The Lucky Duck Foundation appreciates being connected with local non-profit professionals, philanthropists, business leaders, and other organizations to promote the advancement of philanthropic efforts, community collaboration, and the sharing of resources and strategies to improve our collective impact on the community.

The Lucky Duck Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that raises money to fund and activate high-impact programs aimed at alleviating the suffering of homelessness throughout San Diego County.

The Lucky Duck Foundation organizes, funds and drives a wide range of programs, including over 15 employment and job training programs; bridge shelters to provide shelter for well over 400 individuals nightly; a “Cash for Trash” program that enables homeless individuals to earn $2 for every bag of trash cleaned up (after its first 34 days, more than 44 tons of trash were picked up); a food & water outreach program that reaches nearly 1,000 people daily and has eclipsed 1.5 million meals distributed in just over 2 and a half years; and the distribution of more than 5,000 winter coats that transform into sleeping bags.

Earlier this year the Lucky Duck Foundation launched its second $1 million investment in region-wide employment and job training opportunities for individuals experiencing homelessness. This iteration includes a laptop for every graduate and employment opportunities in tech, tech support, and warehouse operations. One employment program hires Salvation Army shelter residents and trains them to be food rescue route drivers by operating routes provided by Feeding San Diego. In June of 2022, this three-pronged collaborative effort reached a milestone: more than 500,000 lbs. of food have been rescued, and all graduates have secured full-time employment and are still housed.

The Lucky Duck Foundation successfully partnered with the County and City of San Diego on a new initiative to create and open a new bridge shelter in the Midway District that provides up to 150 shelter beds for those suffering from behavior and mental health illness. The Lucky Duck Foundation donated the use of its bridge shelter and covered costs to construct it and the shelter was opened in September.

Additionally, the first week of November, the Lucky Duck Foundation’s food & water program eclipsed 1,500,000 meals distributed to individuals suffering from homelessness or on the brink – all in less than two years. The program is largely driven by volunteers and maximizes its reach and impact by leveraging partnerships with many local outreach organizations.

Giving Tuesday is a prominent upcoming campaign in which the Lucky Duck Foundation will continue to raise money to provide Empowerment Plan sleeping bag coats to unsheltered homeless San Diegans. While we call on regional elected leaders to add more immediately available beds, the need to provide protection and warmth from the elements is critical. As such, the Lucky Duck Foundation has committed to distributing several thousand more Empowerment Plan sleeping bag coats during the fall and winter of 2022. This is in addition to distributing more than 5,000 coats since 2020. The first 100 coats were distributed on World Homeless Day (10/10) in partnership with the Empowerment Plan, who distributed 100 coats in 10 different cities on 10/10.

These weather-resistant coats are manufactured by homeless parents and transform into sleeping bags to provide reprieve and protection from the cold pavement. It is the least we can do while we encourage our elected leaders to add inclement weather shelter beds. Coats are distributed through our food and water initiative.

The Lucky Duck Foundation has committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion within and beyond our organization and the individuals we serve; and we practice this every day through our food & water outreach initiative and other programs.

Learn more at https://www.luckyduckfoundation.org/.

What is your Mission?

Interfaith Community Services empowers people in need to stabilize and improve their lives through comprehensive programs, in partnership with diverse faith communities and people of compassion.

What do you offer to the community?

Interfaith provides both immediate safety net services and long-term, life-changing services for the most poor and most vulnerable of our San Diego County residents. Our 75+ services and programs are organized into five main areas, all designed to overlap so that clients have access to as many resources as necessary for their individual situation: Supportive Services and Basic Needs, Recovery & Wellness, Homeless Outreach & Shelters, Employment & Economic Development, and Housing. These comprehensive programs work to ensure that individuals become self-sufficient, active participants in our community. All programs are focused on the goal of helping individuals and families in crisis stabilize and improve their well-being, while also working to end homelessness and alleviate poverty.

What do you benefit most from being a member of NCPC?

