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About Coastal Community Foundation

On a mission to make a difference…

The mission of the Foundation is to enhance the quality of life in North San Diego County by directing philanthropic efforts toward community needs.

We fulfill our Mission by…

Nonprofit tax number # 33-0216692

  • Providing A Flexible Way

    Providing a flexible way for donors with varied philanthropic desires to make a positive difference in areas of interest

  • Working

    Working with individuals, families, and businesses as partners to fulfill their charitable goals and address community needs

  • Making Grants

    Making grants to support nonprofit programs and community projects

  • Serving

    Serving as a resource for philanthropy

  • Helping

    Helping professional advisors serve their clients

Become a Partner in Philanthropy At Coastal Community Foundation

Join us as a Partner in Philanthropy. Your gift allows the Foundation to respond to community needs through grantmaking programs, provide technical assistance to nonprofits, and support our work in building community philanthropy. Partners are recognized on our website and annual publication.

Become a Partner Today!

Coastal Community Foundation History

It started in 1987, around a small table wedged into a tiny office at the Community Resource Center in Encinitas. A handful of citizens had an idea: they wanted to create a way to support social service, education and environmental issues and more in an area undergoing extraordinary change.

  • Margaret Schlesinger: “We started meeting even before the cities of Encinitas and Solana Beach incorporated. We knew there were people out there who loved these communities and were willing to support them, but there wasn’t any structure to accept money.”

  • Anne Omsted: “We started with so little, but I never doubted it would do well. “People like that idea of staying local. The world is such a big place; it’s nice to know that you’re doing something to help your friends and your community.”

  • Liz Ferguson: “The real key is that small amounts of money can make a major difference in the lives of North County residents. My friend, the Rev. Thelma Olson, ministered to the poor and homeless, so when she died and left me money, I created the ‘Thelma Olson Feed the Hungry Fund’.”

  • Bill Dean: “My original goal was to help create an organization that would be fiscally sound and survive the test of time.”