The City of San Marcos continued to award grants in January and February through its $3 million COVID-19 Nonprofit Community Grant Program. Since the program commenced in September, approximately $1.8 million has been dispersed to San Marcos nonprofits that provide vital services to our community.
The January and February recipient agencies are listed below. The program awards funding to essential nonprofits that serve San Marcos residents who have been disproportionately impacted by the pandemic.
Organization/Awarded Amount
Alzheimer’s San Diego/$10,000
Burn Institute/$9,900
Charity Wings/Gather/$2,000
Legal Aid Society of San Diego/$25,000
Meals on Wheels San Diego County/$42,225
San Diego Lab Rats/$15,000
San Marcos Youth Baseball/$6,100
Cardinal Alliance Parent Organization/$15,000
Honorary Deputy Sheriff’s Association/$24,063
Palomar College Foundation/$75,000
San Elijo Middle School Band Boosters/$6,500
San Marcos High School Band Boosters/$20,000
Support the Enlisted Project (STEP)/$10,000
The City of San Marcos will continue to award grants monthly until the $3 million of funding is exhausted. San Marcos is honored to support numerous nonprofits in our community.
“The Grants Committee is honored to celebrate the six-month program milestone with our community,” said Sharyn Goodson, program administrator. “Since September 2021, we have funded 66 grants totaling over $1.8 million. We are awed by the incredible impact of our local nonprofits and look forward to continuing to grant funds throughout the spring.”
Here’s a snapshot of the impact the COVID-19 Nonprofit Community Grant Program is making in the community:
Meals on Wheels San Diego County
“Meals on Wheels San Diego County not only provides nutritious home-delivered meals to local seniors in need, but also safety checks, social visits and care coordination to ensure our clients are healthy and happy,” said Brent Wakefield, President and CEO of Meals on Wheels San Diego County. “Thanks to San Marcos’ grant, we are able to provide essential services to over 150 San Marcos seniors.”
Alzheimer’s San Diego
“Older adults with underlying conditions like Alzheimer’s disease were especially impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Eugenia L. Welch, President and CEO of Alzheimer’s San Diego. “The San Marcos grant will enable us to provide critical support to San Marcos residents who are living with dementia or caring for someone who is – and show them they’re not alone. It’s so important to stay connected, whether through one of our local support groups, online education classes or simply giving us a call to speak with one of our dementia experts. We are so grateful to the City of San Marcos for awarding Alzheimer’s San Diego this grant, and we know it will make this heartbreaking disease a bit easier to navigate.”
Legal Aid Society of San Diego
“The Legal Aid Society of San Diego is the county’s largest nonprofit law firm, providing free legal services to lower-income residents,” said Gregory Knoll, CEO of Legal Aid Society of San Diego. “Our mission is access to justice, and the grant funding will enhance holistic services supporting our San Marcos clients. This financial support will provide stability to residents at risk of homelessness.”
Lab Rats San Diego
“Our hands-on education provides youth the opportunity to find their passions in STEAM through exploration and engagement with a variety of topics that lead to real-world application,” said Jason Merrill, Executive Director of San Diego LabRats. “We sincerely appreciate the San Marcos grant funding as it is helping our efforts in partnering with The San Marcos Promise LEAP program to develop and implement STEAM education programs for San Marcos middle school students.”
Palomar College Foundation
“We are deeply grateful to the leadership of the City of San Marcos for providing this opportunity to support students at Palomar College during this challenging time,” said Dr. Star Rivera-Lacey, Superintendent and President of Palomar College. “This grant will allow us to ensure that San Marcos students have what they need to stay in college.”
“Thanks to this grant, the Palomar College Foundation will continue to remove financial barriers to a college education for the students of San Marcos,” said Stacy Rungaitis, Executive Director of the Palomar College Foundation. “We will be able to provide textbooks and direct financial assistance to students who might not otherwise be able to afford to continue their education.”
Burn Institute
“With the support of the San Marcos COVID-19 Community Grants Program, the Burn Institute will bring more fire safety education to children and families in the San Marcos community,” said Susan Day, Executive Director of the Burn Institute. “Our Fire Safe Kids program gives children safety education early to help prepare them for what to in a fire emergency in the future. Kids learn the basics like ‘Stop, Drop, and Roll,’ and bring home educational information and activities for the whole family to get involved in reducing the risk of burn injury and preparedness for a fire emergency.”
About the COVID-19 Nonprofit Community Grant Program
The COVID-19 Nonprofit Community Grant Program was established after the San Marcos City Council committed $3 million of federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds to provide needed assistance through grants to nonprofits. The overall funding objective is to touch every corner of the city by supporting nonprofits working to better the lives of San Marcos residents. Target populations include underrepresented communities containing (but not limited to) youth, low-income individuals and families, seniors, immigrants and active military and veteran families.
Applications are still being accepted at impactcubed.org/san-marcos-covid19-grants. Interested applicants are encouraged to review the page which outlines specific eligibility requirements and provides extensive details about the grant program process.
For more information on the program, please visit the COVID-19 Nonprofit Community Grant Program page on the City’s website.
