TRUCKEE, Calif. — Tahoe Truckee Community Foundation (TTCF) is evolving its community grantmaking. The 2025 Trust-Based Community Grantmaking awarded $485,000 in unrestricted grants to 60 local nonprofits. TTCF removed the competitive application process this year to reduce the administrative burden on nonprofits and reinforce its commitment to responsive, equitable philanthropy. Joining this process, TTCF’s longtime funding partner, the Martis Fund, awarded additional Nature Fund-specific grants to fund a total of $100,000. “As we’re in this moment and working through as much as we all are, I wanted to say thank you. Thank you for leaning into your partnerships and the community. Stepping forward as you are in the direction of strength-based philanthropy is a breath of fresh air and wind in our sails as we navigate through all that is coming at us. Thank you. I’m grateful to be standing with you for our kids, our families, and our community,” Seth Ehrlich, Chief Executive Officer, SOS Outreach. Guided by extensive nonprofit input through conversations, focus groups, and collaborative work this year, TTCF heard clearly: competitive cycles can drain capacity and limit flexibility. This is especially true with uncertainty around government regulations and funding that programs have relied on for years. In response, TTCF provided unrestricted grants that nonprofits can use where they are needed most to benefit Tahoe-Truckee. TTCF’s rigorous due diligence included analyzing years of qualitative and quantitative data to ensure equitable and effective funding. TTCF and funders across the US saw success in responding to the COVID-19 crisis by distributing grants without a traditional application. In 2024, Caldwell joined the Institute for the Future’s Foresight Essentials for Philanthropy three-day workshop, which challenged leaders to reimagine philanthropic tools for a changing world. Caldwell asked, “How do we remove the competitive nature from grantmaking?” The TTCF team dove into the work she started. Since 1998, TTCF has awarded $48 million in grants and scholarships, fueling critical community priorities. Looking ahead, TTCF will expand this evolution in 2026, integrating the lessons of this transitional year and deepening its role as a thought leader in resilient, long-term philanthropy.

TRUCKEE, Calif. — The Tahoe Truckee Community Foundation (TTCF), an organization dedicated to building a resilient community and environment, has awarded $520,100 in Workforce Scholarships to 27 local students pursuing in-demand careers that serve the Tahoe-Truckee region. The Workforce Scholarships support advanced education and certifications in fields such as education, vocational and technical trades, aviation, and science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). TTCF says the awards address an urgent need for skilled professionals in a community where the cost of living is 73% higher than the U.S. average and housing affordability remains a persistent challenge. Seventeen of the recipients are first-generation college students and the average award was $19,263 per student. For recipient Natalie Diaz, TTFC’s $25,000 award meant more than just tuition assistance. It represented a way to stay in Tahoe and work toward solving the housing crisis. Diaz, who recently earned an associate degree in construction management at Sierra College, plans to pursue a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering with a minor in construction management. “I know what that struggle feels like, and I want to be part of the solution,” Diaz told TTCF. “Professionally, it’s about building a career where my work directly improves people’s lives and strengthens the community.” Diaz hopes to design and build affordable housing solutions that will allow working families to live and thrive in Tahoe for generations to come.   For Denisse Vega Zarate, a former and now current TTCF scholarship recipient, education has always meant more than personal achievement, it is a calling rooted in her own journey and the stories of others. In 2018, Vega Zarate received TTFC’s Jackson Ferree Scholarship. Unlike many awards based on grades or accolades, this $20,000 scholarship recognizes qualities such as kindness, independence and generosity of spirit. For Vega Zarate, it provided not only the chance to pursue her undergraduate degree but also the affirmation that compassion and authenticity are as worthy of recognition. After graduating, Vega Zarate returned to North Tahoe-Truckee, where she now serves as housing coordinator at Sierra Community House. When she began considering graduate school, Vega Zarate set her sights high: Harvard University. As an immigrant from Paredones, Mexico, and the first in her family to attend college, the financial reality of that dream once felt out of reach. A few weeks ago, she received $60,000 in support, $50,000 from TTCF’s Workforce Scholarship fund and $10,000 from the S.H.E. Foundation, making Harvard possible. “In five years, I see myself conducting education research and, through my work, influencing change in education policy,” Vega Zarate told TTCF. “I am especially interested in the intersection of migration and education, and I want my work to create more pathways for immigrant students to succeed academically.” This fall, Vega Zarate will begin her Harvard journey, diving into research on how immigrant students navigate the U.S. education system. This fall, Vega Zarate will begin her Harvard journey, diving into research on how immigrant students navigate the U.S. education system. Since 2022, TTCF has partnered with a growing number of local donors, foundations, and businesses to meet regional workforce needs. In 2025, recipients received funding through the following scholarships: Al and Josie Noyes Workforce Medical Scholarship – Assists future healthcare professionals committed to serving the Tahoe-Truckee community. Al and Josie Noyes Workforce Vocational Scholarship – Supports students preparing for skilled vocational careers in the medical field. Anna Jane Ellis Scholarship – For students transferring from a two-year to a four-year degree, honoring Dr. Ellis’s career in higher education and commitment to mentorship. Martis Camp Foundation Workforce Scholarships – Funds education in vocational and career technical trades to prepare students for high-demand, sustainable careers. S.H.E. Foundation Workforce Scholarships – Supports students in education and teaching fields that advance leadership, fairness, and opportunity. Steve Shippy Vocational Scholarship – Awarded to students pursuing training in high-demand vocational trades serving the local community. TDPUD Annual Utility Operations Workforce Scholarship Lineman Award – Supports students pursuing trade and vocational skills to maintain reliable electric and water utilities. TTAD Aviation/STEM Career Path Scholarship – Funds training and education for careers in aviation and STEM-related industries. TTCF Workforce Scholarships – Awarded to students preparing for roles essential to meeting the region’s most pressing workforce needs.

