In the fall of 1994, a group of community leaders gathered at ZD Wines to discuss forming a community foundation for Napa Valley. “We were limited to 70 people in the room, and we overflowed it,” shares Nicky Suard, a founding board member. “I had placed one notice in the newspaper and spoken to the Rotary and Kiwanis Clubs. The turnout was a great surprise.”
Soon afterward, we filed for incorporation, and in 1995, our first Donor Advised Fund was created.
Just three years later, a couple established our first million-dollar fund. By then, we had moved into a one-room office with a skylight, but no windows.
We’ve come a long way since those early days. Today, we manage more than 150 active funds and have awarded nearly $106 million in grants. And now, we have a building to call our own.
Our donors — past and present — continue to make a difference. For such a small geographic area, we have so many big hearts.
