Marin Gives Back: 2023 Guide to Our Nonprofit Partners

There are more than a few worthy nonprofits in Marin; here are a few of those organizations highlighted. If you’re looking for more, check out our comprehensive listings of nonprofits in Marin here, showing how much of a difference each dollar you give makes.

North Bay Children’s Center

For 34 years NBCC has helped thousands of families give their kids the very best start during the most critical and formative years of development. Its programs offer affordable childcare and early education that builds the foundation for lifelong success.

This year, 630 extremely low-income families were able to continue to live and work in this area because of NBCC’s tuition subsidy program.

Our economic future depends on developing a highly educated, skilled workforce. Early childhood education is the most efficient way to accomplish this goal, yet so many children are being left out of this system.

Programs like NBCC demonstrate ‘spillover’ effects that directly benefit communities by addressing children’s problems early in life rather than later, when solutions are more expensive and less effective. 

When we reduce the educational achievement disparities caused by poverty and other early risk factors, we reduce the need for remedial program and criminal justice spending.

NBCC has proven its ability to significantly improve the outcomes for so many disadvantaged children. Each child and family that is served today has a greater chance of future success through NBCC’s school-readiness strategies, childcare subsidies, and award-winning nutrition education program. But they can’t do it without you. Make a gift today.

932 C St, Novato CA, 415-883-6222

North Marin Community Services

“I get to go places that I would never get to go to!”

North Marin Community Services provide opportunities for everyone in our community to be healthy and successful. Last year, 10,579 children, adults, and seniors accessed essential services and basic needs support, including:

  • Emergency rental assistance
  • Free and low-cost mental health therapy
  • Childcare and youth enrichment
  • Weekly food pantry
  • Leadership training for Latine adults
  • Holiday gifts through the Holiday Share Program.

A merged organization of Novato Youth Center and Novato Human Needs Center, North Marin Community Services has been rooted in the community since 1972, serving over 200,000 people in our 50 years.

North Marin Community Services was awarded the Heart of Marin Achievement in Nonprofit Excellence Award from the Center for Volunteer and Nonprofit Leadership in January 2022 and has a 4/4 Star rating from Charity Navigator.

Everyone deserves a chance to succeed in a strong community with opportunities for all. Make a donation, purchase holiday gifts from a child’s wish list, or volunteer at www.northmarincs.org. Thank you!

680 Wilson Avenue, Novato, CA 94947, (415) 892-1643, [email protected]

Marin Foster Care Association

The mission of the Marin Foster Care Association (MFCA) is to provide comprehensive resources that inspire and empower the foster care community. Their programs directly impact the well-being of high-risk children; provide essential support to resource families; and address community-wide systemic needs to improve outcomes for children in foster care.

MFCA provides a range of resources to reduce the trauma and disruption of family separation suffered by these children. Their Opportunity Project provides grants for academic and extracurricular activities to ease a child’s transition into a new home and school offering foster youth equal opportunity to thrive. For youth aging out of foster care, MFCA provides special support, including automobiles and housing, continuing education assistance, and one-on-one coaching to guide them on their path to independence.

From a fully stocked resource center, to training and mentoring, MFCA provides a continuum of support to help resource families provide comfort, security, and stability for the children in their care.

10,000 Degrees

10,000 Degrees supports students from low-income backgrounds go to and through college and beyond. Since 1981, the organization has helped over 20,000 students graduate from college and awarded more than $90 million in scholarships.

We believe in the potential of all students and have no GPA requirement to participate. 100% of students are from low-income backgrounds, 93% are BIPOC, and 92% are first-gen.

10,000 Degrees connects students with recently graduated, near-peer fellows, who share lived experiences and provide deep content expertise, resources, and 1:1 support. Their strong community college program provides broad transfer support, and their wraparound support is customized to meet the needs of students, schools, and communities.

The organization’s alumni are transforming the world as doctors, lawyers, educators, social activists, entrepreneurs, and more. Many come full circle as 10,000 Degrees fellows, employers and internship providers, or become volunteers and mentors through the Career Success program.

If you believe in the power of education, 10,000 Degrees is one of the best investments you can make. Support students in Marin and throughout the Bay Area at 10000degrees.org/marin-gives.

