Daniel Foster, President/CEO of The Community Foundation Serving Riverside & San Bernardino Counties oversees one of the largest nonprofit philanthropic foundations in the Inland Empire and two-county region serving over 27,000 sq. miles and a population of over 4.2 million. TCF manages nearly 300 donor-advised and agency funds amounting to $60 million in assets. The Foundation’s mission is to “enhance the quality of life” in the region and is supported by a staff of 12, board of directors of 22, advisory council of 125, professional advisor councils of 250 (estate planners, CPAs, bankers). The foundation currently oversees several important regional leadership initiatives focused on philanthropic/nonprofit capacity building, youth philanthropy, education, environment, and arts & culture. Additionally, the Foundation works heavily in the fields of health, social services and economic development.

Since starting at TCF in January, 2009, Foster has overseen three years of outstanding fundraising success at the Foundation – raising $18 million during the time of the Great Recession. In addition, the foundation’s assets grew nearly 50% from $41 million in early 2009 to a historic high of $61 million in mid-2011. From 2009-11, TCF achieved a total 37% investment/market return on all of its pooled endowment funds.

Foster has led organizational strategic visioning and planning during his first three years that has produced a much expanded sense of organizational vision, values, and strategies about becoming a dynamic and proactive community leadership organization that convenes leaders, builds collaborations, and catalyzes action regarding important issues/needs/opportunities facing the region. This greatly expanded sense of organizational vision and mission is starting to brand and establish the foundation as the “go-to philanthropic leader” in the region.

Under Foster’s leadership, TCF has formed a strategic partnership with Inland Empire Economic Partnership and John Husing in February, 2011 aimed to building key partnerships that will work towards two county approaches to key region quality of life issues. In addition, TCF is working towards the launch and production of an annual Riverside & San Bernardino County Community Indicators Report starting in 2011.

In Mar. 2010, Foster became the founding chair of the Funder’s Alliance Serving Riverside & San Bernardino Counties. For the past year, the Funder’s Alliance has grown to over 20 of the region’s largest funders of nonprofit and quality of life causes in the Inland Empire and currently plans to launch several key philanthropic initiatives to strengthen the nonprofit sector and philanthropy throughout the region.

From 2003-09, Foster was the Executive Director of the Riverside Art Museum – the largest non-profit visual arts museum and center in the Inland Empire. He is widely regarded as a critical “change agent” leader for arts & culture in the region and an important catalyst for establishing the city of Riverside as the “City of Arts & Culture”.

In 2008, Foster received the Outstanding Nonprofit Executive Director Award from the Agency Executives Association for Riverside County. Additionally, Foster received a $25,000 award grant as a Finalist for the James Irvine Foundation Leadership Award that recognized outstanding leadership achievements throughout the state of California.

Academically, Foster received a Master’s of Fine Arts degree from the San Francisco Art Institute w/honors in 1995, and a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Southern California School of Business in Entrepreneurship in 1988. Additionally, Foster has pursued three years of full-time studies in philosophy, science and studio art at the University of California, San Diego (Revelle College).