May 20, 2022 Silicon Valley Community Foundation's Nicole Taylor on Women's Growing Role in Philanthropy May 20, 2022/ Martha Ramirez Leading the nation’s largest community foundation, and as the first Black woman in the role, Nicole Taylor has made equity a lodestar. Here, she weighs in on SVCF’s all-woman executive team, 2020’s challenges, and more.Read More
April 12, 2022 The Many Sizes, Shapes and Strategies of Community Foundations April 12, 2022/ IP Staff The term “community foundation” applies to hundreds of grantmaking institutions in the United States, but no two are quite the same. Here’s an overview of what these funders do and a tour of the many varieties.Read More
March 29, 2022 How Northern California Charities Have Grappled With the Pandemic, Other Fundraising Challenges March 29, 2022/ Holly Hall Northern California’s charities face a set of unique challenges, made all the more difficult by the ongoing pandemic. We spoke with several fundraisers in the region to see how they have fared in tough times. Read More
December 13, 2021 How the Silicon Valley Community Foundation Is Encouraging Donors to Actually Give in the Region December 13, 2021/ Mike Scutari Silicon Valley’s wealthy techies sometimes get flack for not giving enough in their own backyard. Nicole Taylor, the Silicon Valley Community Foundation’s president and CEO, is working to change that.Read More
November 15, 2021 The LatinXCEL Fund Is Serving a Big Need in Silicon Valley. Here’s Where Its First Grants Are Going November 15, 2021/ Martha Ramirez The LatinXCEL Fund, a collaboration between the Silicon Valley Community Foundation and the Castellano Family Foundation, aims to support Latino nonprofits in the region. Its first round of grants went out this fall.Read More
September 28, 2021 Silicon Valley Fortunes Grow, but Frustrating Trends in the Region’s Philanthropy Persist September 28, 2021/ Mike Scutari Five years ago, Alexa Cortés Culwell co-authored a report laying out trends in Silicon Valley philanthropy, including less local giving. A lot has changed in the sector since, but Culwell says the donors’ habits have largely persisted.Read More
July 01, 2021 How Philanthropy Can Make a Lasting Commitment to Racial Justice July 01, 2021/ Lateefah Simon, Cathy Cha and Nicole Taylor, Guest Contributors Historically, philanthropy has responded to racial justice flashpoints with a short-term boost of support. The foundation leaders behind the California Black Freedom Fund offer five ways the sector can make a lasting impact.Read More
June 03, 2021 In Silicon Valley, Donors Are Neglecting Latinx Nonprofits. A New Fund Aims to Close the Gap June 03, 2021/ Martha Ramirez A 2020 report found that nonprofits serving and led by Latinx communities in Silicon Valley are vastly underfunded. Two regional foundations fill us in on their new LatinXCEL Fund, a $10 million initiative that seeks to close the gap.Read More
May 24, 2021 Community Foundation Support for Local Journalism Is Growing—and This Funder Is Leading the Way May 24, 2021/ Mike Scutari Community foundations are a growing force in local journalism ecosystems. We check in with leaders at the Silicon Valley Community Foundation, whose discretionary journalism grantmaking far outpaces that of its peers.Read More
July 17, 2019 Zombie Philanthropy: What I Learned About Donor-Advised Funds as a Foundation Insider July 17, 2019/ Chuck Brown, Guest Contributor Chuck Brown used to spend his days at the Silicon Valley Community Foundation convincing donors to open DAFs. But after seeing how much of this money failed to reach charitable causes, he’s calling for mandatory payouts and other new rules for DAFs. Read More
April 12, 2018 Why Is This Giant Community Foundation—and its Leader—So Controversial? April 12, 2018/ David Callahan The Silicon Valley Community Foundation may be the most intriguing—and confusing—institution in philanthropy today. It also has a surprising number of critics. IP Editor David Callahan takes a deep dive. Read More
December 06, 2017 New Voices: A Silicon Valley Funder Looks to Boost Local Civic Participation December 06, 2017/ Alyssa Ochs The Silicon Valley Community Foundation wants to help low-income residents and people of color get more engaged in local governance and policymaking. Read More
July 04, 2017 Immigration and More: What's SVCF Been Up to Lately? July 04, 2017/ Alyssa Ochs The Silicon Valley Community Foundation has been rapidly ramping up its giving in recent years, and Trump's election has only accelerated that. Where have grants been going in 2017?Read More
February 15, 2017 Explosion: The Latest Evidence That Silicon Valley Giving Is Going Totally Nuts February 15, 2017/ David Callahan Grantmaking by the Silicon Valley Community Foundation has more than quadrupled since 2012, hitting $1.3 billion last year. What does this remarkable tear say about philanthropy—among techies and beyond?Read More
December 16, 2016 Which Corporate Givers Stood Out in 2016? Here's One Way to Find Out December 16, 2016/ Alyssa Ochs A great many corporations today are engaged in giving, but which companies are really making a major difference—as opposed to just going through the motions? A new set of awards aims to find that out. Read More