Year: 2019

Home / 2019

Join the Community Deep Dive Grant Round!

• News •

The Community Deep Dive Grant Round — part of SV2‘s local Pathways to Opportunity focus — will look at the overlapping levers of education, workforce development, and basic needs in a particular geography: North Fair Oaks / Redwood City. The Grant Round is intended to help Partners learn more deeply about this particular community — SV2’s near neighbor — its history, assets, opportunities, and challenges, as well as the institutions and organizations which make up its social sector. We hope to engage with residents, community leaders, nonprofit leaders, school and government leaders, funders, and others who are invested in Redwood City’s success. 

At the Grant Round Kickoff Meeting on January 28, an expert panel of community leaders will help us learn about the history and current landscape in North Fair Oaks / Redwood City. The panel discussion will set the stage for our learning and grantmaking deep dive into this community. The meeting will take place in the community, exact location TBD. Lunch served at 11:15am. Program begins at 11:30am. RSVP here.

As this is SV2’s first geographically-focused Grant Round, we expect to include some new elements. Early ideas include:

  • The pool of applicant organizations will be sourced in part through direct input from community members
  • Some Grant Round meetings will take place in the community
  • A new approach to the application process: verbal “coffee chats” between small groups of Partners and nonprofit applicants will take the place of written grant applications
  • One or more “Get Proximate” experiences will help Partners deepen their learning through authentic engagement in the community
  • While still under discussion, the division of the grant funds (total $140k) might look different from SV2’s typical main Grantee + two finalist Grantees

The Grant Round will run from January to May, and is led by Partners Rachel Klausner and Kwok Lau and staff member Jody Chang. 

Please contact Jody Chang if you would like to have your name added to the email list for this Grant Round and participate beginning in January.

Welcome, Newest Lightning Grantee BAYCAT!

• News •

Our Fall 2019 Building Opportunity and Inclusivity through the Performing Arts Lightning Grant Round (LGR) kicked off with understanding community insights. The insights were recently gathered by our terrific Funder Ally and Financial Sponsor The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation. 

“One thing we heard clearly in all six of the listening circles was the importance of the relationships between your artistic practices, your holistic and individual identities, and the places in which you live. For some, these connections were about your own community, its presence in a certain place, and your deep desire to be of service. For others, these connections were rooted in and inseparable from your people’s culture, stories, and practices. And for others it was about diaspora, or a distance from home that led to a feeling (and in most cases, a physical) displacement from a culture in which you felt visible and respected.” – Emiko Ono, The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation

The six incredible organizations who participated were:

  • BAYCAT – ends racial, gender, and economic inequities by opening the media industry to underrepresented storytellers
  • Leap Arts in Education – provides students the arts education required to develop the skills, determination, and creativity to reach beyond their potential
  • Joe Goode Performance Group – promotes understanding, compassion and tolerance among people through the innovative use of dance and theater
  • School of Arts and Culture at Mexican Heritage Plaza – catalyzes creativity and empowering community
  • Women’s Audio Mission – advances women and girls in music production and the recording arts #changingthefaceofsound
  • Zawaya – contributes to the multicultural discourse of the Bay Area with the Arab Arts

After a robust review and discussion process, SV2 Partners selected BAYCAT as our new Lightning Grantee. BAYCAT is doing amazing work in driving people to create inclusive and equitable communities and changing the stories that get shared with the world.                    We’re honored to be on the journey with BAYCAT.

We’re so grateful for all the feedback and got several great suggestions to improve our process moving forward – to make it a lighter lift and better experience for participating organizations, and to enrich the Partner learning experience.

Here is a quote from Joe Goode Performance Group about their experience with us:

“Joe Goode Performance Group was honored to be a part of this granting experience, and appreciative of SV2’s commitment to uplifting the work of local non-profits in the work they are already doing. The process was clear and considered, and we felt supported throughout. It’s refreshing to work with a funder that is building philanthropy in new and innovative ways, mindful of the resource and time constraints on the non-profit organizations in our region. Thank you!”

25 Partners participated in this LGR. Of the Partners who completed the feedback survey, 43% of Partners shared that as a result of participating in this LGR, their level of knowledge about local community needs and potential solutions has significantly increased. 86% of Partners found participating in this grant round useful.

Here is a quote from Grace Mah, SV2 Partner:

“This LGR has further exposed me to the performing arts activities in the Bay Area, and has given me a greater appreciation for their contributions to our communities. The significant social impact of the performing arts was eye-opening in the high quality organizations that we considered.”

