Annual Report to Stakeholders - 2023
in Review
Summary of Activities 2023
The Mounted Patrol Foundation seeks to support, maintain, develop and encourage equestrian facilities, activities and heritage in the Town of Woodside, the County of San Mateo and the State of California. Our vision includes the preservation of horse habitats and trail systems to provide both opportunities and environments conducive to the enjoyment of horses for horse owners and the public at large.
We are pleased to announce that since founding in 2003, grants to the community have passed the half million dollar mark ($661,000). Over 69 % of this came from generous contributions for specific projects from many folks and organizations, for which we and the recipients are forever grateful
This year we have made grants of $$75,131 to the projects listed below. Nearly 58% ($42,081) of the grants were made possible by the generosity of donors who provided Project-Specific/Donor-Directed funds in support of these projects. We thank these many donors who help support these projects. Without your help, none of this would have been possible. The remaining 42% of the grants were from the Mounted Patrol Foundation Board Reserves.
| Grantee | Endowment | Donor Directed | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Towne Creek Bridge repair | 1,688 | 30,140 | 31,828 |
| Western Heritage Scholarship | 2,939 | 5,583 | 8,522 |
| U.C. Davis Veterinary School | 5,400 | 5,400 | |
| Equestrian Merit Scholarship | 5,000 | 5,000 | |
| 2022 Rodeo Scholarships | 3,000 | 3,000 | |
| NCEFT (general support) | 2,500 | 250 | 2,750 |
| One Step Closer Therapeutic Riding | 1,000 | 1,000 | |
| Friends of Huddart & Wunderlich Parks | 1,000 | 1,000 | |
| San Mateo County Horsemen’s Association | 1,700 | 1,700 | |
| (Clinics – Instructors) | |||
| Sweetbeau Horses | 1,000 | 1,000 | |
| (Wild Mustang Rescue) | |||
| SM County Sheriff’s Activity League | 60 | 2,820 | 2,880 |
| Jasper Ridge - CASA, Veterans rides | 1,800 | 1,800 | |
| Horse Park at Woodside – sponsorship | 1,250 | 1,250 | |
| San Mateo County Large Animal Evac Group | 1,000 | 1,000 | |
| Flag Foundation | 1,000 | 1,000 | |
| SM County Sheriff’s STAR Program | 1,000 | 1,000 | |
| SM County Sheriff’s “Shop with a Hero” | 1,000 | 1,000 | |
| Bay Area Barns and Trails | 1,000 | 1,000 | |
| Woodside Pony Club | 1,000 | 1,000 | |
| WHOA! (Day of the Horse) | 1,000 | 1,000 | |
| San Mateo County 4-H Scholarship Fund | 500 | 500 | |
| International Documentary Association | 500 | 500 | |
| (Call Me Mule movie) | |||
| Subtotals | 32,337 | 42,793 | |
| Total | 75,130 |
Programs Continuing through 2023
Sheriff's Activity League (SAL) - Trail Rides for Youths - December - $2880
This is a new program just started in December 2022. SAL was founded with the purpose of strengthening relationships between youth, deputies, and communities to aid in the intervention and prevention of juvenile delinquency in San Mateo County through positive, dynamic programs. The MPF worked with the Sheriff's office to create a program that provided horseback training and trail riding in Wunderlich Park. The first session was December 20, 2021, and the youths had a great time and really appreciated the opportunity. Click the link below to see the comments from the participants.
Sheriffs Activity League Program
We would like to expand this program through the summer and are seeking donations to enable more youths to enjoy horses. Please help support this program by clicking the Donate link below.
The Woodside Equestrian Merit Scholarship - Fall - $5,000
The Mounted Patrol Foundation and WHOA (Woodside-area Horse Owners Association) jointly sponsored a $10,000 scholarship for post-secondary education. The criteria were high academic achievement, high community involvement, and significant equestrian activity. After extensive review of a number of applications, the joint committee awarded the 2023 scholarship to Sofia Seto, who will be majoring in biology at Tuffs University.
Applications are being accepted for the 2023 Scholarship. If you know of a high school senior who is interested, please let them know of the information at:
Woodside area Equestrian Merit Scholarship
Programs completed in 2023
Pescadero Creek Park Trail clearing - May - $31,828
As documented in the Pescadero Creek Jack Brook project on the website, three giant redwood trees fell on the new bridge. In addition there were additional repairs needed after the winds and storms. We hired a crew from the San Jose Conservation Corps to clear the obstructions and tree falls on these trails. We were also able to locate a logger that could remove these trees. Our thanks to Mike Bushue, who volunteered to manage the bridge repair project.
