diego Foundation's Climate Initiatives, please visit https://www.sdfoundation.org/community-impact/impact-areas/environment/climate-initiative/