October 2, 2025
The Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation celebrated 25 years of philanthropy with a luncheon at Cache Creek Casino on Wednesday, Sept. 24.
The gathering of groups from across Yolo and Solo counties, and across Northern California, represented just some of the many efforts supported by the Yocha Dehe Community Fund since its establishment 25 years ago. This philanthropic fund is bolstered by the Doyuti T’uhkama Fund, a compact created in 2016 through an agreement with the State of California that allows the Tribe to “invest up to $24 million per year in initiatives and projects that fall within specific parameters,” according to information provided at the celebration.
These parameters typically include: “Native cultural resource preservation, Native sovereignty, education, health and wellness, and local infrastructure within Patwin traditional territory.”
Tribal Chairman and Doyuti T’uhkama Chair Anthony Roberts explained that the name of the fund means “to give the acorn” in the Patwin language, and represents a significant part of the Tribe’s history of generosity that inspired both funds.
The philanthropy of the Yocha Dehe Community Fund is a critical source of funding for numerous local organizations. Speaking with the Express, Capay Valley Fire Chief Jesse Capitanio credited the fund for being instrumental in the upgrading and maintenance of Capay Valley Fire equipment that otherwise would be difficult to fund. In addition, the fund has allowed Capay Valley Fire to pay many members of its department, where the positions would otherwise have to be volunteer, and also noted that Tribal fire teams accompany Capay Valley Fire on their missions across the region.
The Tribal leaders expressed their gratitude to the community leaders, advocates, and other partners in attendance.
“We are proud to walk alongside so many visionary partners whose missions echo our own. Whether advancing education, preserving culture, or helping those in need, these organizations embody the spirit of intergenerational generosity that sustains and empowers,” Anthony Roberts said.
Indeed, the theme of the luncheon was “generosity through generations,” with Roberts reflecting with pride that the three generations of his family have worked to keep this fund providing for the community, including his mother, himself, and now his daughter, Briana Roberts.
One of the many organizations the Community Fund has helped includes Solano County Probation, as described by Supervising Probation Officer Nilsa Thomas, the event’s guest speaker.
Thomas has worked with Solano County juvenile probation for 27 years, and she described the many obstacles she and other juvenile probation officers faced, especially in lacking funds and a system that focused on punishment rather than rehabilitation, recalling how she and others often had to use their own money to provide kids with appropriate hygiene products.
The situation has improved over the years, with Thomas partially crediting the support of the Yocha Dehe Community Fund for providing funding for things like improved cultural training, facility improvements like an art studio for allowing the kids to safely express themselves, and hosting career, sport, and family events.
As part of this they summarized the journey of the Yocha Dehe towards philanthropy, and celebrated the accomplishments of this past year with an Outstanding Community Service award for three exceptional community groups, and highlighted their important work.
The first was the Robinson Rancheria Environmental Center, which is dedicated to caring for the sustainable health and safety of the local environment, especially related to ensuring clean water and sustainable fishing to keep these areas healthy and usable for future generations.
The second is California Indian Legal Services (CILS), an organization that provides free and low-cost legal services to California tribes, tribal organizations, and Native American individuals throughout the state of California. These services include helping
to protect tribal sovereignty, Tribal land access, and defend Native American civil rights across the state.
The final award, the Tattimihn Award, was granted to the American Indian College Fund, an education fund that has provided more than $160 million in scholarships to Tribal college and mainstream students and directly to Tribal colleges and universities.
The Yocha Dehe Community Fund has also been a significant partner for many groups and organizations in Winters. The Winters Center for the Arts, Winters Combined PTA, Winters Fire and Police Departments, and both Winters High School and Wolfskill Career Readiness Academy are just a few of the partners that the Community Fund has had a hand in supporting.
Yolo County Board of Supervisors for District 2, Lucas Frerichs, was in attendance, and in a statement to the Express, he echoed the same gratitude and hope for the future that permeated the whole event.
“Everywhere you look across Yolo County, you see the transformational impacts that Yocha Dehe’s generous giving has made over the last 25 years,” Frerichs said. “I’m so grateful for their support of organizations and causes that continue to make a difference in the lives of residents throughout our communities.”