A big thank you to Adam Fong, Program Officer in the Performing Arts Program with the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation (our gracious Funder Ally and Financial Sponsor). A huge shout out and appreciation to Ellen Lussier, JoAnne Tillemans, and Lisa Jones (our Partner Co-Leaders). These Leaders have truly ‘lived’ our mission through this role – from helping us empathize better with our local communities and performing arts organizations, to cultivating such rich learning, to innovating this LGR structure to encourage more participants to share and take ownership, to getting super-detailed with so many aspects of preparation, to being overall wonderful to collaborate with! 

Special kudos and thanks to all who participated and shared in making this a wonderful and insightful experience.

A Look Back: SV2 Fall Gathering

• News • ,

More than 100 SV2 Partners, Grantees, and social change partners attended SV2’s annual Fall Gathering, Farther Together, on Wednesday, October 2. Impact Investee NeedsList and Grantee ICA Fund Good Jobs took front stage and shared their journeys in collaborating with varying community stakeholders to expand and accelerate the impact of their work. Watch and share the full program here, or view segmented videos from our featured speakers below!

Welcome & Opening Remarks: Linda Lazor, SV2 CEO 

Featured  Speakers:

Teen Changemakers – SV2 Teens Coming in January!

• News • ,

To participate in the program this year, Teens – please apply here by Jan. 10th 2020. 

SV2 Teens will start in mid January 2020 for Teens (grades 7 – 12) of SV2 Partners. That may seem far away, but it will be here before we know it! 

We’re hosting an SV2 Teens Info Session on Sunday, 12/8 from 1:30 – 3:00 pm at SV2. We invite all interested in learning more about the program to attend. Current SV2 Teens, alumni, and their parents will share their first-hand experiences with the program and the impact it has had on them. We’ll provide an overview of the program. We welcome both current SV2 Partners whose teens have not yet participated as well as prospective Partner families to join us.

SV2 Teens offers youth the opportunity to participate in a non-profit grant round – reviewing three non-profits and awarding funds based on their review and analysis. Since the program’s founding in 2009, SV2 Teens have made over a dozen grants together in the areas of environmental sustainability, hunger and homelessness, STEM education, and resilient youth in the Bay Area. 

Here’s generally what Teens will do: 

From January – April 2020 over about 8 sessions (for a few hrs during some weekends), 

  1. Share who / what you care about – e.g. families without housing, people who are racially oppressed, climate change sustainability, and learn about leadership and venture philanthropy 
  2. Together as a group – identify an issue you want to focus on for the rest of the program – e.g. great education for all throughout the Bay Area
  3. Research and learn more about the issues and solutions, and what organizations are out there that are doing great work
  4. List organizations you want to learn more about and invite them to participate in our initiative
  5. Learn more about 3 organizations and speak with people  – we’ll go on site visits to experience what they do and maybe even volunteer! 
  6. Determine how to allocate funding across the 3 organizations – yes, you’re giving out real money!
  7. Celebrate with the organizations and reflect on the overall experience
  8. Have fun! 

This award-winning program has been lauded in the philanthropic field and in the press (from Gentry Magazine to the Chicago Tribune). And now the data is in: The Giving Journey report and other sources indicate the powerful lifelong influence of early philanthropic experiences.  SV2 Teens invites teens of any age and experience level to learn, be leaders and jump in as changemakers.

Any questions? Contact Amy Badiani (abadiani@sv2.org)

SV2 Partners – Help Us Spread the Word about SV2

• News •

If you know someone who may be interested in exploring SV2, invite them to join us at a Prospective Partner Open House on Sunday, October 6th from 4:30pm to 6:00pm at the San Mateo home of SV2 Partner, Michele Nemschoff. They’ll learn more about SV2’s model of engaged, collaborative giving to support innovative social ventures and how they can get involved. Help us in our mission to create a Bay Area and world where everyone can thrive!

We invite any and all prospective Partners – curious, emerging, hesitant, confused, enthusiastic –  to join us for an Open House on Sunday, October 6th from 4:30pm to 6:00pm at the San Mateo home of SV2 Partner, Michele Nemschoff.  Come and learn more about SV2’s model of engaged, collaborative giving to support innovative social ventures. While many Partners are actively engaged in all SV2 has to offer, our approach is highly elastic, allowing you to invest as much or little time and energy as you’d like at any given time, All those interested in exploring SV2 and becoming a Partner are welcome to attend.

Get Proximate: Roll of the Dice – An Immersive Foster Youth Experience

• News • ,

Join us for SV2’s third Get Proximate experience as we immerse ourselves in understanding foster care on Saturday, November 2nd to “get proximate” to those in the Santa Clara County Dependency Court by participating in an experience facilitated and hosted by SV2 alumni Grantee, Child Advocates of Silicon Valley.  

