Since 2005, the Capitola Foundation has been raising funds to give back to the community that we live in and love. 

Our Story

We provide hands-on and financial support to local groups annually, as well as considering donation requests that we receive. We work with the Capitola Police Department and its community partners, as well as other non-profits in the area. Our objective is to enhance public safety and community services through the promotion of community oriented policing and problem solving programs, crime reduction initiatives, community outreach and educational efforts within the City of Capitola and surrounding communities. 

Capitola Foundation is a 501c3 non-profit. EIN: 20-2863836 

Sunset scene in a small town with blooming flowers in the foreground, palm trees, and buildings lining the street.
View of a fishing boat rentals shop on a wooden pier, with colorful buoys, outdoor seating, and a clear blue sky.

Our Purpose


To Promote Public Safety by providing resources and support for:

  • The Police Department’s Reserve Police Officer Program.

  • Problem Oriented Policing (POP) Program to include: bicycle patrol, specialized training and equipment needs, educational materials and expansion of the Neighborhood Watch Program.

  • The Police Department’s canine program (K-9).

  • The Police Department’s Volunteers In Police Service (VIPS) and the Explorer/Cadet programs.

  • The Police Department’s Elder Care Task Force and Vacation Check Programs.

  • The Police Department’s Commercial Security Program, Merchant Alert Program and Community Outreach facility and outreach programs.

  • Juvenile and school outreach programs and initiatives, to include: after school programs,

  • mentoring, bicycle safety and Gang Resistance Education.

Surfer performing a handstand on a surfboard in the water near a pier.
Young girl smiling while sitting on a police motorcycle, with a police officer and others around during a community event in daylight.
A coastal town with colorful houses, palm trees, and a bridge over water, leading to a beach with umbrellas and people, ocean in the background on a sunny day.

Our Focus

Our focus is to enhance public safety through the promotion of community oriented policing and problem solving programs, crime reduction initiatives, and community outreach & education efforts.   Like you, we want a safe community for our children and ourselves, as well as those who come to visit our little village by the sea. 


We applaud the way that Captola has come together, and we are committed to continue to help with lowering the rate of crime in Capitola. We strive to support programs and organizations that help make Capitola safer.

Wooden pier extending over the ocean, with waves splashing against supporting posts, under a clear blue sky.
Sunset over a beach with a pier extending into the ocean, reflecting colorful sky and clouds, with seagulls along the shoreline.

Our Accomplishments

Public Safety through the 
Capitola police Department
A police officer demonstrating the equipment inside a police vehicle to a young boy who looks excited and happy.

  • Volunteers in Police Service (VIPS) program, to include equipment, vehicles, uniforms, and training. An additional part of the VIPS program is Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) training which is vital during an actual emergency such as a strong earthquake such as 1989.

  • Neighborhood Watch Programs and public safety initiatives to include DNA kits for children.

  • Juvenile Outreach Programs, After School Programs, Capitola Explorer Programs, and At-Risk Youth Adventure program at Soquel High School.

  • Training, equipment and supplies for the Capitola Lifeguard Program, plus acquiring and refurbishing two new lifeguard towers.

  • The Merchant Alert Program, Community Outreach center, along with hundreds of DNA/Fingerprint Kits/Photos for children at the Capitola Mall.

  • Annual National Night Out event designed to bring our residents and police officers closer together, including publishing and distributing crime prevention materials,

  • providing children's activities such as games and crafts, bouncing fun houses and a climbing wall, as well as providing a BBQ for over 500 residents.

  • Scholarships for Capitola Police Officers to attend non-budgeted, but essential, training courses.

  • We budget $12,500 annually for the Capitola Police Department to use for programs/initiatives determined by the department to be essential to providing the very best law enforcement for Capitola. Some examples are: (1) state of the art emergency lights and sirens for the department's motorcycles, (2) new tasers for all officers, (3) purchase and training of replacement canine when needed, (4) 30 new Glock pistols with barrel-mounted flashlights and holsters, (5) non polluting electric vehicles for VIPS use and traffic control and parking, and (6) selected outreach programs dealing with bicycle safety and equipment in order to keep Capitola's youth safe.


Community Services support
 to various agencies
Two men and a young girl taking a selfie outdoors at a community event, with tents and trees in the background.

  • Major scholarships annually (presently $2,000) for low income family children so those children can participate in the Junior Guards Program.

  • Automated Electronic Defibrillators (AED's) which were positioned at strategic locations throughout Capitola.

  • Over 500 smoke alarms and "Files for Life" distributed to elderly citizens in conjunction with Central Fire District.

  • Training, equipment and supplies for the Capitola Lifeguard Program, plus acquiring and refurbishing two new lifeguard towers.

  • The Merchant Alert Program, Community Outreach center, along with hundreds of DNA/Fingerprint Kits/Photos for children at the Capitola Mall.

  • Annual National Night Out event designed to bring our residents and police officers closer together, including publishing and distributing crime prevention materials,

  • providing children's activities such as games and crafts, bouncing fun houses and a climbing wall, as well as providing a BBQ for over 500 residents.

  • Scholarships for Capitola Police Officers to attend non-budgeted, but essential, training courses.

  • Over 500 smoke alarms and "Files for Life" distributed to elderly citizens in conjunction with Central Fire District.

  • Funding and construction of the Esplanade Stage Project.

  • Helped establish and support the Elder Care Task Force, which focuses on elder abuse, emergency preparedness and other issues affecting safety and quality of life for seniors.

  • Support to the local SPCA.

  • Support to Advocacy Inc. to reduce domestic violence and other family support services.

Annual events which
 are of significance to Capitola 
and Santa Cruz County
Interior of a classic car with a black steering wheel, gear shift with a sparkle cover, and analog gauges on the dashboard, at a car show with several people and cars in the background.

  • Fallen Officers Association to honor those first responders by aiding their families so that they can carry on.

  • 2016 Foundation donation: $2500.00

  • Operation Surf, an epic, life-changing adventure for our wounded veteran and active duty military heroes. Our program is one of a kind, bringing participants directly to our events within supportive coastal communities, and exposing them to the healing power of the ocean through adaptive surfing taught by world-class instructors. This week long, all-inclusive event provides an environment where participants work to overcome perceived limitations connected to their physical and psychological disabilities.

  • 2016 Foundation donation: $3000.00

  • Annual National Night Out - National Night Out is an annual community-building campaign that promotes community & police/first responders partnerships and neighborhood camaraderie to make our neighborhoods safer, more caring places to live, enhancing the relationship between neighbors and first responders while bringing back a true sense of community. This event provides a great opportunity to bring police/first responders and neighbors together under positive circumstances. The event is designed to bring us all closer together. We provide fundin g for publishing and distributing crime prevention materials, providing children's activities such as games and crafts, bouncing fun houses and a climbing wall, as well as providing a BBQ. Over 500 residents gather at Jade Street Community Center annually.

  • 2016 Foundation donation: $900.00

  • Jacob's Heart, support services to improve the quality of life for children with cancer.

  • 2016 Foundation donation: $500