Tahoe Community Foundation is proud to announce the recipients of its 2025 Community Impact Grants, a cornerstone of its commitment to strengthening the Lake Tahoe region. These grants support a diverse array of nonprofit organizations whose work uplifts local communities through innovation, compassion, and resilience.

The Community Foundation’s Community Impact Grants allow nonprofit organizations to request the support they need to better serve the region through an application process. The grants are determined by the Community Impact Committee (CIC), composed of volunteers from the community, who review each grant proposal and reward the most impactful opportunities. Summaries of each grant are also provided to the Community Foundation’s Donor Advised Fund holders, inviting them to co-invest in the Community Impact Grants, expanding collective support, and awarding over $300,000 to the greatest needs in the region.

Through the grant application process in 2025, the Community Foundation identified clear and pressing themes in the Tahoe region: the need for greater support in mental health services and expanded after-school programs. By observing the priorities expressed by local nonprofits and community partners, the Community Foundation was able to direct funding to address these critical areas, ensuring resources reached both North and South Lake Tahoe. These grants are helping to strengthen access to mental health support and expanding opportunities for youth enrichment while offering support to working parents to build a healthy and resilient community across the entire region.

“In awarding these grants each year, we’re able to respond directly to the most pressing challenges facing our community,” said Laura Roche, Programs Director at Tahoe Community Foundation. “The applications we receive offer a window into the greatest needs across our region—needs that affect individuals and families every day. This year, we noticed powerful themes emerge, and we were proud to address them through meaningful support that helps ensure the Tahoe region remains strong and thriving.”

The 2025 Community Impact Grantees are:

·       Boys and Girls Club Lake Tahoe received a grant to implement a Transitional Kindergarten program at Meyers Elementary School, expanding access to critical afterschool care for working families in South Lake Tahoe in alignment with California’s Universal Pre-K initiative.

·       Boys and Girls Club North Lake Tahoe received a grant to strengthen its Transitional Kindergarten programs across three club sites by supporting staffing, training, and supplies to ensure greater accessibility for families in need.

·       Bread and Broth received a grant to support its “Green Goal Project” and the “B&B 4 Kids/Tots Push for Protein” initiative, both of which aim to provide fresh produce, dairy, and protein-rich foods to low-income individuals, children, and families in the South Lake Tahoe community.

·       Classical Tahoe received a grant to launch “Music, Movement, and Literature,” a new summer program in partnership with the Boys and Girls Club of North Lake Tahoe that will offer immersive music and movement classes for children ages 4–7 at the Incline Village club site, featuring direct engagement with Classical Tahoe musicians.

·       Encompass Youth received a grant to provide basic needs, health services, and positive youth development activities that support vulnerable young people in South Lake Tahoe as they transition to adulthood and independence.

·       Incline Education Fund received a grant to expand its “STEP UP to STEM” program, supporting makerspace and cross-curricular art initiatives, enhancing math and reading enrichment at Incline Elementary and Middle Schools, and providing technology resources for robotics and engineering across all Incline schools.

·       League to Save Lake Tahoe received a grant to expand its basin-wide programs that address the region’s most pressing environmental threats, including ecological restoration, pollution reduction, and the prevention of aquatic invasive species to protect Lake Tahoe’s clarity and resilience.

·       National Forest Foundation received a grant to support the redesign and fabrication of interpretive signs along the Lam Watah Trail and Incline Meadows, enhancing public education and honoring the cultural significance of the land through collaboration with the Washoe Tribe.

·       Pet Network Humane Society received a grant to support the addition of a Veterinary Intensive Care Unit at its Community Hospital, enhancing its ability to deliver advanced, lifesaving care to shelter and community animals while contributing to long-term sustainability.

·       Send It Foundation received a grant to support the launch of “Send Days,” a locally focused series of single-day outdoor adventure programs in the Lake Tahoe Basin that offer young adults facing cancer opportunities for connection, healing, and joy through guided activities like hiking, kayaking, and skiing.

·       Sierra State Parks Foundation received a grant to support its educational programs, interpretive tours, and preservation efforts across eight Lake Tahoe–Donner Lake State Parks, helping enhance visitor experiences and maintain historic sites for future generations.

·       SOS Outreach received a grant to support its progressive outdoor-based mentorship curriculum, helping underserved youth in the Tahoe Basin build character, resilience, and leadership through guided outdoor activities and long-term mentor relationships.

·       South Lake Tahoe Family Resource Center received a grant to continue and expand bilingual mental health clinician services, helping reduce waiting times and meet growing demand for therapeutic support in the community despite recent funding cuts.

·       Tahoe Alliance for Safe Kids received a grant to support the implementation of the “Soul Shoppe” social emotional learning program in local elementary schools, expand community outreach and education efforts, and enhance school-based prevention and education around relevant topics such as vaping and refusal skills.

·       Tahoe's Connection for Families received a grant to support its early childhood and parenting programs—including “New Parent Pods,” “Healing Hearts Support Group,” and infant/toddler classes.

·       Tahoe Family Solutions received a grant to expand bilingual mental health services by increasing office hours for licensed therapists, helping meet the urgent need for accessible care among Spanish-speaking children and families in the North Tahoe region.

·       Tahoe Food Hub received a grant to support its “Giving Box Program,” a hunger-relief initiative that delivers fresh, locally grown produce to food-insecure families in North Lake Tahoe and Truckee while supporting small-scale regenerative farms in the region.

·       Tahoe Nordic Search and Rescue received a grant to support the recertification of its volunteer team members in Wilderness First Responder, Emergency Medical Technician, and Wilderness First Aid training, ensuring safe and effective backcountry rescue operations across the Tahoe region.

·       Tahoe Rim Trail Association received a grant to support its “Trails Operations Program,” helping maintain and improve trail infrastructure to ensure sustainable recreation and environmental stewardship across the Tahoe Rim Trail system.

·       Tahoe Truckee School of Music received a grant to support its “Community Engagement Music Initiative by” implementing Show Bands at four local schools and offering free group music lessons in Tahoe City, expanding access to music education for over 3,000 students during the 2025–26 school year.

·       Tahoe Youth and Family Services received a grant to support its comprehensive programming, including mental health counseling, substance use treatment, housing support, and enrichment activities that promote self-sufficiency and well-being for youth and families across the Tahoe Basin.

·      Vista Rise Collective (formerly Live Violence Free) received a grant to provide nutritious food for survivors of domestic violence participating in its Emergency Safe House and “Housing First” programs, helping families redirect their limited resources toward other critical aspects of recovery.