History
The SG Foundation was founded by Stuart C. Gildred Sr. along with co-founders Richard Kieding and William Sauer in 1984. From its inception the goal of the SG Foundation has been to help the less fortunate of the world to live better lives using the strong Judeo-Christian values of the founders as guidelines.
Stuart Gildred Sr. was the sole Trustee and President of the SG Foundation until May 26, 2001 when he passed away to be with our Lord. Prior to his passing Mr. Gildred appointed seven new trustees to carry on the work of the foundation. Richard Kieding, William Sauer, Joseph Lambert, and John Donati were already serving SG Foundation as an Advisory Board, assisting Mr. Gildred with grant and administrative decisions. They all accepted Mr. Gildred's request to become trustees. Additionally, Mr. Gildred asked his wife Lynn Gildred, son Stuart C. Gildred Jr., and business associate Russell Fraser to become trustees and they gladly accepted the responsibility. These seven individuals served the foundation on a voluntary basis with dedication and sincere compassion for the poor of the world.
With the passing of Stuart C. Gildred Sr., Richard Kieding became our second President of the SG Foundation. He retired in 2005 and was appointed a lifetime honorary trustee by unanimous vote. Richard Kieding continues to attend board meetings and shares the wisdom of his philanthropic experiences. In 2007 Russell Fraser submitted his resignation which was accepted with sadness. In 2008 we welcomed John Crowell as a new trustee and in 2009 Duane Serritslev became the ninth person elected to the position of trustee of the SG Foundation.
William Sauer was elected president in 2005 and served two three year terms. His leadership and deep understanding of the vision of Stuart C. Gildred Sr. proved invaluable in guiding the SG Foundation in recent years. In April 2011 Lynn Gildred was elected as the fourth SG Foundation president. She is looking forward to leading the Foundation and is grateful to William Sauer for serving as her Vice-President in the transition years.
Early in the history of SG Foundation certain guidelines were established by Stuart Gildred Sr. He decided that a small private foundation must of necessity limit itself in terms of grant consideration. He was opposed, for example, to funding large research projects or HIV/AIDS programs. Another firm rule was established by Mr. Gildred: although Judeo-Christian values guide the decisions of the Foundation trustees, no grants will be awarded for the sole or primary purpose of proselytizing. Mr. Gildred was most interested in smaller organizations that were committed to and capable of providing humanitarian services to the poor, especially long term development projects. He was partial to NGOs that might otherwise have difficulty obtaining funding. And, since the poorest of the poor are more readily found outside the boundaries of the United States, the majority of the annual grant budget was designated for international programs. As time passed grant and proposal guidelines were clarified. See our current Grant Focus Area and Proposal Guidelines sections for the current grant guidelines.
Most of the grants awarded by the SG Foundation can be described by one of the following categories: community development, agricultural development, adult literacy and youth education programs, village banking programs that promote entrepreneurial efforts, medical care, health and nutrition training, job training, and clean water projects. Some examples of recent grants follow.
The SG Foundation has enjoyed a long partnership with an organization in Honduras that provides services to the poor in almost all of the categories cited above. In recent years the funding has focused on an agro-industrial project which entails bringing water from the highlands to over 800 farming families in the lowlands in addition to providing agricultural training, harvesting assistance, packaging facilities, and marketing tools.
Several grants have been awarded to an agency to cover the initial costs of textbooks or computer labs for elementary schools in rural Guatemala. The program is self-sustaining once the initial funding is provided as students and parents contribute a small sum toward the inevitable time when the textbooks or computers must be replaced. As a result of these programs thousands of students have been able to advance their education. Another agency in Guatemala received a series of grants for a medical program which provides onsite treatment for patients living in the highlands and also works with indigenous people who travel from faraway villages to learn about anatomy, rudimentary healthcare, and treatment of common ailments. Without these health promoters many rural residents would not have any medical help.
In the Chiapas area of Mexico a grant was given to a program teaching impoverished Indians about proper nutrition and physical stimulation for children.
Haiti has long been a focus for SG Foundation grants as this is the poorest country in our hemisphere. We have worked with programs that establish relationships with rural peasant organizations to improve agricultural practices as well as helping to identify viable vocations outside the major cities. Some grants focus on early education and some on the problem of malnutrition. One organization received funding for an Akamil mill and another for teaching farmers to produce the ingredients for Nourimil. Other grants support clean water projects and basic health services.
In California the SG Foundation focuses on the central region of the state. In 2005 a student scholarship was established in memory of Stuart C. Gildred Sr., and it is funded annually. Several California programs receiving assistance work with developmentally challenged adults and at risk youth (vocational opportunities and leadership training). We have provided assistance for expansion of meals programs for the poor and for training of Christian urban leaders who move into impoverished neighborhoods and serve as tutors to children and more.
SG Foundation grants are issued in varying amounts but average $15,000 per grant. The Trustees approve grant amounts based upon the proven need for funding and the foundation’s ability to help.
Geographically the foundation focuses on countries in Central America, Mexico, Haiti and the Dominican Republic internationally and Central California locally. Please see Grant Focus Area for more details.
