El Dorado Hills is a uniquely diverse community. With a population that’s both young and old, wealthy and low income, suburban and rural, figuring out how to move such a mix of people forward isn’t easy, but it’s a challenge accepted by the El Dorado Hills Endowment.

“This is a community constantly in search of who we are,” says Bill Roby, executive director of the El Dorado Community Foundation (EDCF), which oversees the El Dorado Hills Endowment. “That’s a moving target, as it’s also a community that has grown and changed—rapidly—over the past decade.”   

El Dorado Hills Cabinet Members, Front (L to R): Jeff England and Allan Priest; Back (L to R): Shelbi Bennett, John Black and Andrea Howard -photo by Lynnee Boyes

Seeing that change coming, EDCF launched the El Dorado Hills Endowment in 2012 with a goal to build a principal fund of $1 million. From that fund, the Endowment can grant $50,000 annually directly to the El Dorado Hills community, forever.  

Even as the fund is built, the Endowment is already active. More than $40,000 in grants has been awarded to several local organizations, including All About Equine Animal Rescue, Big Brothers Big Sisters, Hands4Hope, 3Strands Global, and the Clarksville Regional Historical Society. That diversity of giving speaks to the variety of needs in El Dorado Hills and also led EDCF to create an El Dorado Hills Cabinet to act as an advisory committee to the Endowment. “We needed eyes and ears on the ground in El Dorado Hills so we know where Endowment funds could have the greatest impact,” Roby says. 

Residents can expect the wide array of beneficiaries to continue—at least for the time being. In the words of past Cabinet Chair Georgi Knight, “As long as it’s benefitting and lifting up the community and people of El Dorado Hills, it’s eligible for funding from our Endowment.”

In time, the Cabinet may choose to focus its giving on certain needs, especially as the city approaches build out. Some of today’s top issues—including access to more educational opportunities, affordable health care, cultural experiences and youth sports, will have greater importance as the city grows—but rather than limit the Endowment’s giving, Roby envisions a future wherein all of the community’s granting organizations are strategically working together.

Cabinet Members and Hands4Hope youth volunteers

 Currently, there are three foundations in El Dorado Hills, each serving a distinct part of the population. Roby would like to see all three combine under a common goal for the betterment of the community. One of the great benefits of such an approach, he says, is it would eliminate “confusion” among the donor base in the region, and donors could contribute to one organization to benefit the community.

Until then, Roby, current Cabinet Chair Shelbi Bennett and the rest of the Cabinet will continue to build the principal fund, and make sure donors know their giving goes directly to the community. “Excellence is expensive, and if you want excellence in schools, recreation and community services, it comes at a cost,” Roby says. “Contributing to the Endowment helps us distribute those costs so the excellence we all enjoy is affordable for everyone.”

edhendowment.org

by Bill Romanelli // Photos by Dante Fontana © Style Media Group

 

SAVE THE DATE!

The El Dorado Community Foundation will host their annual Grants Gala on December 6 at the Holiday Inn Express and Suites in El Dorado Hills at 6 p.m. to announce their new grant recipients for 2017. 530-622-5621