Desert Community Foundation
Desert Community Foundation is a Form 990 public charity based in Palm Desert, California, serving the Coachella Valley. It describes itself as a philanthropic hub for local donors, nonprofits, and scholarship committees, and says it has served the valley since 1999.
Key facts about Desert Community Foundation
In short: Desert Community Foundation gave $948K across 27 grants in 2025 (avg $35K), mostly in California. 59% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990.
- EIN
- 95-4725924
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990, 2025
- Annual giving (2025)
- $947,735
- Grants made (2025)
- 27
- Average grant
- $35,101
- Median grant
- $25,000
- New grantees (estimate)
- 59% first-time grantees (16 of 27, 2025)
- Total assets
- $59,827,007
- Primary geography
- California (97% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
Data from IRS Form 990, 2025; updated September 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
Quick answers about Desert Community Foundation
How much does Desert Community Foundation give each year?
Desert Community Foundation gave $948K across 27 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990. In 2024 it gave $672K across 33 grants.
What is Desert Community Foundation's typical grant size?
Desert Community Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $25,000, and its average grant was $35,101, across 27 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990. Organizations receiving their first grant from Desert Community Foundation that year got $32K on average.
Where does Desert Community Foundation give grants?
Desert Community Foundation gives mostly in California: 97% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990 went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Palm Springs, CA (5 grants), Palm Desert, CA (4 grants), Los Angeles, CA (3 grants) and Indio, CA (2 grants).
Does Desert Community Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 100% of Desert Community Foundation's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (27 of 27) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990.
Who are Desert Community Foundation's largest grantees?
Desert Community Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Volleyball Newport Beach Inc ($150,000), Galilee Center ($114,109) and Hoag Charity Sports ($100,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990. Together they received 38% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
Is Desert Community Foundation open to new grantees?
59%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 16 of 27 grantees (59%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $32K; repeat grants $40K. How we count
Medians: $18K first-time, $30K repeat.
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990 filings (2020–2025). Recipient names are matched across years, so a renamed or misspelled grantee can look new; grants to individuals are left out. Methodology.
Next steps with Desert Community Foundation
- How to evaluate Desert Community Foundation as a funder
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Financial Overview
From 2025 IRS Form 990 · View filing
Total Assets
$59.8M
+18.8% YoY
Annual Giving
$948K
+41.0% YoY
Grant Count
27
-18.2% YoY
Avg Grant Size
$35K
+72.3% YoY
Mission & Focus Areas
The foundation’s stated mission is “to encourage and facilitate charitable giving in our desert communities.” It also describes its aim as contributing to a healthy, educated, and prosperous Coachella Valley.
Its 2025 grants included support for organizations whose own stated missions span different kinds of work. For example, Galilee Center says it provides food, clothing, and other basic needs to disadvantaged people; Voices for Children says it provides court-appointed special advocates for abused children; and Hidden Harvest describes itself as a produce-rescue organization that hires low-income farm workers to glean produce. These are the grantees’ missions, not stated program areas of the foundation.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, the foundation reported 27 grants totaling $947,735. Grants ranged from $5,010 to $150,000, with a median of $25,000. The listed grants were for general support.
How to Apply
for organizations seeking direct grants.
Ready to take the next step with Desert Community Foundation?
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The foundation says it serves Coachella Valley communities including Palm Springs, Desert Hot Springs, Thousand Palms, Cathedral City, Rancho Mirage, Palm Desert, Bermuda Dunes, Indian Wells, La Quinta, Indio, Coachella, Thermal, Mecca, and Oasis. In 2025, 97% of reported grant dollars went to recipients in California and 3% to recipients in Florida.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of all 27 itemized 2025 grant dollars.