Interfaith Community Services is proud and thankful to be a member of NCPC. We work in partnership with hundreds of diverse faith communities, thousands of supporting donors and volunteers, and dozens of partner community-based organizations. NCPC strengthens our connections and our ability to work in genuine and true partnership to deliver on our mission of helping people help themselves.

What event/program or campaign do you have coming up that you would like to share with our readers?

Mental health is on our minds. Interfaith Community Services invites you to join our Change Your Mind Festival (CYM), our inaugural mental health and wellness community festival with something for Everyone! We are creating a unique event and space designed to openly and safely challenge the stigma surrounding mental health and self-care as a community.

Change Your Mind is a free, one-day event that focuses on creating and sustaining mental wellness through workshops, demonstrations, presentations, and hands-on experiences led by experts from Interfaith Community Services and some of the leading voices in the San Diego mental health and self-help communities.

Change Your Mind is a community event that welcomes all ages to come and experience live music, mental health & wellness education, cultural dance performances, creativity & art stations, delicious food, a De-Stress zone featuring unique ways to reduce stress, including a cloud room, aromatherapy, sound baths, Yoga, meditation and much more.

One must register in advance for this FREE inspiring day. SIGN UP TODAY: https://www.interfaithservices.org/change/

What was your organization/company’s biggest accomplishment in the past six months – one year?

Our new Abraham and Lillian Turk Recuperative Care Center, the home of Interfaith’s post-hospitalization program, is in the last stage of renovations and is expected to open by winter 2022. The last of renovations include a multi-service dining hall, the creation of a serenity garden, and office space for clinical staff and social workers.

In response to a growing humanitarian crisis with at least a 56% increase in families experiencing homelessness since 2020, Interfaith launched its new Family Shelter. The program is the first and only low-barrier family shelter in North County and is operating out of a temporary location while a permanent site is being renovated. Since August 2021, Interfaith has served 65 families, sheltering over 200 adults and children. Out of the 223 individuals served, 126 have been children with 96 being under the age of 12. We are excited to share that the Family Shelter will move to its permanent home at the Hawthorn Veteran and Family Resource Center in the winter of 2022.

We are proud of our organizational capacity to survive pandemic-related critical challenges and to grow and strengthen our critical safety net services to meet the needs of communities in crisis. Please consider joining our invaluable community of volunteers! getinvolved@interfaithservices.org

Have you made a commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion within your organization/company, and if so, how are you demonstrating it?

For over 40 years, Interfaith Community Services has provided services to and advocated for vulnerable and underserved members of San Diego County – regardless of their race, ethnicity, gender, religion, or sexual orientation. Following the murder of George Floyd, Interfaith pledged to actively address the inexorable link between racism, poverty, homelessness, and trauma. In 2020, we launched an employee-led Racial Justice Working Group, now called the Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Anti-Racism Working Group.

In 2021, Interfaith partnered with a diversity consulting firm to facilitate our commitment to Anti-Racism. We are engaged in a lengthy process of self-assessment, and education, and as of June 2022, every employee has received DEIA training. Our pledge to combat all forms of oppression and marginalization is central to our mission. We will continue to work diligently to bring to fruition our vision of a society in which all people can lead healthy, self-sufficient, and empowered lives.

What do you benefit most from being a member of NCPC?

At Catalent San Diego, we are dedicated to two things:

1. “Patient First” philosophy drives all of our actions,

2. Community Support and Involvement helps everyone else we don’t touch.

Our volunteering and philanthropy programs amplify the enthusiasm we have for giving back to our communities—especially in the areas of health and STEM education. Catalent San Diego has a long history of giving back to our neighbors. Through “Catalent Cares,” employees have been organizing volunteer projects and charitable giving for years. In alignment with our corporate responsibility strategy, we encourage employees to volunteer for organizations that serve patients, expand STEM education, and protect the environment.

