The South Lake Tahoe Tourism District directs almost all of its funding to supporting and promoting tourism on the South Shore, primarily by funding destination marketing and visitor services and by improving visitor mobility and event programming. The foundation’s giving is highly concentrated: a single grantee, the Lake Tahoe Visitors Authority, receives the vast majority of funds for destination marketing, while smaller recurring grants support public transportation for visitors and tourism-related community events; occasional one-off community relief (e.g., food assistance during COVID) appears as a secondary priority. Overall, their philanthropy is place-based and operationally focused on sustaining the tourism economy in South Lake Tahoe.
The South Lake Tahoe Tourism District puts nearly all of its grantmaking behind tourism on the South Shore, with four grants to the Lake Tahoe Visitors Authority totaling more than $12 million across 2023, 2024, and 2025 for promoting tourism. That recurring relationship is the clearest marker of how the district funds: it concentrates large awards on destination marketing and visitor services rather than spreading support broadly across many grantees. Smaller grants show the same place-based focus. In 2024, the district gave $50,000 to the Boys and Girls Club S Lake Tahoe for promoting tourism through special event programming, linking youth and community activity to visitor draw. It also made a $10,000 emergency food-assistance grant to Raleys Store 119 for families during COVID, which stands out as a limited direct-relief use within an otherwise tourism-centered pattern. The district’s profile is operational and regional, with grant dollars tied to keeping the visitor economy active, visible, and supported through services, events, and local partnerships.
Destination marketing is the clearest line in the district’s portfolio. The Lake Tahoe Visitors Authority received $3,167,032 in 2024 for promoting tourism, alongside additional seven-figure awards in 2024, 2025, and 2023 for the same purpose. Visitor mobility is another recurring theme: South Shore Transportation Mngmnt in Zephyr Cove, NV received $25,000 in 2023, $25,000 in 2024, and $25,000 in 2025 for promoting tourism through public transport. The district also supports event-based tourism programming. Boys and Girls Club S Lake Tahoe in South Lake Tahoe, CA received $50,000 in 2024 for promoting tourism through special event activity. A smaller relief-oriented grant went to Raleys Store 119 in South Lake Tahoe, CA for food assistance to families during COVID.
Grant sizes are highly skewed. The p25 is $25,000, the median is $50,000, and the p75 is $3,025,342, reflecting a structure where a few very large awards sit above a small set of modest grants. The district’s pattern is recurring rather than one-off: the same transportation grantee appears in 2023, 2024, and 2025, and the main tourism authority receives repeated seven-figure support across multiple years. The foundation does not fund individuals and does not make program-related investments. Its giving is operational and project-based, with awards centered on recurring tourism functions rather than open application grantmaking.
$3.1M
$428K
$3.1M
$3.2M
Most grants fall between $25K and $3M, with a median of $50K.
25th Percentile
$25K
Median
$50K
75th Percentile
$3M
About 50% of grants go to recipients in CA.
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Highly concentrated giving: large, repeat grants to one primary intermediary (Lake Tahoe Visitors Authority) for destination promotion, supplemented by smaller recurring grants to transportation and event partners and occasional one-off community aid.
Notable grantees: Lake Tahoe Visitors Authority, South Shore Transportation Management, Boys and Girls Club of South Lake Tahoe, Raleys Store 119
Grantmaking is regional and concentrated in the South Shore area. Half of all grants go to recipients in California, and the top state by grant count is CA. Named recipients in the data include South Lake Tahoe, CA and Zephyr Cove, NV, showing that support reaches both the HQ city and nearby Nevada communities tied to the visitor economy. All recorded grants in the recent set are in the United States. The pattern is local-to-regional rather than national, with funding following tourism infrastructure and visitor-serving organizations.
It funds tourism promotion and visitor-serving operations most often. The largest repeated grants go to the Lake Tahoe Visitors Authority for promoting tourism, and other recurring support goes to public transportation linked to visitor access and event programming tied to tourism.
Typical grants are small relative to the largest awards: the p25 is $25,000, the median is $50,000, and the p75 is $3,025,342. That spread shows a mix of modest grants and a few very large recurring awards.
Yes. South Shore Transportation Mngmnt received $25,000 in 2023, $25,000 in 2024, and $25,000 in 2025. The Lake Tahoe Visitors Authority also appears repeatedly across 2023, 2024, and 2025 with multi-million-dollar support.
The giving is regional, with 50% of grants to recipients in California. The recent-grants list also includes Zephyr Cove, NV, showing that the district funds both California and nearby Nevada recipients connected to South Shore tourism.
No. The profile shows Funds individuals: False and Makes program-related investments: False, so the district’s support is delivered through grants rather than individual aid or PRIs.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| LAKE TAHOE VISITORS AUTHORITY | — | $3,052,688 | 2025 | promoting tourism |
| SOUTH SHORE TRANSPORTATION MNGMNT | Zephyr Cove, NV | $25,000 | 2025 | promoting tourism -public transport |
| LAKE TAHOE VISITORS AUTHORITY | — | $3,167,032 | 2024 | promoting tourism |
| LAKE TAHOE VISITORS AUTHORITY | — | $3,048,944 | 2024 | promoting tourism |
| BOYS AND GIRLS CLUB S LAKE TAHOE | South Lake Tahoe, CA | $50,000 | 2024 | promoting tourism through special event |
| SOUTH SHORE TRANSPORTATION MNGMNT | Zephyr Cove, NV | $25,000 | 2024 | promoting tourism -public transport |
| RALEYS STORE 119 | South Lake Tahoe, CA | $10,000 | 2024 | food assistance to families during covid |
| LAKE TAHOE VISITORS AUTHORITY | — | $3,001,739 | 2023 | promoting tourism |
| SOUTH SHORE TRANSPORTATION MNGMNT | Zephyr Cove, NV | $25,000 | 2023 | promoting tourism -public transport |
LAKE TAHOE VISITORS AUTHORITY
$3,052,688promoting tourism
SOUTH SHORE TRANSPORTATION MNGMNT
$25,000promoting tourism -public transport
LAKE TAHOE VISITORS AUTHORITY
$3,167,032promoting tourism
LAKE TAHOE VISITORS AUTHORITY
$3,048,944promoting tourism
BOYS AND GIRLS CLUB S LAKE TAHOE
$50,000promoting tourism through special event
SOUTH SHORE TRANSPORTATION MNGMNT
$25,000promoting tourism -public transport
RALEYS STORE 119
$10,000food assistance to families during covid
LAKE TAHOE VISITORS AUTHORITY
$3,001,739promoting tourism
SOUTH SHORE TRANSPORTATION MNGMNT
$25,000promoting tourism -public transport