Collaborative Grants
The SDWF Collaboration Committee works to increase our impact by partnering with other philanthropic funders. Separate from the annual grants process, investment opportunities are identified by a committee of contributing SDWF members, who pay $500 in additional dues towards the collaborative grants pool.
Indigenous Food Sovereignty
In 2024 the SDWF Collaboration Committee partnered with the Avila Fund and San Diego Foundation to fund food sovereignty in local tribal communities. Through this collaboration, $75K in funding was awarded to five local organizations.
The Campo Band of Diegueno Mission Indians is a resilient, Native American community descended from the Kumeyaay Nation. One of 109 federally-recognized tribes in California, this community comprises 552 people. This tribe is seeking support for the operations and maintenance (O&M) of the public water system to ensure long-term sustainability. They will develop and launch a community outreach and education program centered on the importance of clean, safe drinking water and establish an O&M restricted reserve account to meet federal compliance guidelines and to leverage additional funding for future improvements.
Climate Science Alliance – Tribal Working Group (TWG) is a climate collaboration for the lands and cultures of southern California’s Tribes. The Small Grants Program supports Tribal Working Group members’ professional, cultural, community based, and educational efforts in a respectful and equitable manner. Projects focus on advancing Indigenous climate resilience, adaptation, and/ or environmental health for the collective community, this includes food sovereignty and its interconnectedness to culture and environment.
Indigenous Regeneration brings hope to Native Communities. Since 2017, they’ve invested $1.5 million, revitalizing 27-acres of native ecosystems, planting 5,000+ native plants, and creating two outdoor education campuses, including a Tribal Farm School. They prioritize emotional and physical well-being and the reconnection to land, self, and heritage through regenerative agriculture, sustainable building and cultural activities guided by Elders from their San Diego Tribal community. Indigenous Regeneration’s programming is focused on traditional and contemporary food cultivation, environmental awareness and stewardship, traditional plant education and integration, Indigenous primitive survival skills, healthy expression through music, art and culture, regenerative agriculture concepts, and sustainable building techniques designed from an Indigenous view, overseen by elders, and aligned with holistic practices for future economic growth on San Diego reservations.
Southern Indian Health Council, Inc. is a Native American nonprofit organization committed to protecting and improving the physical, mental, and spiritual health of our American Indian community. They serve a seven-member tribal consortium that includes Barona, Campo, Ewiiaapaayp, Jamul, La Posta, Manzanita, and Viejas. In addition to offering medical, dental, pharmacy, social, and behavioral health services, Southern Indian Health Council provides meal deliveries, produce boxes, and a shelf-stable pantry. This multifaceted program includes educational components, cooking classes, and resources to empower families to make informed and healthy dietary choices.
Afghan Refugees
In 2022 the SDWF Collaboration Committee joined forces with Rotary District 5340 to support community-based organizations providing support services to Afghan Refugees in San Diego County. $65,000 in funding was distributed to four organizations providing critical support to Afghan Refugees.
Amna Sanctuary works to empower immigrants with manual skills to earn money, through their ‘Bless These Hands’ program. They help participants get licensed to work in fields where they already have skills and experience from their country of origin.
Helping Empower Community Refugees (HECR), formerly Helping El Cajon Refugees, is a neighborhood group dedicated to supporting refugee resettlement in San Diego.
License to Freedom promotes peaceful, loving, and safe relationships within the diverse immigrant and refugee communities of San Diego. This is accomplished through services and strategies that build resilience and self-sufficiency, support healing from trauma and violence, and advocacy for equity and justice.
San Diego Afghan Refugee Aid group serves as an on the ground and behind the scenes network, dedicated to helping newly arrived Afghan Refugees settle in and thrive in San Diego county.