Last month, the Tahoe Fund completed our fiscal year and the end of our 10th anniversary celebration. And what a year it was! 

We started off in the midst of a global pandemic with many uncertainties about the future of our country, our community, and our organization. We wondered what COVID-19 would mean for all of us and how it would impact our ability to continue to support environmental improvements in Tahoe. 

As we gathered with our board of directors in late March 2020, we surveyed the situation and looked to our newly finalized 5-year strategic plan for direction. We decided that regardless of what lay ahead, we would stay committed to our mission of using the power of philanthropy to improve the Lake Tahoe environment for all to enjoy. 

We agreed we would find ways to achieve the goals of our strategic plan to increase the pace and scale of forest restoration, to support innovative ideas to improve the Lake’s water clarity and quality, to make recreation more sustainable, to find innovative ways to improve transportation, and lastly to continue to help more people take care of Tahoe. 

Thanks to the wonderful support of this community, we did just that. 

Over the past 12 months, we were able to provide critical funding to 32 different environmental improvement projects around Lake Tahoe with $1 million in grants. These private funds will be used to leverage more than $4 million in public funds. 

We are so grateful to our long-term donors, our local businesses, and to the many new members in our community who have chosen to get involved in supporting our work. 

While too many to mention here, some of those projects include the expansion of the Take Care Tahoe campaign with more than 2,000 signs around the region and digital billboards on highways surrounding the Lake, a new mountain bike trail that connects Tahoe Meadows to the start of the Tyrolian Downhill, monitoring of owls through digital acoustic equipment to help reduce the environmental permitting time of forest health projects, the underwater scuba clean up of the Lake, and new ambassador programs that will roll out at high use recreation sites around the region this summer. 

Importantly, all of our projects are partnerships. We know that collaboration is the key to progress. We partnered with more than 20 agencies and organizations this past year. This does not include the 50 partners we worked with on the Take Care Tahoe program as we expanded it to include COVID-19 messaging with reminders that we all need to take care of our environment, especially in a pandemic. Together, we were able to accomplish so much more thanks to the dedication and work of our partners.

As we look back on the last year of our first decade, we can’t help but think about what comes next. If we were able to accomplish this much in our first 10 years, we know with the continued support of this great community we will be able to do even more great work into the future. 

Thank you for showing us the true power of philanthropy. 

Read the full recap below.

It’s not too late to celebrate mom with a trout, bear, or her name on the East Shore Trail. Donate $100 or more in your favorite mom’s name and she will be listed on the new donor wall. Engraved bears and trout are also still available. For more information, visit: Tahoe East Shore Trail.

Photo credit: First Tracks Productions

We are excited to announce that the Tahoe Fund has earned Guidestar’s highest honor, the Platinum Seal of Transparency. 

To earn the platinum level seal, Tahoe Fund provided metrics that showed progress towards our mission to use the power of philanthropy to improve the Lake Tahoe environment for all to enjoy.

Through GuideStar, we are confident that every potential donor will find all of the information that they need to make an informed decision about where their money goes, how it’s helping Lake Tahoe, and what programs we’ve supported in the last decade.

Program’s unique outdoor learning courses foster leadership, literacy, environmental stewardship and connection with nature among high school students

TAHOE CITY, Calif. (March 30, 2021) – Iran Pacheco, an eleventh grade student at North Tahoe High School, will tell you that the Adventure Risk Challenge (ARC) program she participated in last summer changed her life. In her words, “being outside more and staying active has made me more energetic, focused and happy.” The program also helped her build new friendships, gain confidence and get more involved. Reasons like these are why the Tahoe Fund has partnered with ARC to offer support for its programs.

“The goals of the ARC program are well aligned with those of the Tahoe Fund, and on behalf of our donors, we are pleased to contribute to their efforts to inspire the next generation of outdoor enthusiasts and environmental stewards,” said Meg Sandman, Tahoe Fund board member. “It is incredibly rewarding to support opportunities for local students to spend time outdoors learning and experiencing things they can’t get in a traditional classroom atmosphere.”

Designed to provide immersive outdoor and academic programs for underserved youth, ARC courses introduce first-generation students, English-language learners and all students who are motivated to experience a challenging outdoor and academic adventure in the Sierra Nevada mountains to outdoor recreation including backpacking, rock climbing and more. Paired with a curriculum focused on reading, writing and public speaking, students develop a broad understanding of what they’re capable of doing.

“Contributions from generous donors like the Tahoe Fund are critical to our ability to provide year-round outdoor and academic programs to young people who might otherwise not have access,” said Will Fassett, Adventure Risk Challenge associate director. “We are grateful that they share our commitment to inspiring environmental stewardship in the next generation.”

Since 2004, ARC has had over 300 summer graduates and 2,500+ year-round participants. A three-site organization that started in Tahoe, the program’s success is highlighted by the fact that 81% of participants go on to attend a two or four-year college. In addition, they experience growth in seven important developmental assets including positive identity, social competencies, and commitment to learning.

The summer 2021 ARC program is accepting applications now until April 23, and will take place in Tahoe from July 5 through August 7. For students who have been spending significant time at home during the COVID-19 pandemic, the ARC summer course will offer a month of outdoor adventures. Visit  www.adventureriskchallenge.org/apply to learn more about the program and to submit an application. Visite https://adventureriskchallenge.org/es/programacion/ para obtener más información sobre el programa y enviar una solicitud.

Learn more about the Tahoe Fund and the programs it supports at www.tahoefund.org.