GOLD2023

SAN MATEO COUNTY PARKS AND RECREATION FOUNDATION

Inspiring people to care for, learn about and enjoy parks

aka SAN MATEO COUNTY PARKS FOUNDATION   |   San Mateo, CA   |  http://www.SupportParks.org

Mission

The San Mateo County Parks Foundation inspires people to care for, learn about, and enjoy our parks. We are committed to conserving and improving the quality of our County Parks for current and future generations to enjoy.

Ruling year info

1999

Principal Officer

Michele Beasley

Main address

1701 Coyote Point Drive

San Mateo, CA 94401 USA

Show more contact info

EIN

94-3306697

NTEE code info

Environmental Quality, Protection, and Beautification N.E.C. (C99)

Public, Society Benefit - Multipurpose and Other N.E.C. (W99)

IRS filing requirement

This organization is required to file an IRS Form 990 or 990-EZ.

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Communication

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Programs and results

What we aim to solve

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Our programs

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?

Overview

Sine 1999, the San Mateo County Parks and Recreation Foundation has raised almost $9 million in contributions to support a variety of programs and projects in San Mateo County Parks. $2 million was raised to help purchase the coast bluff, Mirada Surf, to allow the California Coastal Trail segment be completed. To further community involvement in the parks, we provide an annual grant to support the volunteer and interpretive programs. Supporting improvements for the youth facilities, grants were provided for playgrounds and improvements at a day-camp site. We also funded new recycling stations in the County Parks and improvements to the Sanchez Adobe Historic Site. Recognizing the importance of native habitats, funds are continually granted for efforts to remove non-native invasive weeds, replant and restore areas and restore fish habitat. Environmental education is a high priority for the community, so we fund a program to provide a teacher's resource guide to the County Parks and supporting materials such as field guides. A major focus for the Foundation is establishing interpretive centers to support the on-going programs in Edgewood County Park and Natural Preserve and Fitzgerald Marine Reserve. Other efforts this year include working with the community to secure a long-term funding source for all parks in San Mateo County.

Population(s) Served

Connecting children to the magic of parks by the age of ten is critical if we want to spark a lifelong love of nature and open space. However, transportation is often a costly barrier preventing schools and after-school programs from reaching our parks. Bus trips can cost up to $1,000 a trip. The Parks Foundation covers the transportation cost, connects groups to docents and/or rangers, offers Spanish-translation when needed and provides lunch for longer outings.

Population(s) Served
Children and youth
Ethnic and racial groups

Restoring Edgewood's grasslands to their former floral beauty and species diversity is a challenge that cannot be handled by a small County Parks department alone. A strong cadre of volunteer leaders have come together to lead restoration efforts at Edgewood, with support from the Parks Foundation, Friends of Edgewood and other community partners. Overarching goals are to reduce invasive grasses and increase native plants, grasses, and wildflowers in Edgewood’s grassland acres; support recovery of listed plant species and the butterfly; and inspire, educate and engage the community in biodiversity conservation.

Population(s) Served
Adults
Children and youth

Every Sunday (except on holiday weekends), 4 miles of Cañada Road is closed to car traffic and opened up to cyclists, runners and roller-bladers who may enjoy a safe and beautiful location in which to partake in some non-motorized fun!

Population(s) Served
Adults
Children and youth

The Parks Foundation wants to break down the barriers that prevent people from knowing about and accessing the parks. We do this in a variety of ways:

+ Accessibility upgrades to paths of travel and restrooms
+ Annual park passes for check out in every library in San Mateo County
+ Funding for bilingual interns at SMC Parks
+ Translate self-guided tour brochures into Spanish and Chinese
+ A mini-grant program for BIPOC-led organizations to improve park access for their communities (e.g. Brown Girl Surf in Oakland gets a grant for their Mirada Surf surfing school)

Population(s) Served
Children and youth

In celebration of the San Mateo County Park Foundation’s 25th anniversary and San Mateo County Parks’ centennial, the Parks Foundation want to engage the arts community to design posters that capture and celebrate the essence of each park. This is a new program and the first three parks we are seeking posters for are: 1) Memorial Park - a popular camping spot in the redwoods with Pescadero Creek flowing through it; 2) Fitzgerald Marine Reserve - home to a teeming community of marine life which make their home in that area between low and high tide and 3) Edgewood Park and Natural Preserve - whose serpentine grasslands are famous for their magnificent springtime wildflower display.

Population(s) Served
Ethnic and racial groups
Ethnic and racial groups
Artists and performers

In the lead up to Parks Centennial which began the 4th of July in 1924 when Memorial Park opened to campers for the first time, the Parks Foundation has been making steady improvements to the park:

+ environmental upgrades to the visitor center
+ refurbished and accessible restrooms at the visitor center
+ new ADA picnic areas
+ Accessibility upgrades to the flow around the visitor center
+ supporting the 'Crumb Clean' campaign to protect the endangered seabird, the marbled murrelet

Upcoming: upgrades to the Nature Center

Population(s) Served
Adults
Adults
Children and youth
People with disabilities

Where we work

Financials

SAN MATEO COUNTY PARKS AND RECREATION FOUNDATION
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Operations

The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.

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Connect with nonprofit leaders

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SAN MATEO COUNTY PARKS AND RECREATION FOUNDATION

Board of directors
as of 06/30/2023
SOURCE: Self-reported by organization
Board chair

Amy Jensen

Peninsula Open Space Trust

Term: 2022 - 2023

Justin Knowles

Oracle

Korrine Skinner

Mid-Peninsula Regional Open Space District

Susan Eliot

Benetech

Joe Pfeister

Denodo

Amy Jensen

POST

Bev Talbott

Retired - Apple

Jessica Meng

Delfi Diagnostics

Katy Coonan-Rhoades

Volunteer - for people with disabilities

Larry Stites

Retired accountant

Mary DeLong

Volunteer - Beach Watch

Board leadership practices

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.

  • Board orientation and education
    Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? No
  • CEO oversight
    Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? No
  • Ethics and transparency
    Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? No
  • Board composition
    Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? No
  • Board performance
    Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? No

Organizational demographics

SOURCE: Self-reported; last updated 6/30/2023

Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.

Leadership

The organization's leader identifies as:

Race & ethnicity
White/Caucasian/European
Gender identity
Female, Not transgender (cisgender)
Sexual orientation
Heterosexual or straight
Disability status
Person without a disability

Race & ethnicity

Gender identity

 

Sexual orientation

Disability