The County and San Diego Foundation on recently kicked off a new public philanthropic partnership intended to protect local safety net services from funding cuts.
The ceremonial signing at the County Administration Building marked the implementation of a Memorandum of Agreement establishing the Partnership to Protect San Diego, an initiative first approved by the San Diego County Board of Supervisors in November 2025.
The program was created in response to federal budget reductions and new eligibility restrictions that will affect food assistance, housing programs and healthcare access for some county residents.
Under the agreement, the initiative includes two major components. The first is a Matching Stabilization Fund administered by the San Diego Foundation and will preserve up to $16 million in County contracted nonprofit services this fiscal year and up to $20 million next fiscal year if extended. The fund provides a dollar-todollar match of County dollars, up to $8 million this year and $10 million next year, to maintain services for vulnerable people.
This fiscal year, through June 30, 67 existing County contracts are eligible for support. These programs support behavioral health care, food assistance, domestic violence shelters, homelessness, substance use recovery, senior, youth services and more.
The County will continue administering all contracts and determining eligible invoices. The Foundation will issue payments directly to providers following County approval.
The County estimates that more than $3 million in local savings will result from the arrangement after administrative fees and related contributions are accounted for, allowing the County to redirect freed up funds to other core services.
The second component is a County investment of up to $4 million in the San Diego Unity Fund, established by the San Diego Foundation in 2025 in direct response to federal budget cuts.
With matching contributions from the Foundation, the fund is expected to distribute up to $8 million to support food security, housing stability and healthcare access. The Foundation will make grant decisions and grantee performance metrics will be shared with the County quarterly.
To date, the Unity Fund has raised more than $32 million and has granted or committed more than $29 million to more than 100 local nonprofits.
The County and the San Diego Foundation will continue collaborating on potential program design for the next fiscal year. The agreement is in effect through June 30, 2026, with an option to extend through June 2027.
Reprinted courtesy San Diego County Office of Communications.
