Dear Friends of The Martis Fund,
It is with great pride and gratitude that we present The Martis Fund’s 2024 Annual Impact Report.
This report captures the meaningful progress made by our grantees and partners in advancing habitat restoration, forest and watershed health, and the continued pursuit of sustainable and affordable workforce housing in theTruckee-Tahoe region.
In 2024, The Martis Fund awarded over $2 million in grants and programs. These funds reflect our unwavering commitment to both people and place. From housing stability programs that directly maintain and create housing for our work force; to conservation practices and tools that guide ecological stewardship; each project is a testament to the creativity and commitment of our grantees.
In this report, we’re especially proud to continue sharing the voices of our grantees. Their “Points of View” highlight the challenges, triumphs, and on-the-ground work that make our collective impact possible. These stories offer insight into how partnerships rooted in trust, shared purpose, and collaboration continue to strengthen our community.
Over the past 19 years, The Martis Fund has invested in more than 100 impactful projects and distributed over $25 million in grants and programs. While we’re proud of what we’ve accomplished, we know the work is far from over. The environmental, economic, and housing challenges facing our region continue to evolve—and so must we. Meeting these challenges requires creativity, sustained effort, and strong collaboration.
As we build on nearly two decades of service, we remain grounded in optimism, humility, and deep appreciation for the partners, supporters, and community members who make this work possible. Together, we will continue to make a lasting difference—one project, one partnership, one step at a time.
With heartfelt thanks,
Alexis OllarAmy Kelley
Board PresidentProgram Coordinator
Who We Are
The Martis Fund is a collaborative project created in 2006 by conservationists and landowners committed to the long-term future of Martis Valley. The Martis Fund’s founding members are DMB/Highlands Group LLC, (the developers of Martis Camp), Mountain Area Preservation (MAP), and Sierra Watch. After 17 years, DMB Highlands Group LLC has transitioned from their role with The Martis Fund, passing their leadership role to Martis Camp Club.
What We Do
The Martis Fund fulfills its mission through awarding grants to qualifying non-profit organizations in The Martis Valley region and eastern Placer County. Funding for grant programs comes from private community benefit fees raised in connection with real estate sales at Martis Camp. 2024 marked The Martis Fund’s 17th year as one of the region’s most impactful grant makers.
Areas of Focus
The Martis Fund provides funding to nonprofit organizations to support open space conservation; habitat restoration and forest management; and promote opportunities for workforce housing in the Martis Valley region and eastern Placer County
2024 Funding Overview
The Martis Fund awarded a total of $2,090,500 in funding in 2024.
$411,500 was awarded for five new Habitat Restoration and Forest Management grant awards. An additional $459,000 was distributed to Truckee River Watershed Council, a second grant installment on a three-year grant commitment.
$1,220,000 was allocated to three workforce housing initiatives. This includes two traditional grants totaling $470,000 and a total of $750,000 to the Martis Fund’s Down Payment Assistance Program (DPAP).
Funds Distributed by Funding Area
2024
Habitat Restoration and Forest Management
In 2024, The Martis Fund supported six habitat restoration and forest management grants—five new and one continuing.
A $50,000 grant to the Tahoe Truckee Community Foundation (TTCF) supported the Woody Biomass Facility at Northstar. TTCF, The Tahoe Fund, and the Martis Camp Foundation each matched the grant, bringing the total to $200,000. The Fund also awarded $100,000 to TTCF’s Nature Fund to support eight regional restoration projects, with TTCF providing a full match. Together, the two organizations collaborated on project selection and funding priorities.
Conservation Science Partners received two grants totaling $230,000: one to enhance long-term remote sensing of habitat restoration in eastern Placer and the Truckee River watershed, and another to develop tools for assessing ecological integrity, threats, and conservation opportunities in the region.
Clean Up the Cayes (Lake) received $31,500 to create a video toolkit to identify and catalog aquatic invasive species. This toolkit will be used by Clean Up the Lake divers and partners agencies to locate and remove invasive species from our region’s lakes.
The Fund also contributed $459,000 to the Truckee River Watershed Council as the second installment of a three-year grant awarded in 2023, supporting ongoing watershed restoration efforts.
POINT OF VIEW: CONSERVATION SCIENCE PARTNERS
The Martis Fund supported a project led by Conservation Science Partners (CSP)using data from satellites to help natural resource managers more efficiently monitor the outcomes of their forest thinning activities in the Truckee-Tahoe region. Traditional ground-based monitoring is often costly and time-intensive, but with support from The Martis Fund, we developed a way to use satellite data to improve long-term monitoring of these activities. By analyzing a set of forest treatments aimed at reducing the risk of severe wildfire, we were able to distinguish major differences in forest conditions pre- and post-treatment and between treated sites and untreated sites, showing that the effects of forest management efforts can be seen-and measured-from space. These findings can help natural resource managers to evaluate the efficacy of their treatments, assess fire threat, inform future treatment or restoration needs, and guide adaptive management for longer lasting and more effective outcomes.
Workforce Housing
The Martis Fund awarded two new grants through its workforce housing fund in 2024. Sierra Community House received a grant for $400,000 to provide rental assistance and case management to the community members they serve; North Tahoe Truckee Homeless Services was awarded $70,000 for comprehensive support services to unhoused community members in the region.