Catalent San Diego has one community ambassador who coordinates with our Corporate Responsibility team, defines the local volunteering strategy, and connects employees to causes and non-profit partners important to the site. Our ambassadors champion volunteering and ensure that our projects align with local community needs. In alignment with our actions and philosophy, Catalent San Diego benefits from being a part of NCPC, because we become more directly connected to the organizations that are doing the heavy lifting to help our community at large.

What is your Mission?

Catalent San Diego’s mission is to develop, manufacture, and supply products that help people live better healthier lives. We work closely with innovative biotechs (worldwide) that have life-changing small molecules or peptides. In the San Diego facility, we help biotechs turn these molecules into capsules, tablets or injectables to be used in ‘first in human’ clinical trials.

What do you offer to the community?

We have a long tradition at Catalent San Diego of volunteerism with our employees through our ‘Catalent Cares’ program to the donation of grants for non-profits that have heavy, positive impacts in our community. We willingly give our time and treasure to ensure that our community knows that we could not be here without them. We not only help construct lifesaving treatments (with our partner biotechs) for those in need, but we also give back in a more immediate and direct way.

What was your organization/company’s biggest accomplishment in the past six months/one year?

We worked on over 60 life-changing therapies, focusing on very different indications including oncology, COVID-19, Parkinson’s, and many more. We also donated over 1000 hours of community service during the pandemic. Some of the beneficiaries of these hours went to supporting Mountain Shadows Thanksgiving gift baskets, San Diego Food Bank, Homeless Hygiene Supplies, Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, and Community College Career Panels.

Which event or campaign do you have coming up that you would like to share with our readers?

In late 2021, we opened our first-ever Clinical Supply Services warehouse and manufacturing depot in San Diego. This 25,000 sq. ft. facility stores clinical supplies and therapies. The facility also has the ability to package tablets, and capsules in very specific ways (e.g., blinding, special label techniques, import/export, complicated packaging designs and blister cards) and deliver them anywhere in the world for clinical trials. Bottom line – we have another facility to support the Patient First!

Have you made a commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion within your organization/company, and if so, how are you demonstrating it?

At Catalent, we foster an environment where individuals are welcomed, appreciated, heard, and respected, where differences and similarities are valued. We aim to create a collaborative and engaging workplace that drives innovation and excellence. From our experience, employees with different backgrounds and experiences working together can yield better decisions, driving innovation and excellence in everything we do. Our diversity and inclusion (D&I) council break down silos where people feel they can share their ideas freely and take considered risks, often leading to higher contributions. We frequently have in-depth discussions about the direction of the D&I strategy, priority areas, and the groundwork that needs to be done across the organization. Our D&I program creates a working environment that provides more innovation, better access to talent, and additional opportunities for continued career advancement. Collaboration through trust, respect, and empathy are key elements for success. The uniqueness of every employee makes Catalent an inclusive place where we not only realize our dreams, but also the dreams of our customers and the patients we serve.

Learn more at https://www.catalent.com/our-locations/north-america/san-diego-usa/

What do you benefit most from being a member of NCPC?

Among the many rewards of NCPC membership, we appreciate the capacity-building opportunities for our region’s social impact professionals and organizations that lead to a stronger field. We are also so grateful for the collaborations and partnerships that enhance all our work and reach.

What is your Mission?

In a time of rapid change and evolving needs, Impact Cubed shares deep knowledge and connections to changemakers with people who want to make smart, lasting impact in their community. Impact Cubed stimulates philanthropy and builds social sector capacity.

What do you offer to the community?

Impact Cubed spreads awareness about community needs and sparks more giving to respond to them. Our advisors offer the tools, resources, and services that community members need to magnify their impact, including:

• Relationships with local grassroots efforts and unique information about issues facing our community
• Workshops, group learning, coaching, and facilitation to support donors with their priorities
•  Expertise to advise giving strategy coupled with deep, long-term, trusting relationships to partner, connect, and network
• Educational programs to build the capacity of nonprofits and movements
• Fiscal sponsorship for new social change initiatives

What was your organization/company’s biggest accomplishment in the past six months/one year?