Cities
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants reported |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $59,827,007 | $12,604,976 | $5,995,765 | $947,735 |
| 2024 | $50,379,669 | $12,638,234 | $4,651,034 | $672,231 |
| 2023 | $42,394,865 | $10,535,887 | $4,826,770 | $206,654 |
| Metric | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Assets | $59,827,007 | $50,379,669 | $42,394,865 |
| Revenue | $12,604,976 | $12,638,234 | $10,535,887 |
| Expenses | $5,995,765 | $4,651,034 | $4,826,770 |
| Qualifying Distributions | — | — | — |
| Net Investment Income | $2,017,190 | $1,192,358 | $639,213 |
| Distributable Amount | — | — | — |
Data update history
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS December 17, 2021)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS May 6, 2022)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS May 12, 2023)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS May 15, 2024)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS May 13, 2025)
- Added Form 990 for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 14, 2026)
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
Grant Insights
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
Grant Size Distribution
121 grants across all recorded years
Giving History
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| VOLLEYBALL NEWPORT BEACH INC Newport Beach, CA | GENERAL SUPPORT | $150,000 |
| GALILEE CENTER Mecca, CA | GENERAL SUPPORT | $114,109 |
| HOAG CHARITY SPORTS Irvine, CA | GENERAL SUPPORT | $100,000 |
| NEWPORT BEACH INDEPENDENT Laguna Beach, CA | GENERAL SUPPORT | $75,000 |
| VOICES FOR CHILDREN San Diego, CA | GENERAL SUPPORT | $57,178 |
| ANIMAL SAMARITANS Thousand Palms, CA | GENERAL SUPPORT | $54,853 |
| EISENHOWER HEALTH FOUNDATION Rancho Mirage, CA | GENERAL SUPPORT | $52,635 |
| MARTHA'S VILLAGE AND KITCHEN Indio, CA | GENERAL SUPPORT | $34,044 |
| CSUSB PHILANTHROPIC FOUNDATION San Bernardino, CA | GENERAL SUPPORT | $30,000 |
| BOYS & GIRLS CLUB OF COACHELLA Palm Desert, CA | GENERAL SUPPORT | $29,211 |
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Dorothy Hamilton as a board member and officer, and Sandra M. Comrie, Ricardo Loretta, Rosalin Schiller, Dan Kirby, Edward Tauber, Steve Birdwell, and Greg Sanders as board members. Jack Shakely is listed as board member emeritus. The foundation’s website identifies Manuel Arrendondo as chairman and Mary Panesar as executive director.
Desert Community Foundation is led by Mary C. Panesar, Executive Director & Secretary on every filing since 2020; 1 of 13 officers listed in 2025 is compensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Mary C. Panesar
Executive Director & Secretary
On filings since 2020
40 hrs/week
$83K (2020) → $133K (2025)
Manuel Arredondo
Chairman & Officer
Board Member → Chairman & Officer, 2025
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Dan Kirby
Board Member
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Dorothy Hamilton
Board Member & Officer
Board Member → Board Member & Officer, 2025
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Edward Tauber
Board Member
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Jack Shakely
Board Member Emeritus
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Ricardo Loretta
Board Member
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Rosalin Schiller
Board Member
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Sandra M. Comrie
Board Member
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Steve Birdwell
Board Member
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Greg Sanders
Board Member
On filings since 2022
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Jeff Gonzalez
Board Member
On filings since 2022
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Bruce Bahneman
Board Member
New on the 2025 filing
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (1)
- Former: Richard R. Oliphant (2020–2024) — Chairman & Board Member
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2020–2025. "On filings since" is the earliest filing we hold that lists the person; hours are average hours per week as reported.
Compensation Overview
From 2025 IRS filing
Contact
Mailing address: 75105 Merle Drive 300, Palm Desert, CA 92211
Phone: (760) 674-9080
Website: https://desertfoundation.org
Subject Areas
Focus areas based on grantmaking activity
Frequently Asked Questions
What does Desert Community Foundation fund?
The foundation’s stated mission is “to encourage and facilitate charitable giving in our desert communities.” It also describes its aim as contributing to a healthy, educated, and prosperous Coachella Valley. Its 2025 grants included support for organizations whose own stated missions span different kinds of work. For example, Galilee Center says it provides food, clothing, and other basic needs to disadvantaged people; Voices for Children says it provides court-appointed special advocates for …
How do I apply for a grant from Desert Community Foundation?
In filing year 2025, the foundation reported 27 grants totaling $947,735. Grants ranged from $5,010 to $150,000, with a median of $25,000. The listed grants were for general support. The largest reported awards included $150,000 to Volleyball Newport Beach Inc., $114,109 to Galilee Center, $100,000 to Hoag Charity Sports, $75,000 to Newport Beach Independent, and $57,178 to Voices for Children. Other recipients included Animal Samaritans ($54,853), Eisenhower Health Foundation ($52,635), Martha…
What is Desert Community Foundation's EIN?
Desert Community Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 95-4725924. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in Desert Community Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Data last updated September 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990 filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.