Balboa Park became something more than an idea on the morning of May 26, 1868, the day the City of San Diego set aside these pueblo lands for a public park. Through the plantings of Kate Session, known as the “mother of Balboa Park,” and two international expositions in the early 1900’s, the Park took on the unique characteristics we enjoy today.

It’s the largest cultural complex west of the Mississippi, encompassing more than 1,200 acres and housing over 85 cultural and recreational institutions including 15 museums and various performing arts groups. Balboa Park is acclaimed for its horticultural treasures – eight glorious gardens set among manicured lawns, shady groves of majestic trees, or nestled in within peaceful vistas.

In 1985, a major gift from the Pratt Memorial Fund and California First Bank was given to The San Diego Foundation to establish the Balboa Park Endowment Fund.