Pescadero Creek Jack Brook Project
San Mateo County Horsemen's Association - Fall - $1,700
The mission of SMCHA is to sponsor, cultivate, and foster an interest in fine horses and fine horsemanship within San Mateo County. The MPF sponsored the trainers for the four educational clinics in the fall, so they could be offered for free to the community.
San Mateo County Large Animal Evacuation Group - Spring - $45,606
San Mateo County Large Animal Evacuation Group, (SMC LAEG) is an all-volunteer group that, when activated by the County because of disaster or emergency, evacuates and relocates large animals. In the first week of the CZU Lightning Complex fire, they transported over 1500 animals to safety. The MPF organized an on-line fundraising effort that attracted $35,606 in donations from the public plus a $10,000 match from the MPF. The funding has gone to purchase two trailers with emergency supplies, satellite phones, chip readers and other equipment.
SMC Large Animal Evacuation Group
Digital Marketing Program - All Year
The goal of the digital marketing program is to deliver timely information on activities of the MPF and other equestrian endeavors, and it has been very successful. All the fundraising requests have been done online. If you know someone who would like to receive this email, he or she can sign up at:
Our Vision
The Mounted Patrol Foundation believes that horses and equestrian activities have helped create a wonderful, healthy community in and around Woodside, California. The Mounted Patrol Foundation seeks to honor the legacy of this area by continuing to support, maintain, develop and encourage equestrian facilities, activities and heritage in the Town of Woodside, the County of San Mateo and the State of California. Our vision includes the preservation of horse habitats and trail systems to provide both opportunities and environments conducive to the enjoyment of horses for horse owners and the public at large.
Our Mission and Grant Record
The Mounted Patrol Foundation (MPF) was formed by the Mounted Patrol membership in 2003 for the purpose of charitable giving in support of horse-related activities in San Mateo County and northern Santa Clara County. The Foundation is a nonprofit 501(c)(3), charitable organization that works in collaboration with local government, other public agencies, and other nonprofits to support and promote equestrian activities and facilities in the area. The Foundation also serves as the fiscal agent for CHAPS (Community Horse Advocacy Program for San Mateo County) and works closely with them to achieve our mutual grant-making goals. In the 18 years since our founding, the Mounted Patrol Foundation has made grants totaling more than $539,000 to over 40 horse- and equestrian-related organizations, activities, and facilities. CHAPS has made grants exceeding $195,000. There are two sources of grant funds: Board Reserves and Directed Donations
Discretionary grants are made from the Foundation's Board Reserves, which was started with $54,000 of contributions from the founding members back in 2003-2004. In the years since, MP members have contributed in addition $71,000 with their Mounted Patrol membership dues, resulting in total contributions of $125,000 to the Board Reserve Fund. Thanks to prudent investment practices over the years, the fund has grown to $421,220. A guideline of the Foundation is to make annual discretionary donations of up to 5% of the average principal balance of its Board Reserves fund to worthy equestrian causes in the area
Project-Specific Funds/Donor-Directed Funds: These are funds raised for a specific project, or from one or more donors for a specified cause (donor-directed). Examples include the All-Weather Trails in Huddart and Wunderlich Parks, local hitching rails, the Towne Creek Bridge, and the SMC Large Animal Evacuation Group. We thank the hundreds of individuals and organizations who, over the years, have sent in donations ranging from $25 to $10,000, which have helped to these projects succeed.
In addition to its own grant-making, the Foundation serves as the fiscal agent for the Community Horse Advocacy Program for San Mateo County (CHAPS). The MPF has partnered with CHAPS in raising funds for public horse trail improvements, horseback trail rides for veterans and for foster (CASA) children. CHAPS also raised money for renovation of the upper barn at Wunderlich Park. In 2021, under the aegis of the MPF, CHAPS made donations totaling $6,000.
We encourage you to look at the Foundation's website for more detail on its grant-making activities. If there is an equestrian-related project you think deserves funding, please contact us for consideration in supporting it.
www.mountedpatrolfoundation.org.
Don Pugh, Chairman of the Board of Trustees
don@MountedPatrolFoundation.org
don@MountedPatrolFoundation.org
If you would like to support any of these causes, please click on the Donate button below:
Mounted Patrol Foundation Contact Webmaster