Rancho Santa Fe Foundation Awards More Than $350,000 in Grants

Rancho Santa Fe, Calif. – July 28, 2023 – Leaders at Rancho Santa Fe Foundation selected 14 San Diego area military and veteran support organizations to receive funding from the Foundation’s grants program known as The Patriots Connection. A total of $350,300 was awarded to nonprofit organizations serving local military and veteran individuals and families. Grantees include Armed Services YMCA San Diego, Biocom California Institute, Support The Enlisted Project and the Foundation for Women Warriors, among others. A complete list of grantees can be found at the end of this announcement.

Funds awarded to the 14 local nonprofits support a range of initiatives that aim to improve the quality of life in the region for members of the military, veterans and their families. Since 2008, The Patriots Connection has invested more than $2.4 million in San Diego grants for nonprofits focused on the needs of the military community. Funding for the military and veteran grants program comes from the generous, purposeful philanthropy of donors at Rancho Santa Fe Foundation who recognize the value of collaborative giving.

“We are thrilled to announce these grant awards to organizations doing such great work for our local military and veteran communities,” said Chris Sichel, president and CEO, Rancho Santa Fe Foundation. “So many of us have the desire to lift up and support current and former military service members and their families, and The Patriots Connection grant recipients are trusted organizations providing this essential support in San Diego County. This important work would not be possible without the generosity and collaboration of our donors.”

Challenges faced by military communities in San Diego underscore a need for support
San Diego County is home to the nation’s largest concentration of military personnel, and even more military veterans live in San Diego than active-duty personnel. Military and veteran families face a significant challenge in navigating the high cost of living in the region.

The biggest concern for active-duty families is military spouse employment. This challenge is compounded for those who depend on secondary income to afford to live in the San Diego region. Spouses who are not working report the cost of childcare as the top barrier to employment. These points illustrate just some of the complex challenges faced by our military and veteran heroes. A range of solutions is needed, to include services for basic needs, health and wellness and education as well as social and community connection.

Veterans experience a unique set of challenges, stressors and traumas—from deployment and combat to the often difficult process of reintegrating into civilian life after leaving the military—all of which can have significant long-term impacts on their mental health and well-being.

Patriots Connection grants fund projects that boost military communities in San Diego
Grant funds awarded to the 14 partner organizations support a range of initiatives serving San Diego military and veterans, from youth enrichment programs to emergency financial assistance and financial literacy to housing and homeless intervention, to name a few.

“The Patriots Connection at the Rancho Santa Fe Foundation has been, and continues to be, deeply invested in and responsive to the needs of our local military community,” said Tony Teravainen, CEO and co-founder, Support The Enlisted Project. “We are extremely honored to be recipients of their grant funding and grateful for their partnership in working to make San Diego a better place for our service members, veterans, and their families to live, work and enjoy. We created STEP to make positive long-lasting impacts in the lives of our military families who are facing a critical financial crisis. Rancho Santa Fe Foundation’s support has given us the ability to help thousands of families move from financial crisis to a lifetime of financial self-sufficiency!”

In this recent grant award funding for The Patriots Connection program, Rancho Santa Fe Foundation awarded nine multi-year grants and five single-year grants. The Foundation believes awarding more multi-year grants allows nonprofit partner organizations to experience a greater return on their investment of time in the grant application process, which, in some instances, can divert them from the more urgent work of serving their communities.

Opportunities to collaborate with Rancho Santa Fe Foundation
Rancho Santa Fe Foundation offers multiple grant cycles each year across three main grantmaking categories: education, health, and military and veterans. The Foundation’s next grant cycle, which will take place in fall 2023, will focus on improving K-6 academic success following learning loss in underserved North County San Diego communities.

Donors interested in learning more about impacting any of these grantmaking focus areas in the San Diego region are encouraged to reach out to Rancho Santa Fe Foundation. The team offers concierge-level service to leverage donations to have an even greater impact. You can donate today at https://rsffoundation.org/donate/ or contact the team at https://rsffoundation.org/contact/ for more information.

About Rancho Santa Fe Foundation
Rancho Santa Fe Foundation is the bridge that connects forward-thinking philanthropists in North County San Diego with outstanding nonprofit organizations. We serve as a convener, bringing the right people and organizations together to help donors leverage impact and nonprofits accelerate progress. Learn more at www.rsffoundation.org.

