Category: Foundation News

We Are Hiring: Scholarships & Grants Associate

Posted on: Aug 18, 2025

The Position The Scholarships & Grants Associate (SGA) plays a vital role in advancing the Foundation’s mission by providing accurate, timely, and community-focused support for our philanthropic programs — with a primary emphasis on the scholarship program, which annually awards approximately $500,000 to more than 100 graduating high school seniors and continuing college (or post-secondary…

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$3.1 Million in Grants and Counting

Posted on: Jul 30, 2025

Did you know that Napa Valley Community Foundation is the largest grantmaking organization in the Valley? Since the beginning of 2025, we’ve made more than $3.1 million in grants to more than 180 nonprofit organizations and schools—and the year’s not over yet! NVCF supports a wide range of causes that benefit Napa County residents, some of which might…

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Welcoming two new board members

Posted on: Jul 30, 2025

We’re proud to share that two accomplished leaders joined the Board of Napa Valley Community Foundation this June: Patricia (Pat) Clarey and Dr. Richard (Rich) Anderson. Patricia (Pat) Clarey Pat Clarey is a longtime St. Helena resident with deep experience in government, healthcare, and nonprofit service. She currently serves on the Board of the Napa…

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Reading the Tea Leaves: Napa’s Economic Outlook — Event Recap

Posted on: May 7, 2025

Last week, we gathered with an engaged crowd of more than 130 of our friends and neighbors at the Yountville Community Center for Reading the Tea Leaves: Napa’s Economic Outlook. First, we want to extend our heartfelt thanks to Dr. Robert Eyler, Professor of Economics at Sonoma State University for an engaging and insightful presentation.…

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Navigating Napa’s Future: Insights from Our Town Hall on the General Plan

Posted on: Feb 26, 2025

How will Napa County grow and evolve over the next decade? That was the central question at our recent Town Hall Event, where urban planning expert John Rahaim shared insights on the challenges and requirements of updating our General Plan. Our CEO Terence Mulligan opened the event by reinforcing our mission to address the most…

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A Blueprint for Community Aspirations: the California General Plan Process

Posted on: Jan 7, 2025

You may have heard that Napa County’s General Plan process is ramping up in 2025—but what exactly is a General Plan? Often called a community’s “blueprint for the future,” a General Plan sets long-term goals and priorities for housing, transportation, land use, sustainability, open spaces, and more. Under California law, cities and counties are required…

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Jane Mead: A Legacy of Compassion and Community

Posted on: Nov 14, 2024

Jane Mead’s deep connection to Napa continues through her generous legacy gift to NVCF. Her bequest established the Fund for Napa Valley, which will make grants to the community she loved for years to come. Jane, a poet, teacher, author, and rancher, passed away in 2019. We spoke with her sister, Parry Mead Murray, who…

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Meet Preston Greene, Napa Valley Community Foundation’s First Fund Holder

Posted on: Nov 14, 2024

In 1995, after reading a story about our emerging Foundation in The Napa Valley Register, Preston Greene became the first donor to open a fund at NVCF. When Preston first encountered the idea of a community foundation, it was entirely new to him. “In Virginia, I'd never heard of a community foundation,” he shares. “There…

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A Defining Moment

Posted on: Nov 14, 2024

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…

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Meet our Donors: Edward and Sara Kozel

Posted on: Nov 14, 2024

When Ed and Sara Kozel moved to Calistoga in 2017, they noticed something missing—a place for the community to gather and celebrate the arts. Over the past five years, the Kozels have been anchor donors behind the effort to open the Brannan Center, a nonprofit performing arts venue and community meeting space in Calistoga. The…

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