By Paru Desai, SV2 Partner and Mindfulness Practitioner 

In our previous article we discussed the importance of self-care and mindfulness when engaging in social impact and justice work. Practices such as these enable non-profit leaders and staff to keep their center, focus, and energy and help avoid burnout. Allies, like funders, are able to show up with a presence and awareness which support deeper, relational power shifts and collaboration. 

We know that truly solving decades old challenges and changing entrenched systems require a departure from older paternalistic, outsider-led models.  At SV2 we have been moving towards a different paradigm of how we can achieve greater equity in our communities, one that centers community agency and dignity in order to redistribute systemic and personal power. How does mindfulness support these shifts both for us as individuals and as systems of power and privilege seeking make equitable changes. 

A key foundation of mindful philanthropy is mindful presence.  Let’s examine this a bit more. Mindfulness is the intentional process of paying attention to the unfolding of moment-to-moment experiences. It is an awareness of your inner and outer worlds – an alert observation, without judgment, of thoughts, emotions, body sensations, memories, images as well as awareness of physical surroundings through the senses. etc. Though hard to master, mindfulness is not a spiritual state but rather a mental capacity. 

Presence refers to the stability of practicing mindfulness, or the degree to which you are able to mindfully be in each moment as it happens. Living in a field of awareness, or presence, means that as experiences arise, register and pass away, you get less caught up with them, returning to an observing non-judgemental awareness more quickly and for longer periods of time. With practice, mindfulness and presence can work together and energize each other to create a continuity of awareness.  

From this field of awareness, we can support the work of social justice and philanthropy in more effective and beneficial ways.  We can start first by examining our own experiences and traumas, ego, relationship to power and privilege, confronting our biases (conscious and unconscious) as well as the cultural contexts of our lives and communities. We need to know these because they can get in the way of being truly authentic and humble in our giving. Understanding and releasing them then allows us to serve with curiosity, compassion and humility and create the relational space needed to co-create a better world. Mindful presence allows us to have a better capacity to see what needs to be seen and understand what needs to be understood.

There are many ways we can practice mindful presence — meditation, which is what most often comes to mind, is one way to strengthen it . But mindful presence to me is also just an aspect of being human. Stopping to pay attention to the world around me and immersing fully in the present moment, by stopping for a moment or even just slowing down, opens my senses and awakens me to the world around me and reminds me of the interconnectedness. In relationships, being fully there with another person means accepting fully their presence and existence with my full presence and existence. Each person doing this changes the other, usually for the better. Confucius said, “wheresoever you go, go with all your heart… And remember, no matter where you go, there you are.”

I have also deepened my skills in being present through practices we are adopting at SV2.  Get Proximate experiences of being present with people in their communities and being led by what they want to say have provided alternative narratives, helped develop deeper empathy as a result of authentic engagement, and reframed perceptions of people and communities with a more asset based approach.  The JEDI journey cohort helped me better understand myself by touching upon and addressing the sometimes difficult truths that create separation and othering. Our grant round evolutions and re-designs are another example of how deep listening has led to doing away with practices that were not beneficial or effective and which instead better reflect, and honor, our aspirations of making our world a better place through our giving and service. 

There are many tools to effective philanthropy and mindful presence is one which can help us do it in ways that are joyous, harmonious and supportive of individual and collective wellbeing. To realize our vision of just and equitable communities where everyone thrives, we can each start by, as they say, stopping to smell the roses.  

What are your favorite mindfulness practices?  Here are two of my favorites – please share yours also!  

The headlines around the climate crisis are sobering: Another year of horrendous wildfires in the western US, extreme heat melting public transportation in Oregon, and record temperatures in Greenland are speeding the glacial melt threatening to slow ocean currents and further increase extreme weather events. But in humanity’s race with climate change, there is good news—we have the solutions today to begin drawing down emissions to mitigate its worst effects, and more innovations are on their way. We all need to do what we can to help. One under-appreciated way is to invest our capital in climate solutions.  

In this overview session of our multi-part learning series, Project Drawdown will give us the latest updates on the problem and its most impactful solutions, and Align Impact will provide an overview of how to invest in climate solutions by asset class across the solution sets (renewable energy, regenerative agriculture, electrifying transportation, etc…), including opportunities to address environmental equity.  