The Patriots Connection 2022-2023 Multi-Year Grants:

Alpha Project for the Homeless – $20,000
Alpha Lofts - Permanent Supportive Housing for Veterans
Alpha Lofts is a Permanent Supportive Housing program, providing 52 fully-furnished units of housing for veterans experiencing homelessness in San Diego coinciding with case management and support services to ensure housing stability.

Armed Services YMCA San Diego – $25,000
Military Youth Development Programs
The ASY San Diego's Family and Youth programs provide a solid foundation of support for military youth that helps to strengthen the family unit and keep children and families strong in the face of all challenges.

Fisher House Southern California, Inc. – $30,000
Family Support Services and Equipment for San Diego Fisher Houses
This project provides military families staying at Fisher Houses-San Diego with enhanced safety and security through the installation of a keyless entry system; quality sleep with the purchase of new linens and bedding; and hotel rooms near the hospital when houses are not available, so families and their children can remain near their loved ones being treated at the hospital, at no cost to them.

Foundation for Women Warriors – $35,000
General Operating Support
To continue preventing homelessness and enhancing the financial well-being of an increasing population of women veterans, the Foundation for Women Warriors has prioritized investments in human capital and infrastructure to sustain programmatic growth and generate necessary funding. General operating funding will support critical program delivery positions and steward additional funding.

Kids' Turn San Diego – $30,000
Creating Brighter Futures for Children Project
This project seeks to bring happiness back to military-connected children who are experiencing family separations, divorce and military transitions which poses a risk who are at risk to suffer emotional difficulties that can last a lifetime, without interventions.

Social Advocates for Youth (SAY) San Diego, Inc. – $20,300
Military Family Resource Center
Funding will expand efforts to decrease social isolation and increase engagement in social services and support systems for military individuals and families in need.

United Through Reading – $20,000
United Through Reading for San Diego’s Military and Veteran Families
United Through Reading supports the literacy development of military-connected children and the well-being of military and Veteran families by providing them the tools they need to stay connected through shared storytime even during deployment.

Wounded Warrior Homes, Inc. – $30,000
Transitional Housing and the Re-Integrative Services That Ensure Veterans Thrive
Through this project, Wounded Warrior Homes will stabilize 102 veterans and 367 veterans/dependents via the provision of transitional housing, re-integrative case management services and a food pantry.

Zero8Hundred – $20,000
Veteran Transition Support Program
Zero8Hundred provides service members and military spouses transitioning from military to civilian life with personalized one-on-one counseling and wraparound support from clinically trained social workers.

The Patriots Connection 2023 One-Year Grants:

Biocom California Institute – $15,000
Veterans in Life Sciences
Biocom Institute’s Veterans in Life Sciences program provides an opportunity for transitioning active duty and military veterans to explore and transition into careers in the life science industry via symposiums, mock interviews, career fairs, mentorship, industry networking, educational seminars and training.

Support The Enlisted Project (STEP) – $25,000
Emergency Financial Assistance (EFA) and Financial Literacy for Military Families
STEP helps low-income military and Veteran families who are facing a financial crisis by providing financial counseling, education, and emergency funds to help them achieve financial self-sufficiency and make this their last financial crisis. Emergency funds cover rent, utilities, auto payments, critical baby items, essential household appliances or emergency travel.

Healing Wave Aquatics – $30,000
Aquatic Therapy for Low-Income Veterans and Military
Healing Wave Aquatics offers a free, research-based aquatic therapy program provided by highly trained practitioners to veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress (PTS).

Camp Pendleton ASYMCA – $25,000
Youth Enrichment Programs
The goal of the youth enrichment programs is to promote resiliency and strengthen families by providing comprehensive social, emotional and academic support through the Fisher Children's Center for childcare, Operation Little Learners for early learning and military spouse connections, Operation Hero for afterschool support, and Camp Hero for summer camp enrichment.

Interfaith Community Services – $25,000
Housing, Hope and Healing for North County Veterans
This project supports 700 military veterans through programs including homeless prevention, transitional housing, recuperative care, employment development and behavioral health services.

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