With the onset of the war in Ukraine, Impact Cubed connected with a grassroots network of leaders on the ground to understand urgent needs and help link donors around the world to respond immediately. The network was able to increase evacuations of Ukrainians from the most dangerous regions and deliver food and medicines to communities that were cut off from supplies, lacking food and water for weeks. More than 360 funders contributed generously, powering a tenacious grassroots network that provides nourishment, evacuations to safety, and sexual assault kits via trained and trusted healthcare providers to rape survivors, often victimized more than once. Learn more here.

Which event or campaign do you have coming up that you would like to share with our readers?

Impact Cubed is the fiscal sponsor of San Diego Gives, a six-month capacity-building program for San Diego-based nonprofits that culminates in a 24-hour online fundraiser – Thursday, September 8, 2022. It educates the San Diego community about addressing the pressing needs of our region. The San Diego Gives campaign raises much-needed funds directly for 327 nonprofits and shines a light on their tremendous impact throughout our community. Donors can choose to give to one or more nonprofits through the San Diego Gives platform. Learn more about the nonprofit training opportunities and the San Diego Gives campaign at www.sandiegogives.org.

Learn more at https://impactcubed.org/.

What do you benefit most from being a member of NCPC?

We are incredibly fortunate to have been serving our community here in North County San Diego for the last 60 years. However, the North County Philanthropic Council has helped us come together with hundreds of different organizations and individuals looking to make a difference. Inclusive, diverse, equitable and justice are traits of the utmost value in this council and it understands what is most important today. We greatly appreciate all that the NCPC has done thus far to strengthen the philanthropic impact in our communities.

What is your Mission?

Our mission at the Tri-City Hospital Foundation is to help advance exceptional healthcare in our community by building upon and supporting the most impactful hospital in California. The work is never complete as we consistently push the envelope for what can be done for those that visit our care facilities. At this time, we are finalizing the funding on the redesign of Tri-City Medical Center’s Emergency Care Department. We are honored by those who have come alongside us in this endeavor and look forward to what is next as we continue to advance exceptional healthcare in our community.

What do you offer to the community?

Our hope is that the community sees an organization, infrastructure, and, most importantly, people that care for and hold their patient’s health to the highest standard. Our visitors are friends, family, neighbors, and coworkers that deserve an experience that is unmatched and unparalleled. We can’t wait to offer our redesigned Emergency Care Department and provide updates on future projects and goals we have for our Foundation.

What was your organization/company’s biggest accomplishment in the past six months – one year?

An accomplishment that we are extremely proud of is finalizing the remaining funds for the redesign of the Tri-City Medical Center Emergency Care Department. This has been a top priority for many months and to see the project coming to fruition is remarkable. This will not only provide an ambiance and aesthetic that our community deserves but it will also reduce wait times and logistical hurdles that existed before. We are extremely grateful to our community of businesses and organizations that helped bring this project to life with their time or financial contribution.

What event/program or campaign do you have coming up that you would like to share with our readers?

We are thrilled to be hosting our Jazzy Jubilee – Tri-City Hospital Foundation 41st Annual Gala on November 12th as we return to the beautiful Omni La Costa Resort & Spa. Our musical guest is Grammy Award Winner: Trombone Shorty and Orleans Avenue. All are invited to an evening soiree filled with cocktails and live entertainment where guests can dress in their favorite 1920’s glam or keep it classic for a roaring good time! All proceeds support the redesign of Tri-City Medical Center’s Emergency Care Department. For tickets, sponsorship opportunities, or any questions, please contact our Foundation Office at 760-940-3370.

Have you made a commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion within your organization/company and if so, how are you demonstrating it?