Future sessions will delve deeper into each of the asset classes, identifying more proven, market rate solutions in need of scaling and more innovative, concessionary rate, higher impact ones in need of funding to see if they are viable. The series is being planned and led by SV2 Partners Jennifer McFarlane, Paul Traina, and Tony Stayner.

We are inviting a broad audience to this event — if you know of environment leaders or investors who might be interested, please forward them the RSVP link. If you have questions about the session, please contact Tony Stayner at tonystayner@gmail.com.

By Paru Desai, SV2 Partner and Mindfulness Practitioner 

Mindfulness is now a very familiar term and most people, whether they practice it or not, are aware of its benefits as an effective tool that allows us to thrive and which supports our health and well-being at work, in school and in relationships. Through a series of articles, we will address various aspects of those benefits but in this first article we start with how mindfulness can help shift how we engage with those we work with and partner with in a more professional capacity and how being present, being aware, and in the moment, can help us be better partners in solving our social challenges. 

At the core of mindfulness is presence — being in the present moment, noticing and accepting whatever is happening without judgement and then choosing a course of action or response that is wiser and kinder. Presence allows us to touch into what is going on and allows us to be with each other wherever we are in our lives and in the world. Presence allows us to make space for relation-based approaches which foster meaningful connections, respect, humility and partnership.  And from this shift in dynamics, we can contemplate how to co-create a better world. 

In the face of so many challenges, one of the biggest is mental health. Two in 5 Americans since the COVID-19 pandemic have a mental health condition and this is likely to increase; children are particularly vulnerable and at risk. However, many face systemic barriers to accessing care—frequently a consequence of the shortage in mental health care professionals. These barriers are often more significant for communities of color, contributing to even greater disparities in mental health care access and outcomes. 

At the same time, work-related stress, depression or anxiety results in tremendous economic loss through absenteeism, poor performance, employee turnover, accidents and stress-related workers compensation claims. These impacts are exacerbated for those working in spaces of community trauma, deep social inequities, high poverty and systemic barriers which make working in marginalized communities even harder. 

In a recent meet-up session with SV2 Community Partners, we discussed how doing this very difficult work requires self-care and addressing one’s own well-being first. Several Community Partner leaders reflected that the COVID era has been particularly challenging and hard for EDs as they hold everyone’s emotions and fears – themselves and their families, their staff and the clients as well as the communities they serve. In sharing individual practices — going for walks/hikes, playing music, meditating and/or doing yoga, playing with pets, using essential oils — it was also noted that even these relatively simple acts of self-care can be challenging for communities where focusing on yourself is equated to being selfish or self-absorbed.  Suzie Hughes, of One Life Counseling Center, shared how she articulates self-care to her staff through the analogy of a phone that needs charging — that is, if a phone is out of battery it will not be able to run any of the apps until it is first charged. Similarly, she tells them, you can’t do your work and help others when you are running low or depleted yourself.  

Community Partners also shared simple organizational practices that foster self-care and care of each other. These include practices such as weekly team check-ins and time off together, team building activities aimed at re-charging, taking well-being half days each week, game nights, and wellness social media channels to keep connected all help staff feel grounded and connected to themselves, each other and the work.  But it was noted that sometimes even these low hanging practices that have tremendous value were still a drain on already stretched budgets and resources.

In future pieces, we will go deeper into mindful practices, individually and collectively, as well as explore what taking a mindful approach to philanthropy – one that is rooted presence, mutual benefit, and collaboration to drive equity and justice – means. 

What does mindfulness mean to you, what are your go to practices, insights, stories, etc.? We’d love to start a community sharing practice. Please share your thoughts here or connect directly with Paru Desai, SV2 Partner

We are thrilled to announce that Jim Basile has been elected the new SV2 Board Chair. Jim previously served as Vice Chair of the Board and as Secretary. He joined SV2 five years ago, when Silicon Valley Urban Debate League (SVUDL) became a Grantee/Community Partner; Jim served on SVUDL’s Board and saw an opportunity for further learning and impact by joining the SV2 community as well. He brings both keen insight and a sense of humor to his engagement and leadership at SV2. Jim’s appointment comes on the heels of the previously announced appointments of David Dill, Clara Roa and Joyce Song to the Board. 

