The West Sacramento Foundation
The West Sacramento Foundation is an all-volunteer organization that helps local nonprofits become stronger and do more to improve the quality of life for children, teens, adults, and senior citizens.
Donations from individuals and businesses augment funds raised at events to create a grant pool. The all-volunteer board of the WSF annually awards grants from $150 to $2,000 to help local organizations fill specific needs–batting helmets for Little League, new trays for Meals and Wheels, computers for an after-school program. In addition, the annual All Charities Raffle helps organizations raise hundreds to thousands of dollars for their own causes.
Since 1988, WSF has been a trusted avenue for charitable donations from businesses and residents. Making a gift to the West Sacramento Foundation is a gift to the city as a whole.
West Sacramento Foundation History
“What began as a group of concerned citizens became an indispensable community leader of financial and in-kind assistance for non-profits that serve West Sacramento residents.”
—Devon Knott, Executive Director, 2008
“The West Sacramento Foundation was founded as a tax-deductible nonprofit organization in 1988. It was created after the first 444 Golf Tournament as a way to distribute the funds generated at the event to create social services that the brand-new city of West Sacramento needed.
The Foundation benefited from the leadership of hundreds of board members and we deeply appreciate their contributions. We want to recognize people who were founding board members, served on the board for more than a decade, and guided the Foundation through transformational changes.
Thank you Bill Kristoff, Dan Ramos, Oscar Villegas, Rob Aragon, Carol Richardson, Barbara Moore, Charlie Moore, Joe Goeden, Paul Kolarik, Steve Roberts, Maria Simas, Jennifer Engstrom, Steve Roberts, Kelly Rochester Garret, and Bill Panos for your leadership and vision.
During 30+ years of operation, the Foundation shifted with the needs of a growing city. It has had paid employees and all-volunteer. The board has been as small as six people and as large as 15. The Foundation conducted research about community needs, led workforce development projects, coordinated United Way donations, promoted volunteerism, and incubated start-up nonprofits.
Fundraising morphed over time, too. The Foundation board has always been conscientious about not competing with the non-profits we serve for local funds. In addition to golf and social events, in 2012, the Foundation board added the All Charities Raffle to help organizations raise their own funds. We also receive donations from many local businesses and residents.
In recent years, the Foundation was the incubator for West Sacramento Home Run and administered the first two years of high school internships. We also folded in the West Sacramento Educational Foundation and added their board members and grant funding, and are the administrator of grant funding on behalf of Assemble Sacramento.
When the Foundation was formed, the board had a goal of returning at least 85% of funds raised to the community. Today, we return nearly 90% of the funds raised to the community. Today’s board is also exploring ways to pivot services again to meet the needs of our local organizations face the new challenges brought on by the pandemic.
Interested in joining the board or being a fundraising volunteer? Contact Chris White.
2022-2023 Board of Directors
President
Jeff Henry
Vice President
Beverly Sandeen
Secretary
Nick Esquivel
Treasurer
Denise Domke
Immediate Past President
Nathan Dietrich
Directors
Barry Kalar
JP Singh
Lenise Mowry
Chris White
Thank You Sponsors and Donors
Sponsors and donors are vital to the Foundation’s mission and essential to our local nonprofits. Thanks to the following organization for your annual support!
P.O. Box 621
City, West Sacramento, CA 95691
USA
giving@westsaccommunityfoundation.org
(916) 572-5179