Our mission is to advance exceptional healthcare in our community. That mission is for all races, ethnicities, genders, and identities that choose us for their healthcare needs. We are thankful that the North County Philanthropic Council shares this view on equality as we all seek to better the lives of those in North County San Diego.

Learn more at tricityhospitalfoundation.org.

What do you benefit most from being a member of NCPC?

As a member, we have developed strong relationships and networks within the NCPC community. Our participation with NCPC has given us a richer understanding of the current issues facing the nonprofit community.

What is your Mission?

We are committed to excellence and delivering quality client service. We pride ourselves in building professional working relationships with our clients, which in turn provides a more insightful level of service.

What do you offer to the community?

Davis Farr offers high-quality audit, consulting and tax services and genuine care for the success of nonprofit agencies we service. We participate in meaningful community outreach projects, as a way of giving back to our community and also to introduce our employees to new volunteering opportunities. Our latest project of focus is the Resource Center at Children’s Hospital of Orange County (CHOC). We’re spearheading a book drive to collect new books for the Center’s gifting library, which serves pediatric patients and their siblings.

What was your organization/company’s biggest accomplishment in the past six months – one year?

We’ve continued our work with nonprofits, assisting with the challenges that arose during the pandemic, the aftermath of changes and the ensuing inflationary economy. We are happy to assist our clients in navigating this complicated period by providing consultation, direction, best practices guidance and up-to-date information from governing authorities.

Learn more at www.davisfarr.com

What do you benefit most from being a member of NCPC?

We believe that NCPC does a fantastic job of connecting and engaging the diverse philanthropy sectors in San Diego County. The educational programming is top-notch, and the networking events are a great place to meet wonderfully committed people. Most of us are Zoomed out, but Fundraising Friday’s is still worth logging on (and sometimes talking while muted)! Fundraising Fridays is an excellent way to connect and learn about what other organizations are doing.

What is your Mission?

Grant Consulting Services, LLC creates positive change through the written word. Over the past 22 years, we have worked with organizations worldwide to help them develop programs, submit grant applications, administer grant funds in compliance with the funder regulations, and deliver their grant reports on time!

What do you offer to the community?

Our words and actions help organizations across the nation to make the air cleaner, bring resources to help minority and women-owned businesses, and advocate for the aging population. Grant Consulting Services, LLC specializes in assisting non-profit and for-profit organizations to meet their goals and objectives through professional grant development services. These services include:

●Our Proprietary Grant Feasibility Study and Optimization Report

●Full project development

●Comprehensive funding searches

●Professional grant proposal writing services

●Grant Reporting and Compliance

What was your organization/company’s biggest accomplishment in the past six months – one year?

So far in 2022, the hardworking team at Grant Consulting Services, LLC has helped our client organizations to submit over $17 million in grant and contact requests.

Over the past year, our team helped schools across the country to receive over $ 1 million in new grant funds for laptops, tablets, and wi-fi hotspots for students to learn remotely due to the pandemic.

Founder and CEO of Grant Consulting Services, LLC, Valerie A. Grant, GPC, is the only person in San Diego County who has earned Grant Professional Certification. Look for Valerie, and Keri McDonald’s peer-reviewed research study results in the Fall 2022 Journal of the Grant Professionals Association. The article is titled “Grant Professional Certification: Does it Pay Off for Consultants?” The study explores certification for Grant Professionals and the importance of certification to non-profit organizations when hiring a grant professional.

Have you made a commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion within your organization/company and if so, how are you demonstrating it?

Our vision, mission and daily activities demonstrate our commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion. Our Vision Statement is:

Grant Consulting Services, LLC helps to make the world a better place for all people. We engage in the fight against systemic giants of injustice, assist in remedies of inequality, and collaborate to empower the disenfranchised. Working with organizations across the globe that help people, Grant Consulting Services, LLC assists in feeding the hungry, housing the homeless, cultivating the arts, student learning, and combating the effects of global warming. We give a voice to the unheard and inspire the compassion and unity of all people.

