San Diego Foundation Grants $1.8M To Fund Detox Beds, Dental Care And More

SAN DIEGO, CA — San Diego Foundation Tuesday announced an additional $1.8 million through its Unity Fund grants for local nonprofits delivering aid to San Diegans as federal funding continues to shift.

Last month, a report released by The Nonprofit Institute at the University of San Diego found that 68% of the county's more than 13,000 nonprofits experienced increased demand for services, while 81% reported reductions in funding from government, corporate sponsors, foundations and individual donors.

"The Unity Fund gives these essential local nonprofits breathing room to meet growing need, helping keep families housed, fed and healthy when federal support becomes less certain," San Diego Foundation President and CEO Mark Stuart said. "Through the generosity of local donors, we are ensuring critical services remain available for families who need them most."

One of the grantees, Cura Smiles, received a $100,000 grant to double clinic capacity and provide free dental care five days a week for uninsured adults impacted by coverage losses, according to the foundation.

"Good oral health is crucial to systemic health, self-esteem, mental health and overall well-being," said Christine Passmore, executive director of Cura Smiles. "This grant will sustain the care of hundreds more patients this year, and we could not be more thankful."

Kitchens for Good received $175,000 to nearly double its weekly prepared meal production and provide paid workforce training opportunities for people overcoming hunger and homelessness, the statement said.

"This investment enables Kitchens for Good to deliver more than meals," Kitchens for Good CEO Jennifer Gilmore said. "It drives a sustainable food security model powered by earned revenue and built to launch people into meaningful employment."

Other grantees include:

-- Alliant Educational Foundation ($50,000): Expanding access to free, trauma-informed mental health services for families;

-- Community Housing Works ($100,000): Continuing home-delivered, nutritionally balanced meals for low-income seniors;

-- Fraternity House ($31,200): Expanding semi-independent housing for people living with HIV;

-- Health Advocacy Mutual Inclusivity ($150,000): Coordinating mental health, housing, food security and health care access for families in Southeast San Diego;

-- Home Start ($125,000): Maintaining trauma-informed housing and support for young parents with disabilities and their children;

-- IWC Community Care ($100,000): Providing health literacy education, free health screenings and community resource fairs to improve long-term health outcomes in Southeastern San Diego;

-- Opsam Health ($173,553): Employing bilingual staff connecting families to food assistance, health coverage and financial counseling;

-- HomeAid San Diego ($50,000): Constructing and renovating homeless shelters and transitional housing with donated labor and materials from the building industry;

-- Father Joe's Villages ($250,000): Expanding a 44-bed detox program for people experiencing homelessness;

-- Women's Resource Center ($200,000): Stabilizing emergency shelter, transitional housing and sexual assault response services for survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault in North County; and

-- YMCA of San Diego County ($150,000): Training child welfare staff and lived experience leaders for children and families.

Since it began the San Diego Unity Fund in September, San Diego Foundation has raised more than $32 million and granted or committed more than $25 million to more than 100 local nonprofits.

— City News Service