The Developmental Services Support Foundation was created in Bakersfield, Kern County, CA, in 1994 as a nonprofit public benefit corporation (501c3) under the leadership of a volunteer Board of Directors. The purpose of the foundation is charitable in nature, primarily providing supportive services to the clients of the Kern Regional Center and other community nonprofit organizations serving the developmentally disabled.
The Kern Regional Center serves 12,000+ developmentally disabled members of our community. DSSF Foundation activity includes providing emergency, financial and educational support to individuals and organizations serving the developmentally disabled through a specific funding process – The DSSF Giving Fund. The Board of Directors provide insight and leadership to the foundation and makes funding and strategy decisions collectively.
The DSSF Giving Fund, provides the process for the foundation’s social investment. Through the fund, the foundation provides financial, educational, and emergency support to individuals with special needs and the organizations serving them. DSSF helps to meet the emergency needs of the developmentally disabled—such as transportation to specialized medical care, some health care equipment, necessary technology and assistance with funeral costs or even air conditioning repair in San Joaquin Valley’s hot summers. Applications, provided by the foundation, are submitted through our partner nonprofit organizations outlining the reason/need for the request. The DSSF Board reviews the applications with decisions based on need, impact and available funding.
The foundation has specific guidelines in place to assure proper use of funding and overall accountability for auditing purposes.