We are deeply appreciative of outgoing Board Chair Alison Elliott’s expert guidance of SV2 over the past two years, through a pandemic and a CEO transition. As a long-time, engaged Partner, Grant Round leader, and Board member, Alison brought wisdom and experience that served SV2 well in this past season. We’re grateful that Alison will remain on the Board, continuing to serve on the Executive Committee to ensure a smooth transition to Jim as Chair. 

It is also with deep gratitude that we celebrate the impact of outgoing SV2 Board member Tony Stayner, who will continue to lead and engage in many ways as a Partner next year. Tony has served on the SV2 Board for the past six years, including serving as Board Treasurer and Chair of the Finance Committee. Tony is known at SV2 for his optimism, empathy, and continual pursuit of social impact, particularly through the work of impact investing. Going forward, Tony will continue as an active member of the Impact Investing Working Group and leader of the Impact Investing Interest Circle, as well as serving on the Visionary Leadership Circle Steering Committee. Stay tuned for more on a multi-part learning series on Investing in Climate Solutions that Tony will be helping to plan next year.

Join us in welcoming Jim to his new position and thanking Alison and Tony for their Board leadership and service.

The 2021 Partner Survey Results are in! This survey is one way of understanding SV2’s impact on Partners and how we can continue to achieve our mission, learn, make positive social impact and cultivate community. Everyone can read more highlights. SV2 Partners can also read the full report. Thanks to all Partners who completed this survey!

• Involvement with SV2 had a significant impact on Partner learning about community needs and solutions, giving to social impact causes – funding and time, and effectiveness 

• Partners self-reported $1,584,312 in follow-on funding, that’s over 3 times more than what SV2 granted and invested last year: $450,000 

• Net Promoter Score of 48.1 (over 0 is positive, over 50 is excellent)

• A good Net Promoter Score this year given realities of virtual programming
• Partners continue to value SV2’s like minded community, experiential learning, and connecting with growth stage, community based organizations.

• We connected with several well respected Community Leaders (nonprofits and funders) to inform Grant Round and Learning Session topics

• There is strong interest in experiential and actionable learning sessions in 2021-2022, some of which would be new to SV2, yet extremely important to do based on community insights. Topic examples: 
  • Get Proximate
  • Community Organizing Powering Policy and Advocacy work as Levers for Impact
  • Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (JEDI) Training
  • Practicing Trust-Based Philanthropy

The mission of StreetCode Academy is to “empower communities of color to achieve their full potential by sharing the skills, mindsets and networks they need to embrace tech and innovation.” StreetCode desires to be the bridge between Silicon Valley and their community of East Palo Alto/Belle Haven and the BIPOC community at large through programming that addresses core barriers to inclusion by focusing on: 

• MINDSET – the belief that one belongs in the tech world
• SKILLS – the knowledge required to leverage the power of tech tools
• ACCESS –  the networks that provide aspiring individuals inroads to tech careers 

StreetCode was founded in 2014 by Olatunde and Tamara Sobomehin on the realization, highlighted by Jesse Jackon in their college years, that the digital divide was the human rights issue of the time. They met at Stanford, both from Black communities and started volunteering in East Palo Alto (EPA) as undergrads. Racial justice is built into their organization and programming. StreetCode was originally a free tech coding provider for East Palo Alto students aged 16 to 20. Yet they soon had the key insight that technology is intergenerational, and because they believe in a holistic community approach, they have broadened their programming and offerings to make them available to family and community members (digital inclusion) throughout EPA and Belle Haven.

The pandemic further highlighted and intensified their mission and purpose. StreetCode pivoted to address families in profound need by providing access to technology to support distance learning. They have a partnership with the Ravenswood School District in EPA, providing laptops, hotspots, and tech support for Ravenswood school district students and their families through their Level Up program with local tech partners.

Join us in welcoming StreetCode Academy to the SV2 community! If you are interested in getting involved with StreetCode, please contact Amy Badiani at abadiani@sv2.org.

The Reimagining Education Equity in the COVID Recovery Grant Round — part of SV2’s local Pathways to Opportunity focus — looked at education approaches and organizations that are addressing the effects of the COVID pandemic and building toward more equitable education outcomes in the recovery.

