Community Impact
The Martis Fund has invested over $12 million to non-profit organizations in the Martis Valley region through funding Open Space Conservation, Habitat & Forest Management & Restoration, and Workforce Housing grants throughout the Martis Valley and greater Placer County region since 2006.
Our Grant Making Impact in 2020
Habitat and Forest Management and Restoration Fund Grants
Truckee River Watershed Council
The Martis Fund has invested over $3 million into watershed and habitat restoration projects with the Truckee River Watershed Council. Projects include: Adopt-A-Stream Water Quality Monitoring, various restoration projects, Weed Warriors Program, watershed assessments, trail re-alignment, dam assessment, and capacity building.
Tahoe Truckee Community Foundation – Nature Fund: $670,193
Support of matching funds through the Nature Fund grant cycle for habitat restoration projects.
Truckee Trails Foundation: $81,879
Elizabethtown Trail and Restoration Project, Sawtooth Ridge Environmental Constraints Analysis, and the Martis Valley Trail Restoration Analysis.
Mountain Area Preservation Foundation (MAP): $76,000
Trout Creek Restoration Project, Pocket Park and a Bark Beetle study.
South Yuba River Citizens League: $100,000
These funds supported the Van Norden Meadow Restoration Project.
Conservation Science Partners: $100,000
Eastern Placer County Landscape Scale Conservation and Restoration Assessment and Data Repository.
National Forest Foundation: $108,000
Big Jack Project.
Sugar Pine Foundation: $45,000
Sugar Pine Restoration in Eastern Placer County including Waddle Ranch, Northstar, Sagehen, Dollar Hill and Tahoe City.
Tahoe Fund: $20,000
Matching grants for the North Shore Sugar Pine Reforestation & survey, and stewardship messaging.
Truckee Donner Land Trust: $44,705
Deer herd migration study.
Tahoe National Forest: $27,600
Musk Thistle Project.
Workforce Housing Grants
Down Payment Assistance Program
Workforce housing is a major priority for the Martis Fund. Since 2016, the Martis Fund has invested over $2.2 million into our Down Payment Assistance Program (DPAP) to 53 households who live and work in the TTUSD school district with income levels up to 180% AMI, by providing a loan up to 10% of the purchase price (up to $50,000). Sierra Business Council administers the Martis Fund DPAP program. For more information about the program, please contact the Martis Fund Down Payment Assistance Program Administrator, Gina Jones, with Sierra Business Council at gkjones@sbcouncil.org. To learn more about the program please visit: https://www.sierrabusiness.org/archives/martis-fund-homebuyer-assistance-program/
Tahoe Truckee Community Foundation
Truckee Railyard – Artist Lofts
The Martis Fund has provided $1.4 million to the Truckee Railyard/Artist Lofts project through the Tahoe Truckee Community Foundation’s Regional Housing Solutions Fund. This project supports housing for our local workforce and will provide 71 low-income units for our community. For more information about the project please visit truckeerailyard.com.
Community House
Additionally, $100K supported Community House, a service integration project of our local social service entities. Community House is a project of the Tahoe Truckee Community Foundation.
Mountain Housing Council 2.0: $25,000 (Per year for three years)
The Mountain Housing Council of Tahoe Truckee (MHC) is a project of the Tahoe Truckee Community Foundation and brings together 28 diverse partners to accelerate solutions to achievable local housing.
Sierra Community House: $845,900
Since 2014, the Martis Fund has partnered with Sierra Community House (formerly through Family Resource Center of Truckee) to support the housing needs of local families through Emergency Assistance Funding & Housing Advocacy and Case Management Programs.
Emergency Warming Center: $100,000
Emergency Warming Center in providing support to homeless individuals and families in need of shelter and supportive services. Additional services provided: Day Respite Center, health checks, meals, laundry, access to basic necessities, and connections to other services.
Pacific Housing – Meadowview Place: $100,000
The Project consists of a 56 units new construction affordable rental housing project located in Truckee, California. The units will be affordable to extremely low-income (30% AMI), very low- income (50% AMI) and lower income (60% AMI) households.
Urban Land Institute: $62,188
Workforce Housing Analysis.
Open Space Conservation Fund Grants
Mountain Area Preservation (MAP): $27,500
These funds supported the Protecting Open Space in Eastern Truckee project: Negotiating Canyon Springs deal for acquisition and stewardship.
Truckee Donner Land Trust: $3,529,081
In 2007 the Martis Fund supported the purchase of the 1,481-acre undeveloped Waddle Ranch east of Highway 267. Now open to the public, Waddle Ranch provides miles of cross-country skiing, hiking, and biking trails and contributes to the creation of a ten-mile open space corridor for wildlife movement and recreation.
Truckee River Watershed Council: $172,000
These funds supported the Dry Lake/East Martis Restoration Project.