TRUCKEE, Calif. — The Tahoe Truckee Community Foundation (TTCF) 2025 Workforce Scholarship program awarded $520,100 to 40 local students pursuing in-demand careers that benefit the Tahoe-Truckee region. Seventeen recipients are first-generation college students, and the average total award per student was $19,263. Workforce Scholarships support advanced education or certification in fields such as education, vocational and technical trades, aviation, and science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). These awards help address the urgent need for skilled professionals in a community where the cost of living is 73% higher than the U.S. average and housing affordability remains a challenge. Since 2022, TTCF has partnered with a growing number of local donors, foundations, and businesses to address regional workforce needs. In 2025, recipients benefited from support from the following scholarships:

• Al and Josie Noyes Workforce Medical Scholarship – Assisting future healthcare professionals committed to serving the Tahoe-Truckee community.
• Al and Josie Noyes Workforce Vocational Scholarship – Supporting students preparing for skilled vocational careers that meet local workforce needs.
• Anna Jane Ellis Scholarship – For students transferring from a two-year to a four-year degree, honoring Dr. Ellis’s career in higher education and commitment to mentorship.
• Martis Camp Foundation Workforce Scholarships – Funding education in vocational and career technical trades to prepare students for sustainable, high-demand careers.
• S.H.E. Foundation Workforce Scholarships – Supporting students in fields that advance leadership, fairness, and opportunity in the workforce.
• Steve Shippy Vocational Scholarship – Awarded to students pursuing training in high-demand vocational trades that directly serve the community.
• TDPUD Annual Utility Operations Workforce Scholarship Lineman Award – Supporting students pursuing trade and vocational skills that keep electric and water utilities operating reliably.
• TTAD Aviation/STEM Career Path Scholarship – Funding training and education for careers in aviation and STEM-related industries.
• TTCF Workforce Scholarships – Awarded to students preparing for roles identified as essential to meeting the region’s most pressing workforce needs.

Tahoe Truckee Community Foundation (TTCF) brings together trusted partners to align strategies and inspire philanthropy to nurture a resilient community and environment. For more than 25 years, TTCF has served North Tahoe-Truckee by aligning its work with community priorities. Through grantmaking, scholarships, donor-advised funds, impact investments, and strategic initiatives, TTCF leverages relationships and resources to benefit the people and places of our region. Learn more at http://www.ttcf.net.

What exactly is "affordable housing"?

TRUCKEE, Calif. – Last week, the Tahoe Truckee Community Foundation (TTCF) awarded a $1 million grant to the Sierra Institute for Community and Environment—the biggest grant that TTCF has directed in its history. The money will go towards the Sierra Institute’s Mosaic Timber operation to help thin the area’s overcrowded forests, create a forest economy, and offer a new building material called Cross-Laminated Timber.

