San Diego County Partners With Foundation To Maintain Safety Net Programs

The initiative aims to protect services for families impacted by federal funding changes.

Published on Mar. 10, 2026

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San Diego County officials and the San Diego Foundation have announced the Partnership to Protect San Diegans, an initiative intended to preserve safety-net programs serving local families as federal changes impact service. The partnership includes a Matching Stabilization Fund run by the Foundation to preserve up to $16 million in county-contracted nonprofit programs, as well as the county investing up to $4 million into the San Diego Unity Fund, which the Foundation will match for up to $8 million total.

Why it matters

Nearly 400,000 San Diegans, including 125,000 children and 100,000 seniors, have lost or are at risk of losing food assistance due to federal funding changes and eligibility restrictions. This partnership aims to protect critical services for vulnerable populations in the region.

The details

The Partnership to Protect San Diegans includes two main components: the Matching Stabilization Fund run by the San Diego Foundation to preserve up to $16 million in county-contracted nonprofit programs, and the county investing up to $4 million into the San Diego Unity Fund, which the Foundation will match for up to $8 million total. The 67 eligible contracts cover programs supporting seniors, people with disabilities, food assistance, recovery residences, domestic violence shelters, behavioral health, homelessness services, and youth programs.

  • In November 2026, the San Diego County Board of Supervisors approved the partnership as the Trump administration threatened to slash funding for Medicare/Medicaid, food benefits and more.
  • Last month, a report from The Nonprofit Institute at the University of San Diego found that 68% of the region's more than 13,000 nonprofits are seeing increased demand for services, but 81% report declines in funding from public and private sources.

The players

San Diego County Board of Supervisors

The county government body that approved the partnership to protect safety-net programs.

San Diego Foundation

A community foundation that is running the Matching Stabilization Fund and partnering with the county on the San Diego Unity Fund to maintain funding for local nonprofits.

Terra Lawson-Remer

Chair of the San Diego County Board of Supervisors, who stated that the county is working to stretch every dollar and partner with the community to protect working families when federal dysfunction puts them at risk.

Mark Stuart

President and CEO of the San Diego Foundation, who said the foundation is bringing public and philanthropic resources together to ensure local nonprofits can continue providing critical services.

Elizabeth Hernandez

Deputy Chief Administrative Officer for San Diego County, who said the contractors supported by this partnership are on the front lines providing vital services like feeding children, sheltering domestic violence survivors, and supporting seniors and the homeless.

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What they’re saying

“The county is working to stretch every dollar by getting creative and partnering with our community in new ways. When Washington's dysfunction puts working families at risk, San Diego steps up.”

— Terra Lawson-Remer, Chair, San Diego County Board of Supervisors (Patch.com)

“For 50 years, San Diego Foundation has mobilized philanthropy to meet urgent community needs. Through this partnership, we are bringing public and philanthropic resources together to ensure trusted local nonprofits can continue providing food, housing, and healthcare services that families across our region rely on every day.”

— Mark Stuart, President and CEO, San Diego Foundation (Patch.com)

“Our contractors are on the front lines every day — feeding children over the weekend, sheltering survivors of domestic violence, supporting seniors and individuals experiencing homelessness. This partnership ensures that their vital work continues without disruption.”

— Elizabeth Hernandez, Deputy Chief Administrative Officer, San Diego County (Patch.com)

What’s next

The partners will continue to work on how to most effectively maintain the funding for the next year, according to Lawson-Remer's office.

The takeaway

This public-philanthropic partnership demonstrates how local governments and community foundations can collaborate to protect critical safety net services for vulnerable populations when faced with federal funding cuts and policy changes that threaten to disrupt essential programs serving families in need.