On a fall evening in 1994, about 70 people gathered in a conference room at ZD Wines on Silverado Trail and took in spectacular views of the vineyards as they contemplated the future of philanthropy in Napa Valley.

The focus was on donor foundations, which are growing in popularity across the country, including in Sonoma County, as effective, low-cost models for funneling donations to local charities.

Keynote speaker Bill Somerville, a prominent Silicon Valley philanthropist, extolled the virtues of community foundations, as did meeting organizer Nicky Suard, a Napa business attorney.

Thirty years later Napa Valley Community FoundationThe Silverado Trail winery is succeeding on a scale that no one at the convention could have imagined.

The foundation currently has a staff of 12 people and its administrative expenses constitute 3.75% of the total budget. Revenue for this fiscal year was $11.4 million.

Since 1994, the nonprofit organization, headquartered in the city of Napa, has distributed more than $106 million to dozens of nonprofits in the Napa Valley and currently has $83 million in assets under its control.

In recent years, the institution has distributed between $6 million and $11 million annually in grants and scholarships, in addition to an operating budget of $1.5 million to $2.3 million, according to foundation officials.

The agency’s mission has expanded over time to include relief and recovery efforts during wildfires and other natural disasters, helping legal immigrants obtain citizenship, and coordinating with Sonoma County officials to launch an accessory housing unit program to address the affordable housing crisis.

But the Napa Valley Community Foundation’s focus is the same as always: directing donations to charities.

Among the many nonprofits that rely on the agency’s assistance Napa Court Special Counsel Appointed program or CASA that assists children who are made dependent on the court for their safety and protection.

Napa CASA handles about 100 cases a year with its three-person staff, and many of its clients, who range from newborns to 21 years old, live in foster care.

Julie DiVerde, who has led Napa CASA for 17 years, said the agency receives $10 to $20,000 annually from the community foundation through donor contributions.

“Without him, it would have been really difficult,” he said.

DiVerde said the support is about more than money, but it’s something bigger.

“It comes from the people and the community who believe in us,” he said of the foundation’s generosity. “It is too strong. “There’s value in that when it’s hard work, when it’s kind of demoralizing work.”

It is fed by donations

Community foundations are public charities that make grants that benefit people in specific geographic areas. There are more than 900 such organizations in urban and rural communities across the country, according to the Council on Foundations.

Agencies typically funnel money to charities in one of two ways: through donor-advised funds, which are charitable investment accounts intended only to support specific nonprofits, and through discretionary grant portfolios to which foundation board members direct contributions.

Community foundations also connect parties interested in charitable donations.

“It’s really to mobilize resources and solve problems at the local level,” said Terence Mulligan, who has led the Napa Valley Community Foundation since 2004. We use the money to try to improve the quality of life for everyone in the valley. The money we have also gives us purchases and some influence in the world. That’s why people answer my calls.”

The foundation has seen significant growth over the past seven years, largely thanks to donations made in times of disaster and donations from benefactors, including estate plans.

Since 2016, the annual donations managed by the foundation have ranged from $3.6 million to $28.7 million.

The largest donors since 1994 include the estate of poet and author Jane Mead, who died in Napa in 2019; the property of longtime Napa residents David and Jane Gotelli; More than 25,000 unduplicated donors for wildfires in 2017 and Napa Valley VintnersHe contributed $10 million to establish the foundation’s Disaster Relief Fund in response to the 2014 South Napa earthquake.

Napa Valley Community Foundation’s largest donations went to disaster response and recovery, legal services for immigrants, workforce housing, and education, including scholarships.

The agency’s largest donations include $5 million. Brannan Center to Calistoga and $200,000. Monarch Justice Center.