The Hub of Philanthropy in
Sonoma County
Elizabeth Brown
President and CEO,
Community Foundation Sonoma County
Welcome to Community Foundation Sonoma County! We are the hub of philanthropy for the county, connecting people, ideas and resources to benefit all who live here. At the Community Foundation, we have the honor of working with individual and family philanthropists to create plans that transform their ideas and passions into long-term solutions that will make an impact in our community and become part of their family’s legacy.
Last year, the Community Foundation distributed over $10 million in grants on behalf of our generous donors. Last year, the Community Foundation distributed over $10 million in grants on behalf of our generous donors. These funds went to organizations across all corners of the county and beyond, from Social Advocates for Youth and the Ceres Community Project, to the Children’s Museum of Sonoma County, LandPaths and KRCB. We also partnered with the Redwood Empire Food Bank with a grant that helped over 160 agencies to receive fresh food at no charge and to distribute over two million pounds of produce to those in need. And we saw Chop's Teen Club, founded by one of Community Foundation’s most generous donors, Charles DeMeo, expand its workforce development programming and launch Jobs Made Real, a website designed to aid teens in discovering their career paths.
2012 was also the year we launched , which over the next few years will provide advice, advocacy and mentorship to young students and their parents, and through its scholarship funding help send over 800 students to and through college. Scholarship Sonoma County is a partner in the Cradle to Career Initiative, an excellent example of a cross-sector partnership that brings together government, business, and philanthropy to plan for the education and workforce opportunities that will help our young people, and our whole community, thrive.
2013 marks the 30th anniversary of Community Foundation Sonoma County. It took the great vision of a band of community leaders, spearheaded by Jean Schulz, to create an organization that would hold a long-term vision for the county. On behalf of its donors over the past 30 years, the Community Foundation has granted over $125 million to benefit our community. Those leaders from 1983 had the right combination of passion, innovation, resources, and tenacity to create an organization that would inspire others to join this movement of growing the county’s philanthropic giving and impact.
As we look forward into the next 30 years, we have a new opportunity to dream, innovate, and roll up our sleeves as partners and neighbors who love this county and to ask ourselves “What do we want life to be like for ourselves, our children, and our grandchildren in 2043?”
The promise of Sonoma County relies on a commitment of collaboration, creativity and community.The promise of Sonoma County relies on a commitment of collaboration, and creativity and community. We are honored and humbled to be leaders in stewarding this promise for the next 30 years and invite you to join us in continuing their movement.
I would love to hear your dream for Sonoma County for 2043. Please feel welcome to email me at ebrown@sonomacf.org. Thanks, and once again, welcome to Community Foundation Sonoma County.
At Community Foundation Sonoma County, we believe in the power of connecting people, ideas and resources to benefit the lives of those who live here. Everyday, we create partnerships with donors, organizations and community leaders to invest in the promise of Sonoma County.
Todd Trust Grants: A Status Report
In late 2009, Community Foundation Sonoma County received notice that it had been named a beneficiary of the Todd Trust, a legacy gift from Roland and Hazel Todd that was estimated at $8.5 million. A Team was formed in 2010 to identify community priorities that match the Todds' areas of interest.. In 2011, we provided a report that detailed the primary goal for use of the Todd Trust Funds at this time: to improve access to community resources by low-income and minority residents in the Springs, especially in the areas of health and human services. We noted that priority will be given to services that are physically located in the Springs, with subsequent work integrating other aspects of interest to the Todds (e.g.open space, grants outside of Sonoma Valley and underfunded governmental services).
Read more about the current status of the Todd Trust Funds and latest grants.
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