Giving Fund
GIVE THANKS. GIVE HOPE. DOUBLE YOUR IMPACT FOR OUR COMMUNITY.
For the past ten years, every donation to the Tahoe Donner Giving Fund has created ripples of opportunity throughout our community.
This Thanksgiving season, we’re excited to share that a generous anonymous donor has pledged $10,000 in matching funds — meaning your gift will be doubled to make twice the impact. That means every dollar you contribute today goes twice as far to support local nonprofits and provide scholarships for local students like Lesly.
Now more than ever, our community needs your help. Rising costs and shrinking philanthropic funding make your support critical. Together, neighbors helping neighbors, we can continue to create opportunity and strengthen the place we all call home.
Today, the need is greater than ever, but so is our ability to make a difference. Join us in making the final months of our 10th anniversary year the most generous in our history!
WHY YOUR SUPPORT IS SO ESSENTIAL
For IMPACT Scholarship recipient Lesly, opportunity has meant staying close to family while discovering her passion and pursuing a future in science.
Lesly was born and raised in Truckee and graduated from Truckee High in 2023. Now studying microbiology and immunology at the University of Nevada, Reno, she shared how much it has meant to attend college as a first-generation student while remaining near her loved ones.
“These past two years at UNR have been amazing,” Lesly said. “I’ve learned so much about
myself and discovered that I love working in labs and solving real problems. Staying close to my family while pursuing my education would not have been possible without this scholarship.”
Lesly also spoke movingly about dedicating her next two years of study to her late grandmother, one of her biggest supporters. “She was always my motivation to keep going. Because of the Giving Fund, I was able to create lasting memories with her while continuing my education. I’ll be grateful for that for the rest of my life.”
Stories like this remind us why the Giving Fund exists — and why your support is so essential.
TEN YEARS, TEN MILESTONES
❤️ Reflect the past ten years of member support for the mission of the Tahoe Donner Giving Fund:
- 8 ways to give – it’s easy to give, in any amount: Click here.
- 10 years of philanthropy – from 2015 to 2024, we’re still going strong and doing good.
- 20 award cycles – scholarship and nonprofit grant cycles occur annually.
- 37 nonprofit grant recipients — strengthening local programs and vital services.
- 74 scholarship recipients — helping local students achieve their dreams.
- 1,000+ donors — a community of neighbors fueling real change.
- 6,000+ volunteer hours — dedicated time and energy from passionate volunteers.
- $250,000 traditional scholarships awarded — investing directly in students’ futures.
- $400,000 nonprofit grants awarded — helping local organizations grow and serve.
- $1,240,000 IMPACT scholarships awarded — empowering first-generation and underrepresented students.
That’s $1,890,000 in scholarships and grants supporting our community, thanks to every Tahoe Donner member who contributed to the Giving Fund during the past decade.
LOOKING FORWARD, WITH YOUR SUPPORT: MATCHING FUNDS DOUBLE THE IMPACT
In this season of thanks and giving, your gift to support scholarship recipients and nonprofit grants will be doubled to make twice the impact.
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- ❤️ Give a one-time gift of any amount, and your gift will be doubled to make twice the impact right now.
- ❤️ Give a recurring gift – whether it’s $10, $100, or any amount that fits your budget – and you can help us build a strong foundation for the next decade. Dependable monthly donations allow the Giving Fund to plan confidently, sustain programs year-round and invest in more students like Lesly.
- ❤️ Give however is best for you: by credit card or check, IRA qualified charitable distribution, or donor advised funds, among others. Every donation is meaningful, and every donor is deeply appreciated.
Your ongoing generosity builds brighter futures – and keeps our community strong. As we celebrate Thanksgiving this year, let’s give thanks for the opportunity to change lives with the Tahoe Donner Giving Fund.
Thank you!
The Tahoe Donner Giving Fund Committee volunteers: Marcia Argyris, Melissa Welch Barker, Lisa Boyd, Carla Brown, Diane Campbell, Mary Fahey, Fred Hertlein, Nan Meek, Toni Moore, Betsy Noonen, Natalie Shea and Karen Stine
The Tahoe Donner Giving Fund Committee is chartered by the Tahoe Donner Board of Directors to carry out the mission of the Tahoe Donner Giving Fund: to inspire generosity and charitable giving among Tahoe Donner members in order to support deserving programs and youth in the greater Truckee Community.
The Tahoe Donner Giving Fund is administered as an affiliate fund of the Tahoe Truckee Community Foundation, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, EIN 68-0416404. All contributions are voluntary, irrevocable, and are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law. Tahoe Donner Giving Fund grants and scholarships are made through the Tahoe Truckee Community Foundation’s annual review process.
We are very grateful to Jaime Waltman Legare of Elements Mountain Co. for her support from the inception of the Giving Fund. As our Founding Partner, Elements donates $1 for each of their snow removal clients, totaling over $4,000 annually, to cover all our operating expenses thus making 100% of your contributions available for grants and scholarships.
The Tahoe Donner Giving Fund Committee also thanks the anonymous Tahoe Donner member who has generously funded the IMPACT Scholarships each year since 2019. ❤️