Yolo Community Foundation Awards Inaugural “All Things Right & Relevant” Grant to Purple Tree Café
by: Yolo Community Foundation
Woodland, CA – August 8, 2025 – The Yolo Community Foundation (YCF) is thrilled to announce Purple Tree Café as the first-ever recipient of the All Things Right & Relevant Foundation Grant. The award will provide $55,000 in funding, renewable for a total of five years, to support Purple Tree Café’s in creating meaningful employment opportunities for individuals with mental health conditions in Yolo County.
This grant is part of a new endowment established at YCF following the 2024 closure of the beloved Davis-based thrift store All Things Right & Relevant. The store operated for more than 30 years, raising over $500,000 for local nonprofits and providing supported
employment to more than 50 Yolo County residents living with mental illness. The endowment opened with a gift of $1.3 million and will continue this legacy through long term grantmaking focused on job training and career development for those living with mental health conditions.
In selecting Purple Tree Café as the inaugural grantee, Nancy Temple, president of the board of directors of Friends of Allied Nonprofits, the nonprofit behind the All Things Right & Relevant store, shared:
“The All Things Right & Relevant grant reflects our commitment to empowering communities through sustainable, locally driven solutions. We’re proud to support Purple Tree Café, which not only provides meaningful career development and mental health support, but also fosters inclusion through social enterprise. It’s a powerful model of mission-driven collaboration in our region.”
Purple Tree Café, a Davis-based nonprofit, offers job training and employment for people with disabilities, including those living with mental health challenges, through its coffee kiosk, catering services, and community events.
“Through this partnership with the Yolo Community Foundation, Purple Tree is proud to carry forward the legacy of All Things Right & Relevant by expanding supported employment opportunities for individuals with mental health diagnoses in Yolo County,” said Jason Sullivan-Halpern, Executive Director of Purple Tree Café. “Since 2018, we’ve been doing similar work in Davis, and this grant will allow us to employ up to 25 additional individuals with disabilities over the next five years.”
Grant funding will support positions across several sites, including Purple Tree’s commercial kitchen at Davis Community Church, its booth at the Davis Farmers Market, and its storefront at the UC Davis MIND Institute in Sacramento. Employees will gain valuable, transferable skills in the food service industry, while also receiving individualized support, including one-on-one employment development, group workshops on job-seeking skills, and help connecting with potential employers across the region.
“Our goal is not only to increase long-term employability,” Sullivan-Halpern added, “but also to foster self-confidence and improve quality of life by building inclusive workplaces where individuals feel respected, supported, and empowered.”
For questions about the All Things Right & Relevant Grant program contact info@yolocf.org.
About the All Things Right & Relevant Foundation
For more than 30 years, All Things Right & Relevant, the beloved Davis-based consignment and thrift store, raised funds for local mental health agencies and provided supported employment to Yolo County residents living with mental illnesses. Over the years, All Things Right & Relevant raised more than $500,000 for local nonprofits and offered supported employment to more than 50 local residents. The All Things Right & Relevant Foundation is an endowed fund at the Yolo Community Foundation, established in 2024.
About Yolo Community Foundation The Yolo Community Foundation inspires and supports giving and provides philanthropic leadership in Yolo County. The organization offers donor-advised funds and other philanthropic vehicles, donates to local nonprofits, runs nonprofit training programs, and supports local giving. YCF currently has more than 100 philanthropic funds valued at $14 million and is an affiliate of the Sacramento Region Community Foundation. Join us! Visit www.yolocf.org to learn more.
