About Lucky Duck Foundation
To prevent and alleviate the suffering of homelessness throughout San Diego County.
Focus Areas
HomelessnessYouth homelessnessSenior homelessness / keeping seniors safe at homeShelters / emergency bedsJob training and employmentFood distribution and food rescueTransitional services and social enterprises (e.g., Timmy's Place)Research, advocacy, and public policy
Who They Fund
unsheltered people experiencing homelessnesshomeless youth and adolescentsveterans (experiencing mental health needs/homelessness)low-income / first-generation college students (scholarship recipients)
About Lucky Duck Foundation
Lucky Duck Foundation’s grantmaking is built around preventing and alleviating homelessness throughout San Diego County, with a strong tilt toward direct services, shelter capacity, and practical supports that help people stay housed or move indoors. One of its clearest patterns is backing programs for specific populations: transition-age youth, seniors, and unsheltered people. The foundation has funded startup work for VisTAY House, a 16-bed transitional housing project for transition-age youth in Vista operated by Urban Street Angels with the City of Vista. It has also supported Seniors Safe at Home with Serving Seniors and the San Diego Housing Commission, a program that uses shallow rental subsidies, case management, and employment navigation to keep older adults housed. For people living outside, the foundation has backed food, water, and outreach efforts through San Diego County Sheriffs and other local partners. Its recent grants also show a mix of emergency response and longer-term stabilization, from shelter-related support to job pathways, transitional services, and basic-needs distribution. The overall picture is a funder centered on local homelessness services with repeated investment in partner organizations that deliver tangible, immediate support.
What Lucky Duck Foundation Funds
A major theme in Lucky Duck Foundation’s giving is homelessness prevention for seniors. Through Seniors Safe at Home, it has funded shallow rental subsidies, case management, and employment navigation with Serving Seniors and the San Diego Housing Commission to help at-risk seniors remain housed. Youth homelessness is another recurring focus. The foundation provided startup funding for VisTAY House in Vista, a 16-bed transitional housing project for transition-age youth operated by Urban Street Angels in partnership with the City of Vista. It has also supported the Youth Assistance Coalition’s drop-in center work in San Diego. Basic needs and street outreach form a third strand. The foundation gave $463,354 to San Diego County Sheriffs for Food & Water for the Unsheltered, supporting outreach with food, water, sleeping bag coats, and hygiene kits. Job training appears as well, including support for Salvation Army’s homeless employment work.
How Lucky Duck Foundation Gives
Recent grants cluster around mid-sized awards: p25 is $22,541, median grant size is $41,833, and p75 is $99,050. The recent list also includes larger program awards, showing that the foundation uses both smaller operating support and larger, targeted commitments. The same recipients appear across multiple years, including San Diego Rescue Mission, Urban Street Angels, San Diego Continuing Ed, and the San Diego County Sheriffs, which points to recurring support rather than one-off giving. The foundation is a regular funder, and the grant record shows no individual giving and no program-related investments.
Financial Snapshot
Annual Giving
$3.8M
Total Assets
$14M
Total Revenue
$8M
Total Expenses
$6.1M
Typical Grant Size
Most grants fall between $23K and $99K, with a median of $42K.
25th Percentile
$23K
Median
$42K
75th Percentile
$99K
Geographic Reach
Local2 states funded
Funding intensity
LowHigh
Headquarters
Leadership
STEPHANIE KILKENNY
Accepts unsolicited proposals
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