The San Diego Foundation announced Jan. 6 that it is committing $4 million over four years to its education initiative that helps local high school students experiencing homelessness, in the foster care system and/or learning English prepare for, pay for and graduate from college.
The $1 million in annual funding for the SDF Community Scholars Initiative will support nonprofit partners and student scholarships.
“For nearly 50 years, San Diego Foundation has responded to critical community needs,” foundation President and CEO Mark Stuart said. “The success of our region depends on local students, especially those furthest from opportunity, receiving the assistance they need to graduate from high school and prepare for college and careers that will support them and their families.”
The SDF Community Scholars Initiative works with nonprofit partners to provide local students with tutoring, personal counseling and mentorship, scholarships, and academic and financial aid advising and application assistance to support their high school and college success. The program focuses on students who are the least likely to graduate from high school and enter college.
According to data from the California Department of Education, 84.6% of San Diego County students who started high school four years prior graduated during the 2023-24 academic year. However, significant disparities exist for some student populations during the same period, with data showing that:
✔ 69.4% of local English learners graduated from high school
✔ 49.8% of local foster youth graduated from high school
✔ 62.8% of local students experiencing homelessness graduated from high school
Two major gifts were also made to the SDF Community Scholars Initiative to support scholarships, including a $1 million gift from an anonymous donor and the other a $500,000 matching gift from the Barbara Monroe Scholarship Fund at the San Diego Foundation.
“We are grateful to our donors for these significant gifts that will help local young people pursue a quality education and grow our region’s future leaders,” Stuart said. “These two gifts demonstrate the 50 years of trust with our donors and nonprofit partners to make a difference in the lives of San Diegans.”
The two gifts align with Fifty & Forward, a multiyear grantmaking and fundraising campaign that the foundation launched in 2024. The goal of the campaign is to partner with donors to grant $500 million to local nonprofits supporting education, children and families, and the environment, while fundraising $1 billion to help shape San Diego’s future. For more information, visit SDFoundation.org/50.
As part of its four-year commitment, the foundation awarded $935,000 in programming grants to 10 nonprofits throughout the county. Each nonprofit partner will provide wraparound services that support student success, from tutoring and academic and personal counseling to college and financial aid application support. Grantees include:
✔ A Step Beyond of Escondido: $125,000 annually to support English language learners in North County San Diego
✔ Just in Time for Foster Youth and The Ed Ladder: $150,000 (total) annually to support former and current foster youth
✔ Urban League of San Diego County and Doors of Change: $150,000 (total) annually to support students experiencing homelessness
The 10 nonprofits will also receive scholarship support for their students. In addition to the program grants, two local college access nonprofit organizations, Reality Changers and Ocean Discovery Institute, received $50,000 for student scholarships.
Since 2017, the SDF Community Scholars Initiative has supported 710 first-generation college students from low-income families and underrepresented communities with over $1.9 million in scholarships. To learn more about and give to the SDF Community Scholars Initiative, visit SDFoundation.org/CSI.
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