Grants Awarded in 2025

The Foundation donated a touch over $580,000 to Kern County nonprofits in 2025. This year, we focused our grant-making on our core issues of Animal Welfare, Cultural & Historic Preservation, the Environment, and Literacy & Early Education. In addition, the Foundation funded a variety of compelling Health & Social Welfare projects.

Below, is a list of the grants the Foundation made this year, including the amounts awarded, and the projects this money funded.

A big thank you to all the organizations who made this year another fulfilling one for the Foundation.

 Animal Welfare:

•AAA Dog Rescue, Inc.: $5,000, to help fund Fix-n-Chip Kern.

•Critters Without Litters: $35,000, for Working for Tips!, a program that will spay and neuter feral cats in Bakersfield.

•Spay Neuter Imperative Project (dba SNIP Bus): $5,000, to fund Low-Cost Mobile Spay/Neuter for Low-Income KRVC Residents.

•Whiskers Paws Hooves​ and Claws​ Animal Advocacy: $10,000, to help support their animal rescue.

Cultural & Historical Preservation:

•Bakersfield Firefighters Historical Society: $50,000, toward the building of the Bakersfield Firefighters Historical Society Museum.

•Child Guidance Guild of Bakersfield: $17,845, for the Guild House Kitchen Paint Project.

•Fort Tejon Historical Association: $25,000, to help fund the restoration of Fort Tejon’s State Historic Park Barracks No. 1 and Officers’ Quarters, an adobe structure dating from 1854-1864.

•Kern River Parkway Foundation/Nature Center: $29,977.16, for the Hart Park Standpipe Project, involving local artists painting murals on the park’s historic standpipes.

•Tehachapi Community Orchestra Foundation: $6,000, to fund the World Premiere concert of “The Little Mermaid Suite,” by California composer Charles Fernandez.

Environment:

•California Native Plant Society: $30,000, toward their project, Post-Fire Monitoring and Community Engagement to Safeguard Kern County’s Rare Plants.

•Kern River Parkway Foundation/Bring Back the Kern: $50,000, to help fund Flowing Kern River Litigation.

•White Wolf Wellness Foundation: $50,000, for the creation of the Okihi Outdoor Classroom.

Literacy & Early Childhood Education:

•Adventist Health Bakersfield: $20,000, for Blue Zones Charlie Carts for Children, portable “kitchens on wheels” aimed at educating children about nutrition and healthy eating.

•Books in the Woods: $5,000, to help fund Young Voices Read, a literacy initiative focused on students in the El Tejon School District and their families.

•Boys & Girls Clubs of Kern County: $50,00, for their ENABLE Program, an after-school program aimed at helping children with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

•Community Action Partnership of Kern: $5,000, to help fund their Oasis Early Learners Project, through the purchase of books and educational toys, among other supplies, for their Kindergarten-readiness program.

•The Salvation Army, Ridgecrest Corps: $15,000, for The Salvation Army Camp Redwood Glen Campership Program, allowing local, low-income children to attend summer camp, free of charge.

Health & Social Services:

 •CSF Medical Nonprofit Foundation: $10,000, toward “Sharing the Hope” Community Wellness Virtual Health Fair.

 •Hoffmann Hospice: $10,000, to help fund the Grief & Loss Symposium Project.

•Kern Bridges Youth Homes: $25,000, to expand their Nurturing Parenting Program.

•La Vida Nueva [Kern County Hispanic Commission on Alcohol and Drug Abuse Services.]: $6,000, to help with their move to a new building.

•Links for Life: $8,825, in support of the Mobile Mammography Screening Event.

 •Make-A-Wish Foundation of Central Coast & Southern Central Valley: $25,000, toward Project Hope & Healing: Granting Wishes in Kern County.

•The Open Door Network: $11,190, to help fund Preventing Bed Bug Infestations to Enhance Health and Hygiene Among Survivors Seeking Services.

•Taft College Foundation: $32,000, to help fund Thrive360: Wellness for Every Ability, which will provide adaptative gym equipment for the Center for Independent Living student lounge at Taft College.

•Valley Center for the Blind: $35,000, for Vision in the Valley, the creation of a Low Vision Clinic in Bakersfield, which will offer eye exams and specialized devices, among other aids.

•The Wounded Heroes Fund: $12,945, to help fund the Regimen Ruck: Growth Through Adventure program, an outdoor experience for veterans.