by Susie Polnaszek, Director, Center for Nonprofit Excellence (CNE) The impact of Monterey County nonprofit organizations is essential to the quality of life in our communities: tending to the unsheltered among us, for example, offering support for the recovery journey or engaging the community with the arts. What makes this impact possible? An investment in people. Yet this is a...
Thanks to everyone who gathered to support the Fund for Homeless Women at The Club at Pasadera on April 28, 2022. It was great to see everyone and support this important cause. 100% of the proceeds will be used to benefit women without adequate shelter on the Monterey Peninsula. The Fund for Homeless Women is a field of interest fund...
What is SIEDI? SIEDI (Salinas Inclusive Economic Development Initiative) is a collective journey by nine community-based organizations with a shared commitment to build a more inclusive and equitable economy for the families and communities of the Salinas Valley. Each organization will receive mentoring and operational support over the three years. SIEDI is funded by a $3 million grant from The...
The Spring 2022 Newsletter, Giving Matters, includes a message of gratitude from Community Foundation for Monterey County President/CEO Dan Baldwin and the latest news. Record $36 Million Granted VIDA Support Extended Monterey County Gives! success Donor story: A Great Idea – The Jett Fighter Fund Center for Nonprofit Excellence and LEAD Institute update New funds and board members CFMC 2022...
Although the CFMC could not hold its annual Women’s Fund Luncheon due to COVID-19, donor investment continues to generate impact. Thanks to recent donations in combination with the Women’s Fund endowment, the fund granted more than $100,000 to five organizations in March 2022. The power of these grants is evident. Shannon, an MPC student from Salinas and previous recipient, shared...
New Guide Simplifies Gift Planning The new CFMC “Create Your Legacy” Guide to Gift Planning reviews the benefits of different types of charitable gifts. It simplifies the many options available by explaining how donors can support the causes or nonprofits of their choice through vehicles including: Donor advised funds Gifts of appreciated stock or real estate Life Income Gifts Charitable...
Jett Ramsey loved rainbows, the color green and his pet rabbit, Pepper Pancake. His grandmother, Debbie Harlan, speaks warmly of watching him ride around in his little green Jeep the months before he passed away, at age 5, of pediatric brain cancer. “He loved that Jeep….he rode it around just everywhere in his pajamas. He was always wearing his pajamas.”...
By Dan Baldwin, Community Foundation for Monterey County President/CEO Thomas Friedman famously wrote that PQ (Passion Quotient) + CQ (Curiosity Quotient) = IQ (Intelligence Quotient). If you ever get the chance to hear him speak on this, take full advantage; it’s captivating and energizing. With apologies to Mr. Friedman, I’d like to offer a variant for community foundations. The equation...
By Dan Baldwin, President/CEO, Community Foundation for Monterey County I’ve been the CEO of a community foundation since 2002. Prior to that I was a museum director. So one could say I’ve been engaged in organized philanthropy since 1992. While there have always been people wanting to game the system (pick any system), one of the joys of philanthropy is...
By Dan Baldwin, Community Foundation for Monterey County President/CEO The Community Foundation for Monterey County continually looks for ways to deepen its community impact. With this in mind, we began a new initiative in 2018: Community Impact Investing (CII). Impact investing is not new to philanthropy. Many private and community foundations utilize impact investments in various forms. Impact investments are...
By Dan Baldwin, Community Foundation for Monterey County President/CEO It appears a new era of services for the homeless in Monterey County is just around the corner. Approximately $10.5 million in state HEAP (Homeless Emergency Aid Program) funds have been approved for Monterey County. Many meetings have taken place to get public feedback, to hear from homeless services providers and...
By Daniel R Baldwin, President/CEO Community Foundation for Monterey County As we approach the holiday season and the end of the year, it’s natural to start thinking about what has transpired in 2018. People are justifiably nervous about the advent of a “new normal” in which hardline divisiveness and rough-edged public discourse rule the day. But there is something about...
Monterey County Gives! brings together donors big and small to support local nonprofits and their Big Ideas. Monterey County Gives! Nov. 8 – Dec. 31, 2018 By Dan Baldwin, Community Foundation for Monterey County President/CEO and Steve John, Monterey Peninsula Foundation CEO Monterey County Gives! is here—nonprofits have submitted their applications highlighting their Big Idea for this year, website retooling is...
By Daniel R. Baldwin, President/CEO Community Foundation for Monterey County For the past several months, Donor Advised Funds (DAFs) have been the subject of considerable negative press. And by association community foundations have been drawn into the discussion. Questions about DAFs have been raised in some quarters for many years, especially since financial services providers such as Fidelity and Schwab...
What is SIEDI? SIEDI (Salinas Inclusive Economic Development Initiative) is a collective journey by nine community-based organizations with a shared commitment to build a more inclusive and equitable economy for the families and communities of the Salinas Valley. Each organization will receive mentoring and operational support over the three years. SIEDI is funded by a $3 million grant from The...
The Spring 2022 Newsletter, Giving Matters, includes a message of gratitude from Community Foundation for Monterey County President/CEO Dan Baldwin and the latest news. Record $36 Million Granted VIDA Support Extended Monterey County Gives! success Donor story: A Great Idea – The Jett Fighter Fund Center for Nonprofit Excellence and LEAD Institute update New funds and board members CFMC 2022...
Although the CFMC could not hold its annual Women’s Fund Luncheon due to COVID-19, donor investment continues to generate impact. Thanks to recent donations in combination with the Women’s Fund endowment, the fund granted more than $100,000 to five organizations in March 2022. The power of these grants is evident. Shannon, an MPC student from Salinas and previous recipient, shared...
New Guide Simplifies Gift Planning The new CFMC “Create Your Legacy” Guide to Gift Planning reviews the benefits of different types of charitable gifts. It simplifies the many options available by explaining how donors can support the causes or nonprofits of their choice through vehicles including: Donor advised funds Gifts of appreciated stock or real estate Life Income Gifts Charitable...
Jett Ramsey loved rainbows, the color green and his pet rabbit, Pepper Pancake. His grandmother, Debbie Harlan, speaks warmly of watching him ride around in his little green Jeep the months before he passed away, at age 5, of pediatric brain cancer. “He loved that Jeep….he rode it around just everywhere in his pajamas. He was always wearing his pajamas.”...
The Community Foundation for Monterey County (CFMC) is pleased to announce the addition of Jesse Lopez, René Mendez, Larry Oda and Tyller Williamson to their Board of Directors. “We are excited to add Jesse, René, Larry and Tyller to the board. Their talent and perspective will expand the impact of the CFMC to help strengthen our communities,” said Dan Baldwin,...
VIDA Leadership and Community Health Workers Select 25 People for Special Recognition Monterey County, California — The VIDA (Virus Integrated Distribution of Aid) leadership team and VIDA community health workers (CHWs) have chosen to recognize 25 community members who contributed to the success of VIDA and, in turn, the health of the community during the COVID-19 pandemic. These VIDA Champions...