At our recent CMF board meeting at Mission San Buenaventura, we unanimously named Dr. Mellon as Executive Director Emeritus - a tribute to his years of dedicated service to CMF and preservation of California's pyramids.

David Bolton, CMF's new Executive Director, has hit the ground running. He has been working closely with each of the missions and their supporters in promoting mission preservation efforts. David brings to our organization not only a great entrepreneurial spirit but also savvy business acumen. He is one of the true go-getters!

A key part of this successful transition has been the addition of three outstanding new Board members: Milford Wayne Donaldson, Jock M. Sewall and Luis A. Gonzalez.

Wayne Donaldson is no stranger to historic preservation. He served as California's State Historic Preservation Officer from 2004 to 2012. In 2010 President Obama appointed him as Chairman of the nation's Advisory Council on Historic Preservation. Wayne has had a lifelong interest in preserving California missions and historic structures.

Architect Jock Sewall is a noted author on mission and Mediterranean architecture. His lavishly-illustrated and well-received recent book California Mission Architecture: A Survey and Sourcebook compares architectural elements of our Alta California missions with those of other historic sites throughout Europe and the Middle East.

Luis Gonzalez is a Partner and Managing Director of Snowden Capital Advisors, a wealth management firm. Formerly with Merrill Lynch, he has earned the designation of Chartered Retirement Planning Counselor. An avid fan and voracious reader of history, he has a particular interest in the early history of the American West and its transformation.

These three individuals will help CMF continue all of the hard work that board members have undertaken during the past 14 years, and I am confident that they will help take CMF to new heights. 

CMF has done a tremendous amount since 1998, but much remains to be done. Your generosity and support have made all of this possible. Your continued interest will help us continue our vitally important efforts to preserve and restore Alta California's missions. Together we can do it.

Cordially,

The California Missions Foundation has opened its 2013 grant application window for California's historic missions, and will continue to receive applications for a variety of projects until the closing of the window on July 31, 2013.

CMF has instituted a new policy and new procedures for the request of grants. All grant requests are now being received directly by staff in the newly-relocated CMF Santa Barbara office. The CMF office staff will be receiving, reviewing, and then in September, presenting all grant requests received to the full CMF Board for final review and award determination. The CMF Grants Committee has now become "a committee of the whole", the entire board, which is headed by CMF Chairman Larry Gould.

More detailed information on 2013 CMF Grants and the application, etc. can be found on the CMF web site, www.californiamissionsfoundation.org

CMF staff is also available to help each mission through this process, so please do not hesitate to call the CMF office at (805) 963-1633. 

CMF Board Member Dr. Rubén Mendoza, along with CMF Executive Director David Bolton (to his right) presents a CMF grant check to Carlene Bell, president of the Soledad Mission Foundation.

Ms. Bell is flanked by students from Dr. Mendoza's Mission Archaeology Class at Cal State University, Monterey Bay, who, in the morning this day, worked to help excavate the foundation of the original Soledad Mission, and then, attended a demonstration and seminar on historic guns presented at Mission Soledad by gun expert Pete Anderson. Ms. Bell is holding one of those guns -- a modern Italian replica of a 2nd model British Brown Bess musket c. 1766.

Late Spanish and Mexican troops used this flintlock musket from 1810 on. The Mexican Army used the Brown Bess for almost all forces. Photo courtesy of Jewell Gentry.

In the portico of the convento wing at Mission San Antonio de Padua, CMF Board Member Carol Kenyon presents a grant check to Mission San Antonio de Padua Administrator Joan Steele during a recent CMF site visit which included Executive Director David Bolton.

The grant check, made possible by a generous contribution from the Linden Root Dickinson Foundation, is being used as part of Phase One of the overall $15 million retrofit of the entire mission complex.

Phase One, which ultimately will reach $6.8 million, includes retrofitting of the church and front columns, and remodeling of the visitor bathroom to make it ADA compliant. Photo courtesy of John Warren.

Mission assistance from CMF has been broad. In San Francisco, a CMF donation has made possible a memorial project currently under way by curator Andy Galvan (shown in this photo), which will list the names of all Native Americans buried at Mission San Francisco de Asís, including descendants of Mr. Galvan. The project includes not only a memorial in the cemetery but also an interactive video display in the mission's museum. Photo by David Bolton.

During the past several years, CMF has worked closely with the National Park Service in Washington D.C. to obtain and administer a handful of Save America's Treasures (SAT) Grants for select Alta California Missions. These SAT Grants helped to rebuild the historic church at Mission San Miguel after the devastating 2003 Paso Robles earthquake, as well as helped to retrofit the Basilica Church at Mission Carmel, among other mission projects.

A repaired Mission San Miguel following an SAT Grant. Photo courtesy of Cultural Global Media

Final work continues on the historic Basilica Church at Mission Carmel. Photos by of David Bolton.

MISSION SAN LUIS REY

Recently, the final piece to the successful completion of the SAT Grant and related work at Mission San Luis Rey was put in place with the signing of a conservation easement between the Mission and the California Missions Foundation. The 50-year agreement assures the continued maintenance and repair of the Mission "so as to preserve the architectural, historical, and/or archeological integrity of the property and its materials to protect those qualities that made the (Mission) eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places."

As part of signing the easement with CMF, the Mission agrees to not demolish, construct, alter, or remodel in any way affecting the historically significant relevant exterior features or interior spaces.

Mission San Luis Rey during retrofit construction. Photo by David Bolton.

Mission San Luis Rey following successful completion of it's SAT work. Photo courtesy of Gwyn Grimes.

MISSION SANTA BARBARA

The last SAT Grant was awarded to Mission Santa Barbara which continues preservation and maintenance work at the 10th mission founded in the chain of 21. In late April, SAT funds were provided for the retrofit of the historic Mission Santa Barbara crypt, located adjacent to the altar rail inside the beautiful church. It is the only crypt at any of the 21 Alta California missions, and includes the remains of Gov. Figueroa, and members of the prominent De La Guerra family, plus distinguished Franciscans who have overseen mission activities in Santa Barbara since the mission's founding in 1786. Utilizing the services of Channel Coast Construction, the five-day retrofit of the crypt was successfully completed on schedule. This recent work at Mission Santa Barbara received the following media coverage:

KEYT-TV / ABC Affiliate Coverage

Santa Barbara Independent Coverage

Meanwhile, the next projects at Mission Santa Barbara will be - repairing portions of the mission façade and extensive work on the mission's historic Convento wing. CMF continues to administer the SAT Grant at Mission Santa Barbara with an April, 2015 deadline set by the National Park Service for the projects.

The California Missions Foundation is pleased to offer a new way to show your support, by donating stock. When you donate stock to CMF you will not be responsible for paying taxes on said stock, however you will still receive full tax credit for the amount of the stock on the day you contribute. To donate please have your broker call UBS Financial Services at (201) 352-6300, with the following information:

Account Name: California Missions Foundation

DTCC Clearing Number: 0221

Account #: XN04920

As always please call Executive Director David Bolton at the CMF office with any questions at

(805) 963-1633.