For every $25,000 we raise, the CIA matches it for a $50,000 Scholarship for a student with financial need! We support both culinary and hospitality management students.
We support the Sonoma State University School of Business and Economics to provide scholarships for undergraduate or graduate students concentrating in Wine Business. $10,000 scholarships help pay for tuition, books, fees, housing and other expenses to support the student’s career advancement and educational accomplishment.
Every $3,000 donation supports one Court of Master Sommeliers Introductory Course/Exam Scholarship. This exam is an integral part of a future sommelier’s wine journey. Our goal is to support 10 candidates per year.
Odyssey Wine Academy
Odyssey Wine Academy offers Wine & Spirits Education Trust (WSET) certifications (Level 1 through 3 Awards) in Wine. Their WSET certification options are geared toward those who are in the wine and hospitality industry looking to expand their careers. For every $10,000 donation we can support four students with all three certifications.
“In our first wave of scholarship recipients, we’ve seen nearly a dozen students from local restaurants, bars and hotels excel at their wine courses. More exciting are the anecdotal stories students have shared with us about how they’ve put their new knowledge and skills to use with immediate impact”, shared Julie Rothberg, founder of Odyssey Wine Academy, Sonoma County’s only in-person school offering the globally-recognized Wine & Spirits Education Trust certifications.
“As a new, small-business in Healdsburg, it’s been incredible to partner with Pigs & Pinot to immediately changes the lives of hospitality professionals wanting to deepen their knowledge and improve their connection to our community through wine.”
Music & Arts Programs
Healdsburg Center for the Arts
Healdsburg Center for the Arts (HCA) is dedicated to creating, inspiring, and promoting the arts through community education programs, events, and exhibitions. Donations support partial and full tuition assistance for art class, camp, and afterschool programs for families and individuals who qualify for financial assistance. A $10,000 donation provides many families the opportunity to send their children to these wonderful programs.
Luther Burbank Center for the Arts
Luther Burbank Center for the Arts (LBC) hosts performances in music, theater, dance, comedy, family programming and renowned speaker events. LBC serves more than 50,000 children and adults annually through its Education Through the Arts programs. A $10,000 donation to the LBC Arts and Education Fund supports children, teachers, and families in the community to take part in these amazing programs and performances.
Cloverdale Performing Arts
The Cloverdale Performing Arts Center is committed to being a vital performing arts presence by entertaining, inspiring, and educating our audiences with high-quality live productions. Through theatre, music, dance, and storytelling, we aim to strengthen community ties, broaden the cultural horizons of the entire community, and help prepare people of all ages for careers in the performing arts.
Play it Forward Music Foundation
Play it Forward Music Foundation (PIFMF) fosters connection through music. PIFMF was created in 2016 with a vision that music instruction and instruments be available to everyone in the Sonoma County community who do not have either access or financial resources. Not only through the study of music, but also the creation of music, PIFMF empowers their participants and musicians young and old, with a love of learning, the creative process, and music that will last a lifetime. PIFMF believes music has the power to transform lives both internally and collectively as well as enrich our community.
