Supporting The Mesa Refuge

In the beginning, the Mesa Refuge was an experiment. Today, it is a proven success. What it needs now are partners in assuring its future.

The Refuge’s needs are modest. The property itself is owned without a mortgage by the Tides Foundation. The retreat program is managed by the Common Counsel Foundation. There’s a part-time local coordinator who tends to the needs of residents. We hire a local naturalist to introduce the residents to the splendors of Point Reyes. That is all. With help from partners, this unique institution can flourish indefinitely. It can be a gift to the future that is simple, practical, and full of hope.

There are two ways to support the Mesa Refuge: make a tax-deductible donation, or endow a residency.

Make a donation

To help defray operating expenses, the Mesa Refuge invites donations from residents and friends. Suggested donation levels are:

• In appreciation: $350
• Sustainer: $500
• Friend: $1,000

Donations can be made online or via mail.

For online donations, click here: Donate Now

For donations via mail, please make your check payable to Mesa Refuge/Common Counsel, and mail to:

Mesa Refuge
c/o Common Counsel Foundation
678 13th Street, Suite 100
Oakland, CA 94612
Donations are tax deductible.

Endow a residency

The Mesa Refuge is part of a community that includes not only thinkers and writers, but readers, progressive activists and financial sustainers. We are seek¬ing gifts in the range of $50,000 to $100,000. Each tax-deductible gift of that size can endow a named Residency in perpetuity.

For example, Peter Barnes has endowed two Residencies in honor of his father and mother. They are:
• The Leo Barnes Residency for Lucid Writing on Economics; and
• The Regina Barnes Residency for Transformative Fiction.

We invite you to endow similar Residencies to honor loved ones or writers you admire. Each year the Refuge will choose a writer who is appropriate to your Residency, notify you of the choice, and send you a copy of the eventual publication. In this way, your gift will spur creativity and progressive thinking for decades to come.