Doing More, Together.

This year was marked by heavy news about the closure of ranches in the Point Reyes National Seashore that have defined the landscape and life of West Marin for decades. The situation highlighted the substandard living conditions that many working families across rural West Marin have endured for decades and added urgency to the need for safe, affordable, and dignified housing.

More than 150 residents face displacement. They need support that addresses their immediate housing and work needs while building toward long-term stability. West Marin Fund has stepped up work with an extraordinary coalition of partners to provide significant resources and develop solutions.

• Our Neighbors for Neighbors program invites homeowners to offer bridge housing while families search for more permanent solutions. We’ve placed several families and are expanding this network of community support. Reach out to loretta@fundforwestmarin.org if you have a home to offer.
• The Sacred Heart Rectory project in Olema represents a remarkable collaboration. Working alongside the local Parish, the Archdiocese of San Francisco, Catholic Charities, and multiple community partners, we’re helping renovate the historic 1911 rectory to house several families.
• The Transition and Stability Work Group, which West Marin Fund leads together with Marin County and the Coalition for Housing All Workers & Their Families, is providing assistance to families in all the ways they may need support during this time. In close communication with the community, the group coordinates case management, facilitates assistance payments, and addresses legal aid needs to ensure comprehensive support for every displaced family.

No single organization can solve West Marin’s complex challenges alone. When partners collaborate, they can address needs, build connections, and deliver meaningful outcomes that wouldn’t be possible working in isolation. West Marin Fund’s collaborative impact work brings organizations together to coordinate efforts that help to bridge service gaps and solve local challenges. At the heart of this work is the West Marin Collaborative, a community forum where people and organizations serving West Marin can collaborate across issue areas and across the region. Community members contribute information, learn from one another, and take an active role in reviewing and selecting grant proposals for collaborative projects that respond to community-identified needs. This year’s grants supported four innovative partnerships:

• Petaluma Health Center & Botanical Bus launched the Collaborative Health Project, engaging 123 individuals and providing 114 culturally centered healthcare services to build health equity
• Point Reyes National Seashore Association led the West Marin Environmental Learning Alliance, coordinating schools and conservation groups to develop a teacher-informed guide for outdoor education
• The West Marin Housing Collaborative — made up of all the community land trusts serving West Marin — pooled their efforts and rolled out a regional fundraising plan to bring in larger dollars
• West Marin Food Systems Group launched Growing School Food Together, establishing $35,000 in produce purchase agreements and introducing organic seasonal meal programs in West Marin schools

In a world that seems more divided than ever, there is real power in creating shared experiences that strengthen community bonds, celebrate diverse cultures, and give people a greater sense of belonging. West Marin Fund’s community enrichment grants support programs that bring people together across generations, languages, and abilities to enhance the wellbeing and creative expression of our shared community. Here are a few of the offerings that these grants supported:

• California 4-H Foundation launched the 2025 West Marin Country Fair, providing youth a platform to showcase their talents while celebrating West Marin’s agricultural heritage and community spirit.
• Bolinas Film Festival celebrated its third season this year, drawing high levels of participation from all over West Marin and the Bay Area with film selections that spotlight local artists, international films, female-driven stories, LGBTQ, and youth.

• Halleck Creek Ranch offered inclusive educational and recreational events to reduce isolation and strengthen community among individuals with disabilities. Their “Beyond Riding” program served hundreds of participants by hosting open houses, a horse show, talent show, birthday parties, and moving nights.
• EAH Housing Programs offered twice-weekly yoga classes at Walnut Place and the Point Reyes Affordable Housing communities to promote physical health, stress reduction, and social connection for seniors.
• West Marin–Inverness School Community upgraded the West Marin School library collection to improve access to books and literacy resources for local students.
• Nicasio Historical Society organized a Day of the Dead Fiesta with decorated altars in the museum, live music, Aztec dancers, and a catered meal.

Economic opportunity means more than just jobs — it means pathways for people to build stable, fulfilling lives and for local businesses to grow and thrive. In West Marin, where geographic isolation and limited resources can bring unique challenges, creating these pathways requires intentional investment in people at every stage of their economic lives. West Marin Fund and our partners are working collaboratively to make economic opportunity a reality for youth exploring future careers, adults seeking employment or building businesses, and entrepreneurs needing support to turn their small business ideas into reality:

We’re investing in the next generation through partnerships that expose young people to career possibilities. A grant to the Magnolia Project brought their career exploration model to all six West Marin schools, connecting students with internships and training opportunities that help them envision and prepare for their futures.

In collaboration with Marin County and the Workforce Alliance of the North Bay, we’re working to enhance job placement and creation in the region. Strategies include bringing CareerPoint services directly to West Marin to match job seekers with job placement, encourage local employers to hire locally, and develop a job repository that links local opportunities and talent across West Marin.

This year, we launched Emprende West Marin, an exciting entrepreneurship program created in partnership with the Small Business Development Center and the County of Marin. The program has enrolled nearly 50 participants — primarily Spanish speakers and displaced workers — who are receiving training, technical assistance, and grants to start or strengthen their businesses.

In rural West Marin, where resources are stretched thin and needs are complex, nonprofits are essential. They fill service gaps, respond to challenges with local knowledge and community connections, and provide specialized support that larger institutions often can’t deliver as effectively. West Marin Fund has been working to strengthen our nonprofit sector through grants that enable them to build their organizational “muscle” in fundraising, governance, strategic planning, infrastructure, and other core operations so they can better fulfill their missions and sustain their impact over time. Recent grantees, like the few mentioned below, have used the support to enhance the effectiveness of their organization so they can serve their communities even better.

• San Geronimo Valley Community Center led a comprehensive strategic planning effort involving community focus groups, stakeholder interviews, and board retreats to clarify their mission, vision, and future direction, building a plan that reflects the true needs and aspirations of those they serve.
• KWMR created an internal dashboard to better understand their listeners’ digital listening behaviors for both live and archived programs, enabling more informed programming decisions and fundraising strategies. They’re using a subsequent grant they received from us to build out a text messaging service that can alert locals in case of an emergency.
• Mesa Refuge undertook a comprehensive website redesign that evolved into a complete refresh of their organizational identity, photography, and design, bringing their communications into alignment with their diverse community of writers and activists.
• Natura Institute for Ecology and Medicine provides scholarships for its Heart of Vitality healing program, supported by West Marin Fund.

With major shifts in federal and state funding, many nonprofits and service providers that have historically relied on government support for a significant portion of their work are facing uncertain futures. Now, they must rethink how they are funded, staffed, and sustained to continue delivering these essential services. That’s where West Marin Fund comes in.

As a trusted community foundation, West Marin Fund plays an increasingly critical role in supporting the backbone of our region — the nonprofits and service providers that deliver essential services to residents who need them most. Through our grants, organizing efforts, and advocacy, we help ensure that the nonprofits serving our region remain strong, adaptive, and deeply responsive to community needs. We bring people and organizations together so that we can do more together for the people of West Marin. Your donation fuels our vital work and the work of our partners. When you give to West Marin Fund, you’re not just supporting a single organization — you’re investing in the long-term health and resilience of West Marin’s full network of community services. You’re helping ensure that when challenges arise, our community has the capacity to respond, together.

Our goal is to increase resources to local nonprofits and at the same time offer you the opportunity to enhance your reach in West Marin. We encourage you to continue giving to the nonprofits you already support and include West Marin Fund in your giving.

* Includes endowment funds, board designated funds, donor advised funds, and pooled program funds.