The pandemic disproportionately affected low-income students and families, and both revealed and intensified inequitable academic outcomes for students from underrepresented groups. The focus of this Grant Round was to understand and solicit learning from those on the ground in the educational trenches regarding the state of education, what factors during the pandemic exacerbated inequity, and the interventions they highlighted to reimagine education post COVID with an eye on equity and addressing learning loss.

As part of SV2’s commitment to embedding an equity lens in our grantmaking practice, we designed the Grant Round based on insights from a variety of community stakeholders, especially those close to the ground and with lived experience. A Partner research team interviewed 22 stakeholders to give us perspective, identify levers for impact, and recommend nonprofits to consider. We also continued SV2’s application approach in which virtual “coffee chats” between small groups of Partners and nonprofit applicants take the place of written grant applications. As SV2 continues to implement Trust-Based Philanthropy into our grantmaking, we look forward to building on these practices going forward.

Each year, SV2 Lead Partners (champions of our Community Partners / Grantees) share updates and funding renewal recommendations with our Grantmaking and Impact Investment Review Committee (GIIRC). This meeting happened on June 15th, and was open to all SV2 Partners. We celebrated the inspiring and resilient accomplishments (organizational health and social impact) of our alumni and current Community Partners, learned about community strengths, challenges, and opportunities, and ways to support. We’re proud to share that the GIIRC unanimously approved unrestricted funding renewals. SV2 Partners can listen to the recording and access resources here. 

We invite you to learn more and support these phenomenal organizations with stellar and diverse teams with lived experiences, equitable leadership and changemaking, and meaningful impact (e.g. advocacy and policy change, direct-service, and place-based).

• Asian Pacific Environmental Network 
• Braven
• Breakthrough Silicon Valley
• Californians for Justice
• Center for Youth Wellness
• ICA
• MenloSpark
• Mujeres Unidas y Activas
• One Life Counseling Center
• Partnership for Children & Youth
• StreetCode Academy
• SV@Home
• Upward Scholars
• Working Partnerships USA

A special thanks to our wonderful Lead Partners who continuously champion and support our Community Partners with empathy, thoughtfulness, and resourcefulness. 

This year, SV2 Teens decided to learn more about advancing equity in education. We’re so excited to warmly welcome our newest and awesome Community Partners to the SV2 family: Breakthrough Silicon Valley, Californians for Justice, and StreetCode Academy! Teens allocated a $20,000 grant across all three organizations in an energizing and collaborative process, and advanced in their own changemaker journeys. We learned so much about racial equity, community leadership, enduring and real change, taking a strengths based as well as co-creative approach to social impact, and more. We’re honored to have cultivated friendships with leaders across all three organizations, and in the spirit of youth leadership and changemaking, to have had such amazing Teen leaders throughout our program – ages 11-17! 

More about each of the organizations in their words:

StreetCode Academy acts as a bridge between Black Indigenous People of Color (BIPOC) and the technology they need to thrive in a digital age. StreetCode empowers communities of color to achieve their full potential by introducing the skills, mindsets, and networks needed to embrace tech and innovation, and seeks to realize a world where the digital divide is closed, catalyzing a diverse tech sector that is better able to solve global problems. StreetCode Academy has developed, tested, and continually refines a scaffolding of programming that creates a pipeline both to and from our communities and the tech sector. Through a blend of in-depth workshops for both youth and adults, curriculum and software development, and distribution of critical technology equipment, StreetCode shapes mindsets, builds skills, and increases access. StreetCode has served over 3,500 community members, and created an effective program model where 95% of alumni report that they continue to independently engage in tech education after graduating from our programs.

Californians for Justice (CFJ) is a statewide youth-powered organization fighting for racial justice by building the power of youth, communities of color, immigrants, low-income families, and LGBTQ communities. CFJ achieves its goals through three core strategies: 1) Organizing and Advocacy: Leading campaigns to improve school systems and culture for low income students of color; 2) Alliance Building: Growing the leadership of alliances to win campaigns and hold decision-makers accountable, and 3) Leadership Development: Deepening the analysis and skills of youth leaders so they can advocate for student-centered reforms and hold decision-makers accountable. More broadly through organizing and advocacy work, CFJ focused on three levels of systems change–state, district, and school– interacting with youth leaders, their classmates, their families, and community members at large. Impact is in the areas of youth leadership – e.g. supporting the social emotional development and well-being of over 100 core youth leaders, public education – e.g. working on state policy and in 8 districts and 11 schools, and community power – e.g. engaging 4,000 youth and community members who take action to improve their community. 

