News & Stories

Now Open: 2025 Scholarships in Napa Valley! | ¡Abiertas Ahora: Becas 2025 en Napa Valley!


We’re excited to announce that applications for NVCF’s 2025 Scholarships are officially open! Whether you’re pursuing higher education, vocational training, or professional development, there’s a scholarship opportunity for you. WHO IS ELIGIBLE? Seniors Graduating from Napa County High Schools Students at Napa Valley College Napa County Nursing Students Napa County Teachers/Educators Napa County Veterans Viticulture…

Read More

A Scholarship Rooted in Compassion and Service


Sabrina Robinson and Jenna Scherer are two passionate students making strides in the veterinary field with the help of Napa Valley Community Foundation’s Dr. Rick Bachman Memorial Veterinary Medicine Scholarship. Both women share a deep commitment to caring for animals and a desire to give back to their communities, embodying the spirit of Dr. Bachman’s…

Read More

A Blueprint for Community Aspirations: the California General Plan Process


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…

Read More

Coming Soon: 2025 Scholarships in Napa Valley! | Próximamente: Becas 2025 en Napa Valley!


📢 ANNOUNCING 2025 SCHOLARSHIP OPPORTUNITIES! 🎓 💡 WHO IS ELIGIBLE? Seniors graduating from Napa County high schools Students at Napa Valley College Napa County nursing students Napa County teachers/educators Napa County veterans Viticulture and enology students Veterinary students Students in trades like welding, machining, automotive tech, and more Calistoga Jr./Sr. High students studying music And…

Read More

Jane Mead: A Legacy of Compassion and Community


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…

Read More

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


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…

Read More

A Defining Moment


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…

Read More

Our 2023-24 Annual Report: A Letter from our President & Chair


Thirty years ago, a Sony Discman qualified as a technological marvel. The Lion King was raking it in at the box office – decades before we would think to use the words “stream” and “media” in the same sentence. Meanwhile, here in Napa, a group of civic leaders had the wisdom and the vision to…

Read More

Meet our Donors: Edward and Sara Kozel


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…

Read More


What is a Community Foundation?

We know you might not know, and that’s ok.
Click the “learn more” link to tuck into the details.

Learn More