The San Diego Foundation this week re-emphasized its Fifty & Forward campaign, a grant-making and fundraising effort to boost education, children, families and the environment.
The foundation turns 50 in 2025 and is celebrating the collective impact it has had and shared with donors, nonprofits and partners. Officials have set a goal of granting $500 million to nonprofits and reaching $1 billion in fundraising to fuel further impact in San Diego for the next 50 years.
“Since our founding nearly 50 years ago, we’ve granted more than $2 billion into our community – our home. Our home is who we are. It’s where we belong. And it’s where we dream big,” said Mark Stuart, the foundation’s president and CEO. “This campaign is about how much we can give, not just how much we raise.”
The Fifty & Forward Campaign is a seven-year initiative started in 2021 and is the most ambitious granting and fundraising undertaking in the foundation’s history. The campaign focuses on four areas.
“The opportunities we have today with education, children, families and the environment are not new, but our urgency is – especially for communities that have historically been furthest from opportunity,” said Mel Katz, a foundation board member and the Fifty & Forward Campaign Council Chair. “We are inviting our community to come together and give like never before so we can ensure our region reaches its potential and our charitable giving makes the greatest impact possible.”
The Fifty & Forward Campaign Council, an advisory group comprised of San Diegans who give regularly and deeply, includes Jay Hill, executive director of the Dr. Seuss Foundation and Elvin Lai, president and CEO of the Ocean Park Inn Hotel.
Other members are volunteers and philanthropists, including Vicki and Moises Baron, Darcy Bingham, Marilyn Creson Brown, Patty Brutten, Phyllis Epstein and Connie Matsui.
The campaign launch announcement was made before an audience of 300 local donors and partners at the Art of Impact event, hosted by the foundation Tuesday at the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego.