POINT OF VIEW: SIERRA COMMUNITY HOUSE
Over the past decade, Sierra Community House’s (SCH) Truckee North Tahoe Housing Advocacy & Direct Assistance Program has helped more than 1,000 local workers to secure and sustain local housing by providing rent and utility assistance, legal education and case management. Our workforce housing program began thanks to an initial grant of $10,000 from Martis Fund in 2014. During the decade that followed, Martis Fund’s continued support and investment of $1,811,150 has enabled SCH to scale up to meet the local workforce’s need for housing support.
Generous support from The Martis Fund bolsters our ability to assist individuals like Eric, a lifelong local and single parent who, despite being employed, found himself facing housing insecurity due to unforeseen circumstances. Sierra Community House’s financial assistance program not only bridged the income gap for Eric, ensuring he was able to remain in his home with his daughter, but also provided essential support in providing mediation with his landlord.
We are grateful for our strong partnership with the Martis Fund!
Down Payment Assistance Program
The Martis Fund’s investment in down payment assistance continues to have a meaningful impact, not only by opening the door to homeownership for its borrowers, but also by ensuring that affordability is protected for future generations.
Since its inception, the Down Payment Assistance Program (DPAP) has provided 91 loans, helping local employees and community members achieve homeownership while strengthening the region’s workforce housing supply. In 2024, The Martis Fund committed $750,000 to the program, resulting in 10 new loans. As of 2023, all DPAP loans require a deed restriction, a key strategy for preserving long-term affordability in the Truckee-Tahoe region.
The Martis Fund extends its sincere thanks to Sierra Business Council, who administers the program and provides critical support to borrowers throughout the loan process. We are proud of the DPAP’s continued success and look forward to building on this momentum in the years ahead.
POINT OF VIEW: NORTH TAHOE TRUCKEE HOMELESS SERVICES
The Martis Fund has been a steadfast partner in supporting our unhoused neighbors since our first grant request in 2016 for the weather-triggered Emergency Warming Center (EWC). This partnership has had lifesaving & life- giving impacts each winter for the most vulnerable individuals in our region.
When COVID hit in March 2020, we shared the increased burdens & needs faced by our unhoused neighbors. The Martis Fund eagerly agreed to help, enabling us to expand our services to include a Day Respite Center with case management year-round, while continuing to provide the EWC during the winter months. Each year brings new challenges and shifts in the ways we can offer support to this vulnerable population, but one thing remains constant: The Martis Fund’s unwavering dedication to our neighbors and our mission.
Having the Martis Fund as a key partner allows us to remain nimble and focused on our mission to provide vital safety net services and end homelessness, one person at a time in the North Tahoe-Truckee region. We are deeply grateful for this ongoing partnership, and we move forward with confidence, knowing that together we will continue to make a profound difference in the lives of those who need it most.
Open Space
The Martis Fund did not provide any grants from the Open Space Fund in 2024 but remains watchful and optimistic that future opportunities to contribute to open space land acquisitions will emerge. Protecting the natural beauty and ecological integrity of the Martis Valley has always been a core priority of the Fund. Over the years, The Martis Fund has played a pivotal role in advancing significant conservation efforts, including major contributions to the protection of Waddle Ranch and Canyon Springs. These past investments continue to shape the region’s environmental future and underscore the Fund’s long-term commitment to land conservation.
POINT OF VIEW: TRUCKEE RIVER WATERSHED COUNCIL
The Martis Fund’s unwavering support has been transformative for the Watershed Council’s ability to accelerate critical habitat restoration and forest management projects across our region. Their generous funding allows us to dive into the crucial – but often overlooked – foundational work: technical assessments, engineering designs, environmental compliance, regulatory permitting, scientific monitoring, and building meaningful partnerships within our community.
Unlike many funders, The Martis Fund understands the importance of this groundwork, even when it’s not the most glamorous. This early-stage support is essential because once it’s completed, we can leverage this work to apply for the most expensive phase of restoration – construction. Since 2016, their commitment has helped us restore 600 acres of meadows and forests, with another 7,300 acres underway. Their seed funding has also been the catalyst for leveraging over $16 million from federal, state, and local grants.
The Martis Fund’s commitment to our shared vision has strengthened the Watershed Council’s ability to improve water quality, restore native habitats, and protect biodiversity. It has sparked collaboration, innovation, and genuine hope throughout our team and community. Together, we’re building the natural resilience needed to face the growing impacts of climate change. The result? Healthier landscapes and a brighter, more sustainable future for everyone who cherishes this beautiful place.
With Appreciation
The Martis Fund would like to thank the homeowners at Martis Camp who make the work of the Martis Fund possible; and the founding organizations, DMB Highlands, Mountain Area Preservation and Sierra Watch for their leadership, collaboration and support over the past 19 years.
2024 Board of Directors
Mark Johnson, Board President
Alexis Ollar, Vice President
Dan Haas, Secretary Treasurer
Thomas Murphy, Past President
Terry Connelly, Director
Matt O’Grady, Director
Amy Kelley, Program Coordinator
Tim Cleary, Accountant
Richard Taylor, Legal Counsel
Amy Kelley, Program Coordinator
Sally Lyon, Accountant
Tim Cleary, Accountant
Richard Taylor, Legal Counsel