We will get proximate to the experience of some of the 1,500  foster children and youth in the Santa Clara County foster care system through some creative means, including: 

  • Participate in a simulation called “Fosterland,” that reveals the role of luck in determining the fate of many foster youth through the roll of the dice.
  • Dive into a 9-minute Virtual Reality (VR) experience of a 10-year-old girl in foster care as she navigates some of the many challenges faced by her and many other youth who have suffered from abuse and neglect. (Note: it may not be feasible for all participants to try the VR on 11/2 given a limited number of VR sets and time constraints.)
  •  Exploring the CASA Store, part of Child Advocates’ offices and training center. The CASA Store is a place where advocates and foster children and youth can come to “shop” for essentials like clothing, shoes, developmentally appropriate games, and school supplies.
  • Connect directly with Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) – volunteer adults paired with foster youth to be their court appointed advocates throughout their time in foster care, and others highly engaged in the lives of foster youth.

Child Advocates is currently piloting these facilitated simulations to help others empathize more deeply with the realities of the experience of children and youth in foster care within the constraints that prohibit direct contact for those not formally part of the foster care system.  SV2 Partners (and their teenage children age 16+) are invited to experience and share feedback about Fosterland and the VR experience, to refine this prototype for a variety of audiences. 

Child Advocates of Silicon Valley  is eager to get feedback from SV2 Partners as they beta test both their VR experience and Fosterland game/simulation. 

This Get Proximate experience is open only to Partners and their teenage children age 16 years and older.  Light snacks will be available. 

Pre-and post-experience reflection. 

Once you RSVP here, we will send you some background information/pre-reading and a survey to complete prior to 11/2.  Following our time with Child Advocates, we strongly encourage participants to share reflections via a brief survey and a post-event follow up call.  We will also share ways you can deepen your connection through action. 

More about SV2’s Get Proximate Initiative

Get Proximate is an initiative SV2 launched last program year to help explore the question: “Why do we give?” Most of us donate to and engage with organizations because we believe they are doing important work in the community. But how much do we know about the people and communities these organizations serve and support? How can we truly understand the needs of those in our community without “getting proximate”, without  listening to and understanding their personal stories and perspectives?

SV2’s Get Proximate initiative aspires to create mutually beneficial and authentic experiences with people in our community that have had different — and potentially difficult — life experiences. Our first experience was Around the Table at Maple Street with LifeMoves on 1/21/19 and our second was on 6/4/19 Experience Mayfair: Si Se Puede! 

Engaging our Kids for a Lifetime of Caring

• News • ,

Learning about homelessness, building hygiene kits, getting to know the organizations that are providing support in our community – all on a Saturday morning with SV2 Kids! We successfully kicked off another year of families giving and learning together on September 14th and now look forward to the year ahead.

Destinations this fall include Project WeHOPE on Saturday, October 26th to prepare and serve lunch for clients and Family Giving Tree on December 14th to sort and wrap gifts for children, families, and senior citizens in our community who need some help fulfilling their holiday gift wishes. Each SV2 Kids activity involves learning about an issue area, volunteering together at a local nonprofit, and taking time to reflect on what was learned. Studies show that exposure to early philanthropic experiences can have a powerful lifelong impact on young people. This understanding underlies SV2’s commitment to offering program options for every member of the family. This year we are aligning our SV2 Kids activities with our Grant Rounds to maximize opportunities for family dialogue and collaboration around the critical issues that face our community.

SV2 Kids events are open to parents and children ages 4-12 and take place on Saturdays, usually in the morning. We would love to see you at Project WeHOPE on October 26th (RSVP here) and the Family Giving Tree on December 14th. We look forward to these opportunities to learn and serve and build compassion and community together.

 

Building Opportunity and Inclusivity through the Performing Arts – Lightning Grant Round

• News •

Engagement with the performing arts can inspire individual growth, build community, and expand opportunity. This Lightning Grant Round (LGR) will focus on Bay Area arts organizations that use participation and exposure to performing arts disciplines to build opportunity and create inclusivity for low-income, underserved, or vulnerable communities. SV2 Partners Ellen Lussier, JoAnne Tillemans, and Lisa Jones are co-leading this LGR.

This sounds amazing! What will I do and how can I sign up?

Partners will review and select from a group of six Bay Area organizations nominated by our generous Funder Ally and Grant Round Financial Sponsor, the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation. Partners will vote on 3 organizations to become finalists.