1401 Los Gamos Drive, Suite 205, San Rafael, CA 94903, 415.451.4016

Nice Guys in Our Community

Nice Guys Delivery is beyond thankful to have served our local community here in Marin for the last six years. They have been able to support a number of local non-Profits and causes they deeply care about. Most recently, they teamed up with Zero Breast Cancer to hike the Dipsea trail, helping to raise over $100,000 for breast cancer research in late September. Another organization dear to Nice Guys is Marin’s Center for Domestic Peace (C4DP), for whom the Founder, Monica Gray, sits on the board of directors. C4DP’s comprehensive community effort to end domestic violence in Marin County has played a pivotal role in keeping our community safe. Their longest partnership has been with The Pacific Pediatric Neuro-oncology Consortium Foundation (PNOC). The PNOC Foundation is determined to improve outcomes for children with brain cancer. “Raising more funds for more research means we can help in the fight for more innovative therapy. That’s what this is all about at the end of the day. Helping as many children as we can.” — Monica Gray, COO Nice Guys Delivery

415.855.5914

Marin Community Clinics

Marin Community Clinics is the largest nonprofit community health center in Marin, providing compassionate care for nearly 40,000 people. They take great pride in caring for Marin’s most vulnerable and anyone that needs them – regardless of their ability to pay.

“We are committed to a team-based care model and are constantly working to increase and expand our service lines,” says Dr. Melanie Thompson, Chief Medical Officer. “The more we can bring to our clinics, the more accessible we make needed care to those we serve – we’re reducing barriers to care.”

For the organization’s diverse patient community (including young children, teens, older adults, and entire families), the comprehensive care provided is invaluable and life changing. The clinics offers a full range of integrated primary health care, dentistry, behavioral health, obstetrics & gynecology, optometry, and many more important specialty services.
Marin Community Clinics are not simply responding – they’re taking action to address the needs of our community for years to come. Health care is empowering. Your support boosts access to care and changes lives for the better. Each gift to the clinics has a tremendous impact on health equity in Marin County. Learn more at marinclinic.org and scan the code to give today.

P.O. Box 5008, Novato, CA 94948

Dutra Museum Foundation Supports NBCC’s Bright Futures Project

Pictured: Susan Gilmore, CEO North Bay Children’s Center, Janet Bennett, Dutra Museum Director, Shannon Pasquan and Patty Dutra of The Dutra Group with NBCC preschool children

In Marin, there is a widening gap between children growing up in strong, economically secure families — within thriving communities — and children who are not. Our economic future depends on developing a highly educated, skilled workforce. Early childhood education is the most efficient way to accomplish this goal, yet so many children are being left out of this system.

The Bright Futures project will enable NBCC to double the number of children served at this site, provide meeting space for the broader community, a community garden for neighboring residents and training to countless ECE professionals in our Garden of Eatin’® Learning Lab.

Honoring the work and wishes of Edward and Deolinda Dutra, The Dutra Museum Foundation is passionately committed to education, supporting programs like the North Bay Children’s Center, and investing in our children’s future potential.

Whether its raising funds through their annual golf tournament, giving scholarships to deserving high school students, or providing in-kind materials for community projects, their support is making an impact and helping kids get the tools they need for academic success.

(415) 258-6876

Kirsten Stein — Lyme Warrior and Prevention Advocate

Marin resident Kirsten Stein came to Bay Area Lyme Foundation while looking for a community that understood her journey to a diagnosis. As a very active CrossFitter, mountain biker and trail runner, when she became ill, she knew something was seriously wrong; she wasn’t “just a stressed-out mom or someone that was allergic to spinach.” Eventually diagnosed with Lyme, bartonella, ehriclia and babesia, she wanted to find a way to make sure no one else she knew would ever have to suffer from the debilitating bite of a tick.

Once she understood how a defective ELISA blood test could have changed how her disease progressed, she wanted to find hope and inspiration with an organization that was also looking for answers: an accurate diagnostic test that makes the disease easy to diagnose, and eventually a treatment that makes it simple to cure.

Not enough doctors are looking for Lyme disease in California. Most, if not all, are using an antiquated test to look for the disease. Several doctors told her: “It doesn’t exist in our state.”

Never one to shy away from solving a problem, Kirsten became an advocate and a resource, spreading awareness through social media, bringing Bay Area Lyme speaker events to Marin and educating schoolteachers and doctors, even if only one conversation at a time. Because of her efforts, Kirsten now serves on the advisory board of the foundation. She lives in Greenbrae with her husband, two children and their dog Cruz.