Philanthropic leaders urge community to rally behind ‘United for San Diego’ effort

After pledging $70 million to fund food, healthcare and housing amid “unprecedented” federal budget cuts, leaders of three of San Diego’s leading foundations on Thursday called on other organizations to join the effort.

The San Diego Foundation has established the San Diego Unity Fund with its own initial contribution of $20 million plus $25 million each from Price Philanthropies and the Prebys Foundation.

The foundations plan to use the money raised to offset $300 million in federal cuts from H.R. 1 — the Republican “Big Beautiful Bill” that passed earlier this year.

“Our focus with United for San Diego is twofold,” said David Price, CEO of Pricesmart, during a press conference at the San Diego Food Bank. “First, to deploy funds as efficiently and effectively as possible to address immediate needs. And second to work alongside local human service agencies to strengthen their capacity and improve the way services are delivered.”

Specific plans are under development, but would encompass three areas:

• Housing stability for residents on the edge of homelessness, helping families stay in their homes and avoid displacement.
• Food security for families and seniors struggling to put meals on the table, ensuring no one in the community goes hungry.
• Healthcare access for vulnerable families, connecting those without reliable coverage to critical medical care and preventive services.

“We are facing an unprecedented crisis of exclusion when line after line is being drawn by the federal government to tell us who among us is worthy and who is not,” said Grant Oliphant, president and CEO of the Prebys Foundation. “And here at home, massive cuts to life sustaining programs threaten to exclude one and eight of our fellow San Diegans from food, shelter and medical care that they deserve.

“These cuts will eventually affect every single one of us,” he warned. “The message of United for 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.”

Mark Stuart, president and CEO of the San Diego Foundation, called the joint effort the most significant philanthropic collaboration our region has seen since the COVID-19 pandemic.” He urged San Diegans to “step up and support neighbors who rely on these essential services” by contributing to the San Diego Unity Fund.

Stuart said 100% of donations will go directly to trusted service organizations with no administrative fees.

Oliphant acknowledged that the initial $70 million in funding is not enough, but expressed confidence that other organizations and individuals will step forward.

“We think there are a lot of folks in this community who want to help,” he said. “Philanthropy is not going to fill this gap. But philanthropy will do what it can.”