Updated on October 2, 2025 at 3:55 P.M.
With San Diego County facing historic cuts in federal assistance to critical programs and services, local foundations announced last week “United for San Diego,” a new fund and major coordinated philanthropic effort to help safeguard access to food, housing and healthcare.
Prebys Foundation, Price Philanthropies, San Diego Foundation, together with the Price family, collectively pledged $70 million in increased philanthropic support for the new fund, with the intent to galvanize other philanthropic organizations and leaders in the San Diego region to come together to support the larger San Diego community and fellow neighbors..
“San Diego’s greatest strength is the way we come together when our neighbors are at risk. United for San Diego is a promise that no one will face this crisis alone,” said Grant Oliphant, President and CEO of the Prebys Foundation, during a press conference last Thursday announcing the fund. “The message of United San Diego is simple – we are in this together and we will face this crisis together. We are one community, and no one deserves to be excluded or harmed because they are in need of help.”
During the announcement, Pamela Gray Payton, vice president, Chief Impact and Partnerships Officer at San Diego Foundation, said one in eight San Diegans are at economic risk as a result of the more than $300 million in federal funding cuts in San Diego County. She noted more than 400,000 San Diegans are at risk of losing access to healthcare and 100,000 people face a loss of food assistance.
This is one of the largest philanthropic contributions in San Diego’s history,” Payton said.
Grassroots Voices: Health, Food, and Equity in Funding
For Dr. Suzanne Afflalo, who leads a small nonprofit serving uninsured and underinsured residents with medical health screenings and food distribution services, the announcement was welcome news.
“If they truly are focused on the people that are doing the work, the smaller organizations that the community trusts, we’re going to make great strides with the funding that they’re going to provide,” said Dr. Affialo, a former Kaiser Permanente medical director with over 25 years as a primary care physician. “I’m hoping they really look at applications and target the people that have been doing the work. We don’t need the middleman.”
Youth and Families: Programs at Risk
Another grassroots leader serving youth and families said that the collaborative philanthropic effort offered hope at a time when so many families are struggling with fear and anxiety.
“Normally it’s the larger foundations up there, smaller nonprofits down here, and the community even further down. For them to unite together — that magnifies our voices in a way that’s never been done before.”
Families are feeling the pressure, he said. “With the lack of resources that are coming down, people are trying to bundle up, saving for the wintertime,” he explained. To them, his message is consistent: “Keep hope alive. It may feel like there’s no hope, but seeing San Diego’s biggest foundations come together actually gives me hope.”
Foundations: Equity and Access
Crystal Page, Director of Communications for the Prebys Foundation, said that “advancing equity itself ” is a central goal. “We pursue that through ongoing feedback and engagement with the community,” she noted.
“United for San Diego and this collaboration are committed,” she continued. “We want San Diego, as a county, to be a better, more vibrant place.”
Everyone can join in the effort in a myriad of ways, Page said, from volunteering to tutoring, or, for example, delivering food to those stuck at home. “All those things will make a difference,” Page said.
Looking Ahead
Funds will be managed by the San Diego Foundation’s Unity Fund and through direct grantmaking by Prebys and Price. Leaders say the goal is not only to provide emergency relief but to inspire other philanthropic partners and the community to step forward. Individual donors can also contribute to the fund at the San Diego Community Foundation.
The fund’s grantmaking priorities include:
- Housing stability for neighbors on the edge of homelessness, helping families stay in their homes and avoid the trauma of displacement.
- Food security for families and seniors struggling to put nutritious meals on the table,
- Healthcare access support for vulnerable families, connecting those without reliable coverage to critical medical care and preventive services.
Grassroots leaders in the community say they are ready. As Dr. Afflalo put it, referring to the many grassroots organizations making daily efforts:
“There are so many small organizations that the people know and trust, so if the money truly goes there, then I think we have a win-win situation.”