The biggest news in 2024 is the ROSE BOWL DANCE! Click here to get information on this upcoming event! Meanwhile, LCF is working on several other projects for Larkspur!

Moving into our second decade!

Over our first ten years we made more than 50 grants ranging in size from $250 to $10,000, for a variety of needs from emergency radios for the Fire Department to Movies in the Park. Our recipients were also wide ranging from the Larkspur Community Clinic to the Lark Theater.

In 2023 our focus was on beautification. Along with our ongoing support of Native Bloom*, we  granted funds to the Larkspur Community Garden, including a committment for future support. We  also brought together the City, Refugia Marin and Native Bloom to relandscape the Downtown Parking Lot.  We are asking Golden Gate Transit to update the old bus stop. LCF has connected community members working to improve and beautify local parks and public spaces including Dolliver (Dark) Park, Hamilton Park, Heatherwood Park, public medians, and Piper Park.

We sponsored four music events in Piper Park last summer. In September LCF again sponsored the Chamber of Commerce Wine Stroll, providing sponsorship funds and all the volunteer staff for the event.

LCF continues our commitment to improving Larkspur’s emergency readiness with projects such as:
  • Providing funds to purchase thermal imaging cameras to assist Central Marin Fire in locating hidden fires and victims needing rescue. These cameras have already been put to use in locating victims of a fire.
  • Collaborating with local partners to place a mobile CERT trailer at Bon Air Center, a good example of LCF’s ability to bring together local partnerships to answer community needs.
  • Serving as fiscal sponsors for several Neighborhood Response Groups (NRGs) to assist in their fund raising. These  neighborhood volunteer groups are preparing our community to cope with emergencies, especially important as fire threats worsen. We are serving as fiscal sponsor so they can accept tax-deductible donations and our Disaster Preparedness Fund is providing grants for specific disaster preparedness projects.
  • Most recently, awarding a grant to the Central Marin Fire Department for personnel training for dealing with post traumatic stress, a serious concern of first reponders everywhere.
We also have committed funds to:
  • Support the King Street Senior House run by Homeward Bound. This facility successfully houses homeless seniors and transitions them into permanent housing in the community. Since opening they have successfully rehoused dozens of seniors.
  • Redwood Safe and Sober Night, giving graduating high school students a place to celebrate safely.

*Native Bloom is a project planting and maintaining native plants in medians around town.

LCF responded to the COVID crisis beginnning in 2020 with:

  • Grants to Local Schools Impacted by Covid: The Foundation approached each of our local school districts in 2020, asking if we could help meet their unanticipated needs due to the pandemic.
    • A grant was given to the Larkspur-Corte Madera School District to provide academic support, childcare and intervention to neediest students and families. A second grant for additional support was granted early in 2021.
    • A grant was given to the Kentfield School District, which partners with Marin Enrichment, to provide childcare for essential workers and students by operating learning hubs for those who qualified for free or reduced lunches.
    • To San Andreas High School, a grant provided additional counselling support to assist students to better navigate the pandemic’s impact on their mental health.
  • One of our largest grants to date was a challenge grant to kickoff the Small Business Emergency Fund organized by the Larkspur Chamber of Commerce. We granted $10,000.00 to start the fundraising campaign resulting in $51,000 being raised. Grants were disbursed to 33 business owners. All funds raised went directly to small business merchants in Larkspur/Greenbrae.
  • Marin Community Clinics
    • The Larkspur Community Foundation awarded a grant to the Larkspur and Greenbrae Community Clinics to help meet the clinics’ increased needs during the COVID-19 pandemic.The clinics provide primary care, behavioral health and dental care to low-income residents.  The Larkspur clinic sees over 14,000 people per year and the Greenbrae Clinic just recently opened. Clinic costs increased significantly as a result of COVID-19.  To stay open and stay safe, the clinics have had to greatly increase expenditures for physical barriers, extra cleaning services, extra cleaning supplies and personal protective equipment.  All of these purchases were unexpected costs for 2020 and not in clinic budgets.
  • Schurig Center for Brain Injury Recovery received grants from LCF to help them successfully develop their remote services in response to problems created by the pandemic.

 

Please help us continue to support our community by donating. Use the button in the upper right or find out more by clicking here.

We also accept stock donations; information is available here or contact us by email at treasurer@larkspurcommunityfoundation.org  or by mail at P.O. Box 43, Larkspur, CA 94977-0043

There are lots of ideas about what the future will be and how we will get there.  We welcome your ideas and comments and we thank you for your support !

 

Board Members Sandy Blauvelt, Larry Chu, and Laura Anderson represented LCF  in the 2022 parade with Joanie Connor in her fabulous 1956 t-bird! We were named Business of the Year by the City and the Chamber of Commerce and we received a Bank of Marin Spirit of Marin award in 2020!

 

Click here to Donate to LCF