Breakthrough Silicon Valley (BTSV) prepares motivated students with limited educational opportunities for success in rigorous college-preparatory high school programs and entry into four-year colleges. Breakthrough Silicon Valley also prepares outstanding high school and college students to enter careers in education. BTSV’s comprehensive 6-year college access and retention program for low-income and first-generation college students begins in the summer before 7th grade and extends through college enrollment. BTSV’s tuition-free program delivers year-round academic support, family engagement, college admissions counseling, and enrichment opportunities that build social emotional skills like confidence, grit, leadership skills, and a college-going mindset. 99% of graduates are admitted to a four-year college and 86% enroll immediately into a four-year college or university after completing high school. BTSV also inspires and prepares a diverse corps of young adults to pursue careers in education through “students-teaching-students” model. Each summer and through the school year BTSV recruits and trains high school and college students to teach middle school students. 

The SV2 Teens program experience (all virtual this year) included reflecting on personal changemaking and philanthropic inspirations and interests, practicing active listening, taking an asset / strengths-based approach to learning and honoring community and nonprofit leadership, applying the principles of trust-based philanthropy, doing virtual site-visits to experience some of the organizations’ work and impact in action, and celebrating together along with Teens’ families.

The program was co-facilitated by SV2 Partner Anne Maloney and SV2 staff Amy Badiani.

Contact Amy if you’d like to learn more and/or know anyone who’d like to participate next year!

We are excited to welcome three new members of the SV2 Board of Directors: David Dill, Clara Roa and Joyce Song!

David Dill is a Community Investment Officer for Boston Private Bank & Trust, where he leads community outreach, donations, investments and other efforts in support of the Bank’s programs & services targeted toward low-and-moderate income communities and individuals in the Bay Area. Prior to Boston Private, David held positions in both the public and private sector including economic development, community revitalization and corporate finance. Since joining SV2 as a partner in 2019, he has been actively involved in the Impact Investing Working Group, the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Working Group and various grant rounds. David holds an MBA from Indiana University and a BS degree in Public Policy, Planning & Development from USC.

 

Clara Roa is passionate about building the capacity of nonprofits to facilitate the change we want to see in the world. Since 2018, she has been achieving that goal as the Chief Development Officer for the Hispanic Foundation of Silicon Valley. Clara has over 15 years of experience in nonprofit management and fundraising in the Bay Area. She has worked for several local nonprofits including Life Moves, Vascular Cures and the Pacific Stroke Association. She also serves on the Development Advisory Committee for Planned Parenthood Mar Monte and on the Advisory Board for the Family Engagement Institute. Clara received a Master’s in Public Administration and Nonprofit Management from the Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Policy at New York University and a BA in Modern Languages from Pontificia Universidad Javeriana. Originally from Colombia, she enjoys spending time with her husband and daughter, and her two rescue pets.

 

Joyce Song has served as Chief of Staff to Laura Arrillaga-Andreessen since December 2020. In this position Joyce supports Laura in a constellation of philanthropic initiatives, including the operation of her foundation, the Laura Arrillaga-Andreessen Foundation. Prior to this role, Joyce was Director of Donor Engagement at Silicon Valley Community Foundation (SVCF), where she led a team of Philanthropic Advisors partnering with high net worth donors on their philanthropic strategy. Before SVCF, Joyce served for almost seven years as Pro Bono Director, Director of the Immigration Program and Deputy Director at Community Legal Services in East Palo Alto, a legal services agency serving low-income communities in the Bay Area, where her team of lawyers and paralegals served hundreds of immigrant families seeking refuge in the United States.  As Deputy Director, Joyce helped oversee the strategic planning process and diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, as well as the growth of the organization from a team of 20 to over 50 staff, with a budget of over $4 million. Joyce received her BA in Anthropology from Columbia University, her MA in International Studies and Diplomacy from SOAS, University of London, and her JD cum laude from Rutgers School of Law.