For as long as I’ve been engaged in nonprofit leadership, I’ve cited the statistic that Napa County has as many nonprofits as it has wineries. I recently learned that my facts need updating.
According to a recent report by the Napa Valley Community Foundation (NVCF) the number of nonprofits in Napa (678) now exceeds the number of wineries (~500+) by more than a quarter. Released in July, this report shared data that had not been analyzed for twenty years and answers questions like: What has changed? How is funding shifting? And where can the NVCF’s attention and resources make the greatest difference?
The number of nonprofits in Napa has nearly doubled in the last twenty years. Revenues have also increased, but not by enough to account for the increase in the local nonprofit sector and the decrease in federal and state grants and contracts. The primary through line of the report focused on greater competition for increasingly less certain funding (i.e., government grants and contracts). This outcome directly impacts many nonprofits who rely on federal and state programs (consider cuts to SNAP benefits as an example).
Napa Valley Community Foundation, Napa’s Nonprofit Landscape, July 2026
“The short version: compared with twenty years ago, Napa’s
nonprofit sector is sizeable, dynamic, and under strain.”
Most of Napa’s nonprofits–82%–are “very small” (i.e., reporting less than $50K in annual revenue). A very small nonprofit like The School Garden Doctor is indirectly impacted by this new landscape. Since 2019, we’ve relied on subcontract partnerships with other nonprofits who benefit from grants like Farm to School, California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Our primary model is mission-driven: we contribute in-kind collaboration to grant proposals that are strengthened by hiring an evaluator. We’ve provided grant support and program evaluation services to organizations like Napa County RCD, the Bird School Project, the Greater Farallones Association, and Farms to Grow.
An implied takeaway of the report is that nonprofits also compete for leaders. That’s why on August 27th, I joined twenty other organizations at Board PICK, an event created by Leadership Napa Valley. PICK stands for passion, interest, commitment, and knowledge. The event provided an opportunity to connect community members with organizations doing important work throughout Napa Valley.
Image Credits: Carrie Strohl
On This year’s Board PICK was featured as part of Joint Business After Hours, presented in partnership with the Napa Chamber of Commerce and Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. A mix of business professionals, community leaders, Leadership Napa Valley alumni, and others gathered to learn more about getting involved in nonprofit board service.
The School Garden Doctor attended Board PICK hoping to talk with prospective board members with the skills and expertise to help move from the “Growing” column on the Nonprofit Leadership Lab‘s list of 14 attributes of a thriving nonprofit (see image below). In the category of ‘Leadership Pipeline,’ The School Garden Doctor has consistently “recruited from a place of scarcity, focus is on filling seats” to maintain compliance. This reality presents tradeoffs.
According to the report from Napa Valley Community Foundation, the nonprofit sector employs 4800 people. The School Garden Doctor employs just one quarter of one person. Fulfilling and expanding our mission relies on the community at large. Thank you for being a member of that community.
If you, or someone you know, has passion, interest, commitment and knowledge to contribute, please share Our Story.
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