We actively engage in our vision and mission externally as well as internally. We assist organizations of different sizes and missions and pay a living wage to our diverse staff. Leadership has engaged in formal DEI training classes, and we provide guidance to our clients to assist them in ensuring they have a commitment to DEI.

What event/program or campaign do you have coming up that you would like to share with our readers?

Valerie A. Grant, GPC and Keri McDonald, GPC have been selected to share the results of the grant Professional Certification: Does it Pay Off for Consultants? Study on March 10, 2023, at the San Diego Regional GPA Conference. Check out our social media and website for more details as we get closer to the date:

Website: www.grantconsultingservices.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Grantwriter

Facebook: www.facebook.com/GrantConsultingServices

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/valerienelsongrant/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/grant_consulting_services/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbZ39_U8Ly1JS4JCYhZ0Dyw?view_as=subscriber

What do you benefit most from being a member of NCPC?

As an affiliate who specializes in risk management, it is great to hear the major concerns of nonprofits of all sizes. NCPC has given me an opportunity to learn things I can share with my clients that shows them I am a student of their industry. I use what I have learned to counsel nonprofits on best practices and ideas other organizations are using.

What is your Mission?

I love learning about the great things our community organizations are doing to make San Diego, “America’s Finest City!”

What do you offer to the community?

As a specialist in nonprofit insurance, I assist them in identifying their exposures and offering them solutions to protect themselves against those risks.

What was your organization/company’s biggest accomplishment in the past six months – one year?

Having merged with Alliant in 2019, I now have the resources of a large national insurance agency without losing the local agent feel. The best of both worlds!

What event/program or campaign do you have coming up that you would like to share with our readers?

Alliant is a proud supporter of An Evening of Changing Lives (Boys & Girls Club of Greater San Diego), Saturday, September 10, 2022

 

 

What is your Mission?

The San Diego Foundation inspires enduring philanthropy and enables community solutions to improve the quality of life in our region.

What do you offer to the community?

Our strategic priorities include advancing racial and social justice, fostering equity of opportunity, building resilient communities, and delivering world-class philanthropy to realize our vision of just, equitable and resilient communities. We realize this vision through our partnerships and collaboration with our donors and fundholders, civic and business leaders, and our grantees and local nonprofit organizations. For more than 46 years, The Foundation and its donors have granted more than $1.3 billion to support nonprofit organizations strengthening our community.

What was your organization/company’s biggest accomplishment in the past six months – one year?

Last July, The San Diego Foundation was honored to receive the U.S. Housing and Urban Development Secretary’s Award for Public-Philanthropic Partnerships for our work on the San Diego COVID-19 Community Response Fund. The Community Response Fund launched in March 2020 and, thanks to our partners and donors, we were able to grant $67 million through 347 grants to more than 250 nonprofits that delivered 4.14 million services to San Diegans in need during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

What event/program or campaign do you have coming up that you would like to share with our readers?

We are excited to launch the summer 2022 edition of Level Up SD with San Diego Unified School District and more than 80 nonprofit partners throughout San Diego. Like last summer, students will participate in education enrichment in the morning, then in the afternoons, they’ll be able to participate in enhanced learning opportunities such as traditional summer camps to performing and fine arts, to science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) activities with our nonprofit partners.

Watch an impact video from summer 2021.

Have you made a commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion within your organization/company and if so, how are you demonstrating it?

The largest demonstration of our commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion is our Strategic Plan pillar dedicated to advancing racial and social justice. This commitment is evident in our programs such as the Black Community Investment Fund that has raised $3.1 million and granted $3 million to education, employment, entrepreneurship and housing initiatives that increase generational wealth for Black San Diegans. Of these programs, our most visible program in recent months has been our Black Homebuyers Program, which is a partnership with Urban League of San Diego County, LISC San Diego and Union Bank that offers up to $70,000 in first-time homeowner grants to 35 Black San Diegans this fiscal year.