Foster Family Foundation doubles previous grant while Samueli Foundation selects the nonprofit from over 1,000 applicants
MISSION VIEJO, Calif. – September 19, 2025 — The Southern California Hospice Foundation received $200,000 in grants from two major family foundations, demonstrating the philanthropic confidence in the nonprofit’s approach to end-of-life care.
The Foster Family Foundation doubled its investment from 2024 with a $100,000 grant, reinforcing confidence in the organization’s impact and use of resources. The funding supports operations at Heavenly Home, Orange County’s only nonprofit residential facility, which provides 24-hour care and housing for residents facing terminal illnesses.
The Samueli Foundation also awarded Southern California Hospice Foundation $100,000, selecting it as one of 138 local nonprofits from more than 1,000 applicants for its inaugural Breakaway Fund award. This funding supports essential annual operational costs, including accounting and insurance, enabling the hospice to remain focused on pioneering compassionate end-of-life-care for patients in Orange County.
“We are deeply grateful to both the Foster Family Foundation and the Samueli Foundation for their confidence in our mission,” said Michelle Wulfestieg, Executive Director of Southern California Hospice Foundation. “These complementary grants strengthen patient care and organizational stability and further champion our efforts to uplift and serve others at the end of life.”
About Southern California Hospice Foundation
Founded in 2002, Southern California Hospice Foundation’s mission is to deliver a breadth of resources to caregivers, families, and patients confronting the final stages of life. It runs the Heavenly Home, founded in 2023, which is the first-of-its-kind residential home in Orange County, California to give terminally ill patients and their loved ones time and space to make lasting memories. In addition to Heavenly Home,
Southern California Hospice Foundation provides financial and other basic assistance such as food deliveries, transportation, and granting wishes to the dying.
About Samueli Foundation
The Samueli Foundation’s mission is to make Orange County, California a vibrant mosaic of community well-being. We support and unite catalytic forces whose innovations yield a high quality of life for everyone. The Samueli Foundation works closely with the constellation of Samueli Family-backed for-profit and non-for-profit organizations to ensure that giving back to the community is central to everything they do; these include the Anaheim Ducks Foundation, the San Diego Gulls Foundation, the Irvine Ice Foundation, The Rinks Foundation, and OC Sports & Entertainment which oversees the Family’s sports and entertainment assets including the Anaheim Ducks, the San Diego Gulls, and the Honda Center.
Over the last 25 years the Samueli Family, through its various entities, has contributed over $1 billion in charitable grants.
About Foster Family Foundation
The Foster Family Foundation is a non-profit organization that has been intentionally designed to provide equal access to equitable opportunities, programs, and resources for individuals living in marginalized and under-resourced communities.
Media Contact:
Maddi Larsen
Southern California Hospice Foundation
Maddiblarsen@gmail.com
(949) 838-7708
