More than 400 supporters of the San Antonio Area Foundation gathered Nov. 20 at the Witte Museum Mays Family Center to mark the foundation’s 60th anniversary.

Celebrants were in a festive mood, enjoying performances by dancers from the Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center and student mariachis from CAST Tech High School.

What kind of impact has the Area Foundation had in our community? Since its inception in 1964, the Area Foundation has awarded a total of $809,303,667 in grants and scholarships, with support from 26,167 donors – and counting. Today, the Area Foundation is one of the nation’s largest community foundations, managing $1.3 billion in assets through more than 600 philanthropic funds.

The event had a unique cold open, as lights went dim and the audience hushed as the Area Foundation unveiled its official 60th anniversary feature video, featuring interviews with former President and CEO Reggie Williams, former scholarship recipient and community leader Rey Saldana and Alexandra Frey, Executive Director of the 80/20 Foundation.

Current Area Foundation Board Chairman Alex Perez then opened the evening, with remarks thanking staff, past and present board members, volunteers and donors.

“I’ve been so impressed by your dedication, so impressed by your commitment to professionalism,” Perez said. “You truly live and breathe the mission of the San Antonio Area Foundation every day.”

Nadege Souvenir, the Area Foundation’s current CEO, took the stage next and discussed the organization’s leadership role in the community.

“For the last 60 years, the Area Foundation has been a catalytic and powerful partner in the region, allowing us to truly shape the community and spark change through collective impact and financial investment in a number of ways,” Souvenir noted.

Special guest speakers addressed the Area Foundation’s community investment broken down by individual grantmaking focus areas.

Accompanied by their rescue dog April May, Joe and Cyndi Krier praised the commitment to animal care in San Antonio. In 2007, the Area Foundation began partnering with the City of San Antonio and animal welfare groups to create the No-Kill Initiative in efforts to reduce San Antonio’s pet euthanasia rate and the number of stray animals. In all, nearly $23 million has been awarded in grants for animal care services.

“With this support, our community is organized and has promoted pet adoption events, foster parents and affordable pet clinics,” Cyndi Krier said.

St. Philip’s College President Adena Loston spoke on contributions to the region’s arts and culture, to which the Area Foundation has contributed $58 million since its founding.

“In the San Antonio Area Foundation, I’ve seen firsthand the need for a thriving, cultural, landscape — one that celebrates our heritage, embraces new voices, fosters innovative ideas, and welcomes diverse forms of expression,” Loston said.

Former San Antonio Mayor Henry Cisneros said the Area Foundation is devoted to addressing various causes in health and human services – to the tune of $348 million over the last six decades.

“We have great needs. Not all of them are going to be solved instantly, but we do know that when we organize our funding and put it strategically, we can make a big difference and that’s what the area foundation has been doing,” Cisneros said.

Tracy Wolff, wife of former San Antonio Mayor and Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff, shared the Area Foundation’s Smart Start Fund, formed in 1994 as a pioneering effort dedicated to helping mothers with childcare while they re-enter the workforce.

In all, the Area Foundation has invested $209 million in children and youth services.

“With the help of the Area Foundation, we were able to increase the national accreditation for childcare centers, offer scholarships, mentoring, education and quality equipment to daycare centers, and create and support family friendly policies,” Wolff said.

Isis Romero, a news anchor at KENS-TV and President of the San Antonio Association of Hispanic Journalists (SAAHJ), discussed the Area Foundation’s work on education. Like dozens of other nonprofits in our region, the Area Foundation manages SAAHJ’s Scholarship Fund.

“For many of these scholarship recipients, these funds were the difference between students putting their dreams on hold, and stepping confidently towards a brighter future,” she said.

Since its founding in 1964, the Area Foundation has awarded more than $105 million in scholarships.

As the program concluded, Urban-15 dancers led attendees outdoors to enjoy coffee. Some supporters of the area foundation shared their enthusiasm for SAAF on its 60th anniversary.

Donors and supporters attending the event spoke about the crucial role the organization has played in the community.

Yhanira Adán Martinez started the Proyecto Ayuda Scholarship Fund, which supports students from Spanish-speaking households.

“They make it a very easy and simple process to engage with them to open a fund to connect your dollars with the students who are going to benefit from it,” Martinez said.

Mary Quandt said she enjoys donating to the Area Foundation because it does well at vetting organizations and identifying major needs, such as artists who struggled during the pandemic.

“I was so impressed with how well it was run, and how they really investigated the people they were giving the money to,” Quandt noted.

Attendees went home with exclusive copies of the Area Foundation’s 60th Anniversary Impact Report, which was officially unveiled at the anniversary event.

Edmond Ortiz is a contributor to the San Antonio Area Foundation Marketing & Communications Storytelling Ambassador Network.