What is the Mayor’s Fund in Las Vegas?

Homelessness and a growing affordability gap in Las Vegas is connected to a number of other issues such as mental health and affordable housing, said the CEO of the The Mayor’s Fund for Las Vegas LIFE.

The Mayor’s Fund, which has received grants from a who’s who from Las Vegas — Vegas Golden Knights, Raiders, Foley Entertainment Group and a host of other key stakeholders in the valley — is committed to “quality of life” initiatives and helping the city’s most vulnerable population, said CEO Sallie Doebler.

The Mayor’s Fund also recently announced the launch of a $10 million fundraising campaign to establish the Nevada State Veterans Memorial at the Thunderbird Family Sports Complex.

Doebler, who was born in Fargo, North Dakota and raised in Orange County, California took some time to talk to the Las Vegas Review-Journal about how to make the city better for everyone.

What are some recent wins for The Mayor’s Fund that have helped improve the quality of life for local residents?

As we know, engaging youth in sports has so many benefits for the positive engagement and development of our local kids. Many of these children would not otherwise be able to afford to participate in youth sports, so these grants have been a real difference-maker in the lives of thousands of kids.

We are supporting the pets of those experiencing homelessness at the city of Las Vegas Courtyard Homeless Resource Center. This is the only facility in the region where the homeless population can bring their pets into a low-barrier facility, leave them safely in a kennel area where they will have food and basic amenities, and the pet owner will be able to access resources for themselves knowing their pets as safe. Pets are often the only companions of the homeless and critical to their survival. We never want people to have to choose between staying on the street with their pets or accessing services at a place like the Courtyard.

We are partnering with Intermountain Health and Edpath Boost Academy to provide customized ACT prep for students throughout the county. This program helps high-performing kids who need help with the test format to be successful, opening opportunities for receiving a scholarship for their future success. This is a pilot but expanding program, and we’re excited that the ACT test scores were raised by an average of 6 points by the participants in 2025.

We are excited about the work we are doing in the Historic Westside with the ever-expanding youth workforce development program. The city has partnered with CSN on a beautiful new workforce training facility, which compliments the Strong Future Youth Employment Innovation Lab, Smart Start GO! Mobile Pre-K bus program, the Historic Westside School, and other future projects. We’re actively working on partnerships that will ensure the future of our young population, many who are in underserved areas of our city, and growing the pipeline for the jobs of tomorrow.

We have recently launched a campaign to fund the relocation of the Nevada State Veterans Memorial Park from the Grant Sawyer facility to the Thunderbird Family Sports Complex in Ward 4. The memorial honors our military service people with 18 bronze statues ranging from the American revolution to the conflict in the Mideast. In addition to being a beautiful and well-deserved homage to those who have served our country, it will be a refuge for our veterans where they can reflect and heal from their experiences.

Public safety is important to us as it is for the city. In my tenure as the CEO of the Mayor’s Fund, we’ve been proud to support the city’s Marshal Explorer program with uniforms, helping to ensure our safety workforce for tomorrow; training scholarships for EMTs with the Fire & Safety Department; and a wonderful customized book program with the Marshals called “Making A Better Las Vegas” which includes reading events to third grade classes with personal safety tips and a message that first responders are their protectors and friends.

What are some of the areas the valley can improve the quality of life for its residents?

As with every city in our country, there are so many needs, and they are all important. We care deeply about education, although I think important strides are being made with our wonderful new superintendent, Jhone Ebert. To that end, the Mayor’s Fund has historically supported the early childhood learning mobile Pre-K bus – Strong Start GO! – that takes this classroom on wheels directly into low-income areas of the city – working with children to ensure they are prepared and ready to learn upon entering kindergarten.

The unhoused population is a critical issue that is shared by many other cities. There will always be a need for a low-barrier facility with resources for that population. We are excited that the city is also supporting the Campus for Hope project, which is a navigation facility with a different mission than the Courtyard.

Where do you see the valley headed in the future and what issues/challenges need to be addressed moving forward?

While the resort industry will always be a cornerstone of our economy, professional sports teams have brought in a vitality that includes many ancillary industries that will be important to our growth, whether it be sports medicine, suppliers, and more.

We have talked about additional diversification for many years in our region; we’re excited about the new CEO for the Las Vegas Global Economic Alliance (LVGEA), Danielle Casey, who has a proven success record for economic development in the Southwest, and the areas of focus for them, such as biotech and related industries.

Available land continues to be a significant issue, and our elected officials are hard at work to solve the issues with securing more federal land. Within the city, there are limited land opportunities, however there is opportunity with urban and infill redevelopment. Dina Baskey, director of Economic & Urban Development for the city of Las Vegas, along with her team, are doing great and creative work in areas such as the Historic Westside, Desert Pines on the eastside, and the Las Vegas Medical District to address that challenge and create a vibrant city.

Water is always in the forefront of the discussion, and the issue is there. However, we need to recognize that we have experts at the SNWA that are national and global leaders in water conservation and future planning, and our future is safe in their hands.

Contact Patrick Blennerhassett at pblennerhassett@reviewjournal.com.