  • Meeting 1 (meet and get to know our three finalist organizations): Wednesday, October 30th 11:30-2pm. Lunch provided.
  • Meeting 2 (Partners discuss our three finalist organizations and vote on Grantee): Wednesday, November 13th 11:30-2pm. Lunch provided.

To vote, Partners must read the diligence shared about the three finalist organizations before Meeting 2 and be present in-person at Meeting 2.

Both meetings will be held at SV2 in Redwood Shores.

Please RSVP by Monday, October 7th 2019. You’ll get more details once you RSVP.

Meeting 1 is open to SV2 Partners and Prospective Partners. Meeting 2 is open to just SV2 Partners.

RSVP for Meeting 1

RSVP for Meeting 2

What is a Lightning Grant Round?

Lightning Grant Rounds are a shortened grantmaking experience, taking place over four to six weeks with only two in-person meetings. For the Lightning Rounds, SV2 collaborates with funder allies who nominate organizations from their portfolios and share their diligence materials with us. Working with funder allies relieves the burden for nonprofit applicants and allows SV2 Partners to learn how our funder allies approach their work. For this Round, we’re delighted to work with the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation.

During Lightning Rounds, participating Partners have the opportunity to research and get to know six organizations in the sector, learn from funder allies about these organizations, hear presentations from the leaders of three finalist organizations, and collectively select a single Grantee. Lightning Round Grantees receive a one-year general operating support grant of up to $30,000, and participating Partners get to engage in a fantastic hands-on learning experience.

Questions?

Contact Amy Badiani (abadiani@sv2.org).

 

Affordable Housing Grant Round Kicks Off with Expert Panel

• News • ,

At the Affordable Housing Grant Round Kickoff Meeting, SV2 will host a learning session on the Housing sector. Our expert panelists are Jacky Morales-Ferrand, Director of Housing at the City of San José, Carol Galante, Faculty Director of the Terner Center for Housing Innovation at UC Berkeley, Menka Sethi, Director of Location Strategy at Facebook, and Randy Tsuda, President & CEO of Palo Alto Housing. The panel will be moderated by Dan Morain, Senior Editor at CalMatters and a recognized thought leader on statewide issues including housing policy. This is an outstanding learning opportunity, whether you join the Grant Round or just attend this session, to hear from experts who will cover the range of what is happening in this sector from policy and challenges to solutions and opportunities. All Partners are welcome to join in the Grant Round in any way that meets their interests: to audit one or more meetings, or to participate in the full Grant Round (four meetings in total).

The Affordable Housing Grant Round — part of SV2’s local Pathways to Opportunity focus — will look at approaches and organizations which are working to address the complex Bay Area housing crisis. Stable, affordable housing is a basic need which has become inaccessible to many in our community. Partners will learn about the range of housing needs (from homeless to middle income residents) and the varied challenges which play into the housing crisis (for example, funding, cost, zoning, public will). We’ll consider various approaches like the “Three P’s” (Production, Preservation, and Protection), and intervention models including direct services and advocacy.

Our Funder Allies, Chan Zuckerberg Initiative and Silicon Valley Community Foundation, have nominated promising organizations from their portfolios and will share their insights and best practices with SV2 Partners on conference calls. Partners will learn about the sector and conduct diligence on the organizations over the course of four meetings from September to December. The chosen Grantee will receive a grant of $120,000 over three years, along with Beyond-the-Dollars support; two finalists will each receive $10,000.

The Round will be co-led by Paru Desai and Harold Wang, with staff support from Jody Chang. Please email Jody Chang with any questions at jchang@sv2.org.

 

SV2 Fall Gathering: Farther Together

• News • ,

SV2 welcomes our community of Partners, Grantees, Impact Investees, and social change partners to join us for our Fall Gathering on Wednesday, October 2 from 6:00 – 8:30 PM at the Mitchell Park Community Center in Palo Alto. Our theme this year, Farther Together, celebrates the tremendous impact a community can achieve when a vibrant network of changemakers come together to address critical social challenges.

Join us, as Impact Investee NeedsList and Grantee ICA fund Good Jobs discuss their journeys in communicating, connecting, and collaborating with varying community stakeholders to expand and accelerate the impact of their work. We’ll also honor Carol Larson and Rick Williams as our special guests for their many years of leadership at the David and Lucile Packard Foundation and the Sobrato Family Foundation as well as their leadership in the broader Silicon Valley philanthropic community.

We’ll take the conversation beyond the stage, leaving time to connect over hors d’oeuvres and drinks. We also welcome Prospective Partners who are interested in becoming an SV2 Partner to attend.

We can’t wait to see you there! RSVP here.

 

Event Sponsor: