Pigs & Pinot Beneficiary

Palmer Family Education Foundation (PFEF)

We focus on raising awareness and providing funding for education, specifically to nonprofit organizations offering culinary and wine accreditation, arts-related programs including, but not limited to, music and media, as well as other nonprofit educational programs that require financial aid in order to provide the necessary tools for learning and advancement.

“As owners and operators of the best restaurants and wineries in the country, it is my passion to teach and help the next generation learn the crafts we have been so fortunate enough to master.”
– charlie palmer
Sonoma County Vintners

Pigs & Pinot and Sonoma County Vintners Partnership

While The Palmer Family Educational Foundation awaits its non-profit status approval, Sonoma County Vintners has graciously partnered with Pigs & Pinot to support all its wonderful beneficiaries and provide essential funding for education, specifically to nonprofit organizations offering Educational Programs including Culinary and Wine Accreditation, Music, and the Arts.

Learn more about SCVF


Culinary and Wine Scholarships

Pigs & Pinot gathers food and wine experts for an amazing weekend of Pork and pinot noir while making a positive difference in the lives of young adults and youth in our community.

Pigs & Pinot helps candidates that show a real passion for the industry and its products and we provide them with financial aid to make their dreams a reality.

The Culinary Institute of America Scholarship

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.

Sonoma State Wine Program Scholarship

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.

The Court of Master Sommelier Level I

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.

Sonoma County Vintners Foundation

Sonoma County Vintners Foundation (SCVF) is an accredited 501c(3) nonprofit organization founded in 1988. Its purpose is to consistently support local nonprofit organizations to help those in our community who are most in need. SCVF elevates lives to cultivate a vibrant and diverse Sonoma County with proceeds from year-round philanthropic giving by its community of SCVF Changemakers and its annual Sonoma County Wine Auction. SCVF’s two main initiatives, Community Grants and the Emergency Relief Fund, impact needs ranging from the immediate to the long term.

Community Foundation Sonoma County aids SCVF in the grant application process and more, providing a valuable service to the community as a liaison for nonprofits.

Follow SCVF on Facebook or Instagram to see how the grants they distribute in Sonoma County are used to elevate the work of their partners.

Learn more about SCVF