LAKE TAHOE, Calif./Nev. – The Wá∙šiw (Washoe) are a sovereign tribal nation who are the original inhabitants of DáɁaw Ɂága (Lake Tahoe) and its surrounding areas. Lake Tahoe is the Tribe’s most sacred place, and they consider it a living entity that needs to be honored and protected. Now, The Washoe Tribe of Nevada and California, a formally recognized tribal government, has secured the funding it needs to establish a full-time Community Liaison. This liaison will represent its voice at community meetings and decision-making tables for the next three years.

TRUCKEE, Calif.  – [Correction: The informational workshop is on June 27 at 3:00pm, register here.]  Tahoe Truckee Community Foundation is working again with the Truckee Tahoe Airport District on their 2024 Agency Partnership Program. The Agency Partnership Program proudly supports larger, regional projects and programs between local nonprofits and partnering regional public agencies with awards of $5,000 or more. Projects must align with TTAD’s public purpose and their mission to provide safe, high-quality services and facilities, reduce impact on airport neighbors and the environment, and invest in opportunities that increase community safety and provide sustained benefit to the entire Truckee Tahoe region.

From May 15 - June 30, 2024, individuals pursuing in-demand careers are invited to apply to Tahoe Truckee Community Foundation's Workforce Scholarships. Eligibility and requirements are available at www.ttcf.net/scholarships/.  Since 2022, TTCF has brought together generous donors to help address workforce development in key careers such as education, STEM (science, technology, education, and mathematics), aviation, and vocational pathways. These are the stories behind the donors investing in our shared future.

TRUCKEE, Calif. – There is a severe shortage of housing options in Truckee and while Accessory Dwelling Units might not be the only way to solve the crisis, it is a solution that could make a dent in the problem. Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) stand as compact, independent dwellings situated on the same property as the primary residence. They offer essential living amenities like a kitchen, bathroom, and sleeping area. These units present a practical solution to the pressing demand for affordable, diverse, and accessible housing in our region, potentially playing a pivotal role in expanding long-term workforce rental options and providing an additional housing choice.

On Dec. 17, 2023, nine Tahoe Truckee community members were honored for their commitment, fearlessness and imagination in their work, craft, art, and sport. This was the inaugural class of the Jeff Hamilton Legacy Fund Juniper Awards. The fund recognizes community members across six categories: art, music/writing, community impact, trades, medical care, and winter Olympics. In the last months of his life, Truckee local, Jeff Hamilton, worked with his family and the Tahoe Truckee Community Foundation to create the Jeff Hamilton Legacy Fund, a philanthropic fund that would allow him to continue to give after he was gone.

TAHOE CITY, Calif. – The Placer County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday approved the acceptance of $175,000 in grant funding for the development of a Defensible Space Fuels Reduction Program, aimed at assisting low-income senior and disabled residents in eastern Placer County. The program will provide qualifying residents with assistance to improve defensible space around their homes and properties to reduce the risk of loss of life and property in the event of a wildfire. The funding is made possible by the Tahoe Truckee Community Foundation’s Forest Futures program.

[Sierra Sun, December 15, 2023] Homelessness has grown more prevalent and visible each year in the Truckee North Tahoe region. There are several factors at play in our region that contribute to the growth of homelessness, such as lack of affordable housing, high housing and living costs, and the need for service-paying jobs in a tourist-based economy [...] TTCF and other local agencies are working collaboratively to house more of our neighbors.

TRUCKEE, Calif. – The Truckee Chamber of Commerce is excited to announce the opening of the 2023 application cycle for the Truckee Core Values Fund.

TRUCKEE, Calif. – Forest Futures, a Tahoe Truckee Community Foundation initiative, is pleased to announce the implementation of the Truckee North Tahoe Forest Management Program. Established in 2022, the TNTFMP pilot program was created to assist private, forested property owners with wildfire resilience efforts. It has been made possible by a $1.9 million grant through the CAL FIRE Wildfire Resilience Block Grant Program.... read more. 

The Community Collaborative of Tahoe Truckee, a program of the Tahoe Truckee Community Foundation, announced the recipients of its annual awards in its monthly partner meeting. The awards recognize the hard work and important contributions of dedicated partners, who work to address the fundamental needs of families in the North Tahoe Truckee region.

Give Back Tahoe, the end-of-year giving campaign hosted by the Tahoe Truckee Community Foundation, kicks off on Giving Tuesday and lasts through through Dec. 13. When donating during this time, you can increase the chances of your favorite nonprofit winning a challenge grant from the $50,000 in awards raised by TTCF.