Stories of Philanthropic Leadership in Advancing Regional and ...

II. E. COUNTERING THE PERFECTSTORM: ECONOMICSELF-DETERMINATIONFOR SAN DIEGO’SNEIGHBORHOODSFunders Highlighted:Jacobs Family FoundationPrice CharitiesThe San Diego FoundationSan Diego Neighborhood Funders“What happens to service workers when theiraccess to housing is compromised by thesuperheated housing market, or public transit thatdoes not connect them to employmentopportunities? How do you get a community toself-determine its future role in the economy? Thatis what philanthropy can assist in clarifying.”— Mariano Diaz, Senior Vice President ofCommunity Partnerships, The San DiegoFoundation“If the clear-cut objective of philanthropy is tohelp people to be independent, to have selfesteem—inshort, to recognize and accept thatthey are deserving of human dignity—there mustbe a radical change in methodology.”— Joe Jacobs, Jacobs Engineering Groupand Jacobs Family Foundation 40During the last several years, a broad spectrum ofcommunity building institutions in greater SanDiego have worked diligently to address issues relatedto inequities in the region’s rapid development.Connected to this action has been a growingawareness on the part of philanthropy of itsresponsibility to build the assets of low-wealthfamilies in the San Diego region. This profilehighlights three projects catalyzed by philanthropicactivity that epitomize the kind of grantmaking andinitiative work that is poised to advance regionalequity throughout the San Diego area. Each effortaddresses a different aspect of effective communitydevelopment, but shares a common theme:innovative philanthropic partnership withcommunity residents and institutions to advancemeaningful community change.Project ProfilesSeveral factors, including the continuing housingprice boom, intensifying gentrification, and serioustransportation access issues, converge to make thisone of the most challenging times in recentmemory for low-income families and communitiesof color in greater San Diego. “In some ways, whatyou have brewing in the region is the perfectstorm,” notes Mariano Diaz, senior vice presidentof community partnerships for The San DiegoFoundation. “What happens to service workerswhen their access to housing is compromised by thesuperheated housing market, or public transit thatdoes not connect them to employmentopportunities? How do you get a community toself-determine its future role in the economy? Thatis what philanthropy can assist in clarifying.”The San Diego Trolley runs through the city’s downtown corridor.(Source: Jon Jensen).Yet signs of progress are growing. For example, Cityof Villages, an innovative planning effort to balancenatural resources and neighborhood character, bringstogether the city of San Diego, communitydevelopment corporations, and other communitybasedorganizations. 41 Also, the regional planningagency, the San Diego Association of Governments(SANDAG), has worked with local governments tobring $40 million in new transit investment into the40Publisher’s Note: The Funders’ Network mourns the passing of JoeJacobs, innovative philanthropist and founder of Jacobs EngineeringGroup and the Jacobs Family Foundation. More information on theJacobs Family Foundation can be found atwww.jacobsfamilyfoundation.org.41City of Villages is a strategy for updating the city of San Diego’sGeneral Plan. For more information, visitwww.sandiego.gov/cityofvillages/.LIVABLE NEIGHBORHOODS/STRONG REGIONSPart III: Section 2: Making All Neighborhoods Stable, Healthy, and Livable as Building Blocks for a Strong Region 82