The Mission of the foundation is to improve the quality of life of the people in the City of San Diego. To accomplish that mission, the Foundation focuses on three target areas for funding, one in the area of providing economic opportunity, one in the area of enhancing cultural opportunity and one that provides a focus for health, education and welfare funding. Within each of these focus areas, specific objectives are established on the basis of which grants are made. These objectives may be changed from time to time as circumstances change and objectives are achieved.
At the present time, the target areas and funding objectives within them are as follows:
1) Economic Opportunity.
The Foundation has identified the sustainability and growth of the Non Profit scientific research community in San Diego (primarily those forming part of the cluster near UCSD as well as the University itself) as a major source of economic opportunity for San Diegans. The principal emphasis of the foundation is to foster the growth and development of the group of research institutions as a group funding multi institutional projects that enhance the value and reputation of the group. The foundation no longer provides funds to individual organizations for their own projects. In addtion, the foundation will continue to fund programs to engage and educate the public on the nature of the research and the potential impact of that research.
2) Cultural opportunity.
The cultural institutions in Balboa Park play a critical role in the cultural life of the City. Accordingly, the Foundation focuses on these institutions and their supporting environment in providing cultural opportunity for San Diegans. The current objectives of this funding are as follows:
a) To enhance collaboration and cooperation of the Institutions to achieve joint objectives and to take advantage of the opportunities that are available because of their location together.
b) To support programs of outstanding artistic merit which may not have sufficient audience appeal to allow their presentation without outside support.
c) To support efforts to insure the relevance of the institutions in a rapidly changing community.
d) To insure the viability of the park and the maintenance of a park environment in which the institutions can flourish.
3) Focus of Health, Education and Welfare Funding.
The Foundation believes that to be effective in funding in this area, considering foundation resources and community need throughout San Diego, it is necessary to focus this funding in one geographic area of San Diego. The Foundation selected the Diamond Neighborhoods of San Diego for this focus. This area includes the areas of Chollas View, Emerald Hills, Valencia Park and Lincoln Park in Southeast San Diego. Within this area, the objectives for funding are as follows:
a) To help the residents of this area achieve their objectives as those are defined by the resident led teams convened by the Jacobs Center for Neighborhood Innovation. The emphasis here is to build community capacity, over time, to solve problems in this area.
b) To support local community organizations that are related to the objectives of the resident led teams. The foundation defines local community organizations as those that have their office in the Diamond Neighborhood.
c) To provide support initiatives of local community organizations designed to address a specific neighborhood issue like juvenile diabetes, gang issues, local school initiatives etc.
Sustainable Partnerships.
To achieve its objectives, the Foundation looks to create long term sustainable partnerships in each of its areas of focus and to work with those partners to achieve joint objectives.
Restrictions on Funding.
The foundation only funds in its focus areas. Generally, the Foundation does not fund capital projects unless there is a special situation where capital expenditure is the best way to achieve a stated objective. The foundation does not grant funds to individuals, or for special events, fundraising or recognition events. It generally does not fund in the area of the homeless, AIDS, projects primarily related to alcohol or drug rehabilitation or treatment or for programs for seniors.