This is the first matching grant the Foundation has awarded. The Escondido Creek Conservancy asked to raise money from neighbors for two kinds of work in this valley: student field trips and outdoor learning at the Interpretive Center, and restoration and stewardship at the Keithley and Quarry preserves.
The board approved a match of up to $20,000. Fundraising runs through December 31, 2026. A single community gift is matched up to $500. A $1,000 check from a neighbor here is matched with $500, not with another $1,000. The Conservancy runs its own campaign. We do not collect those gifts. We match what actually arrives from Elfin Forest and Harmony Grove, after we see the list.
The check is not in the mail yet. That is the point of a match. The Conservancy sends the donation log by January 15, 2027. The board approves the final amount by January 31. The pictures are the work the match supports: an outdoor lesson at the Interpretive Center, a conservation crew at Elfin Acres, and a birding group at the creek.
What the community got
Up to $20,000 matched against documented gifts from this valley, raised from now through December 31, 2026. The match is paid after the Conservancy turns in the donor log, no later than January 31, 2027.
