Giving Options
Eden Area Foundation
The Eden Area Foundation was created as the result of a planned gift to Eden United Church of Christ. In the mid-1990s, the church accepted bequests from Gordon Oliver and Alden Oliver, who directed that the funds “be used for local church purposes.” In 1999, after an ongoing process of prayerful discernment, Eden Church created the Eden Area Foundation, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, and transferred a substantial portion of the bequest to the Foundation in order to create a permanent endowment of charitable funds to benefit the Eden Area.
The objective of the Eden Area Foundation’s stewardship and development of these philanthropic funds is to carry out donors’ wishes by serving the following purposes:
To support Christian outreach programs for the welfare of the local community;
To exercise such stewardship in ways that promote Christian principles, demonstrate Christian compassion in the community, and enliven Eden Church itself.
Since 2003, the Foundation has granted over $4.6 million to local organizations serving children and youth, people in need, and community relations in the Eden Area.
In 2012, the Foundation created a Planned Giving Ministry to encourage local residents to remember the Eden Area Foundation in their wills and trust. Planned gifts to the Foundation will be invested with the Foundation’s charitable endowment, increasing the amount available for annual grant-making to local community organizations.
Keith Smith, President, Eden Area Foundation
Past grant recipients include:
Abode Services
Alameda County Community Food Bank
Alameda County Library Foundation
Ashland Community Center
Bay Area Community Services Hedco Wellness Center
House Boys & Girls Club of San Leandro
Building Futures with Women & Children
Cherryland Computer Café
Child Assault Prevention
Christmas in April
Congregations Organizing for Renewal
Castro Valley / San Leandro / San Lorenzo Nat'l Basketball
Deaf Kids Empowerment
Eden I & R
Eden Youth Center
Emergency Shelter
EUCC Community Ministries
FESCO
Girl Start Program (San Leandro)
Grandparents as Second Parents
Habitat for Humanity Critical Home Repair
Hayward Area Senior Center
Hayward Community Gardens
Human Outreach Agency
Lambda Youth Project
Lighthouse Community Center
Lincoln Child Center
Meals on Wheels
Mercy Brown Bag Program
Parent-Teen Mediation
Peer Mediation Coalition
Rubicon Programs, Inc.
Safe Alternatives to Violent Environments
South Hayward Parish
SOS Meals on Wheels
Spectrum Community Services
Tiburcio Vásquez Health Center Volunteer Center