Happy New Year to all of our SV2 Partners and friends! As we begin a new year, full of optimism and hope but ever-aware of the challenges ahead, we hope you will continue to join us to create positive change in the communities around us.

We have a variety of opportunities in the coming year to support promising social enterprises while accelerating the learning of SV2 Partners and families. Mark your calendars and register for our upcoming events. We look forward to seeing you soon.

Get to Know David Onek, Our New CEO

We begin the new year with opportunities to meet and get to know David. In addition to reaching out to Partners individually, he will host three informal, meet-and-greet Zoom calls with small groups of Partners. David looks forward to sharing more about his background, hearing from Partners and then opening it up for Q&A. Mark your calendar for Thursday, January 7 in the morning, Tuesday, January 12 over the lunch hour or Monday, January 25 in the early evening.

Grant Making & Impact Investing

Our first Impact Investing meeting is on Wednesday, January 13 where we’ll focus on investing for racial equity, as part of our ongoing series on this topic. We’ll delve into equity funds with representatives from three Black-led funds presenting. Partners will decide which to move forward to the due diligence phase with an eye to investing.

Our Education Grant Round begins in late  January. The focus of the Grant Round will be on the education approaches that are needed to address the learning loss and inequitable impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly as we look forward to recovery and rebuilding.

Environment issues are at the forefront of many challenges facing the world, with implications for the Bay Area and our local communities. Climate and environmental justice are foundational to our ability to thrive as individuals and communities. We’ll dig into the issues and learn more about local organizations having an impact in our Lightning Grant Round (LGR) on the Environment that gets underway on Thursday, January 14 and continues with meetings on Tuesday, January 26 and Tuesday, February 9.

Family Philanthropy 

Our SV2 Teens Program launches on  Sunday, January 10.  Our teen social impact leaders will gain exposure to pressing local social issues, learn about nonprofit organizations and collaborate together to provide funding to three organizations.  

We also invite current Partners to join our next Family Philanthropy Interest Circle meeting on Monday, February 22.

SV2 Learning Opportunities

A broad array of learning events are planned, in a variety of topic and issue areas.  We invite you to continue your learning around investing for racial equity at the fourth meeting of our year-long series (to be held in February/March, exact date TBD). Community Development Finance Institutions (CDFIs) and cash is the focus of this session. Look for more details on the date and time of that event in the coming weeks. 

You’ll be able to deepen your effective giving knowledge with both an introductory level workshop and deeper dive workshop on the Art of Assessing Nonprofits. Targeting new as well as more seasoned givers, we are thrilled to offer both learning tracks this year. You are invited to pick the one that best suits your current knowledge level or plan to attend both. 

We continue to Get Proximate, even in this time of COVID. Please join us for an engaging session with One Life Counseling Center (OLCC), Getting Proximate with Immigration: Trauma and Community Impact. We will learn more about the “immigrant-rich” community of North Fair Oaks and we will hear directly from OLCC clients who have made migration journeys and now reside in the North Fair Oaks Community. Join us on Friday January 29th at 12:00pm. RSVP here. 

Please stay on the lookout for new articles in the Get Proximate series appearing each month in the SV2 Newsletter. You can access past articles here (starting with the October 2020 eNews).

SV2 Book Club

Partners can start reading Begin Again: James Baldwin’s America and Its Urgent Lessons for Our Own by Eddie Glaude Jr., in preparation for the first Social Impact Book Club meeting of the new year on Sunday, January 31. 

Looking Ahead

We look ahead to 2021 with optimism and remain committed to  our focus on supporting recovery from the pandemic in ways that are more equitable and inclusive. We invite all of our Partners to engage at whatever level works for you. Mark your calendars, register for upcoming events, and stay tuned for ongoing information through our monthly SV2 newsletter.

Environment issues are now at the forefront of challenges facing the world, with many implications for the Bay Area and our local communities. Regardless of your particular issue interest area, climate will affect it. It’s all interconnected. Climate and environmental justice are foundational to our ability to thrive as individuals and communities. The Lightning Grant Round (LGR) will take place on Tue. Jan. 26th (RSVP here) and Tue. Feb. 9th (RSVP here). This LGR is co-led by SV2 Partners Jennifer McFarlane and Zweli Mfundisi, and SV2 staff Amy Badiani.

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

Partners will review and select from a group of six Bay Area organizations nominated by our Funder Allies. We’re delighted and so grateful to have Heising-Simons Foundation, Sand Hill Foundation, and Yellow Chair Foundation as our Funder Allies for the Spring and Fall Lightning Grant Rounds. Partners will vote on 3 organizations to become finalists.

1. Funder Ally Call with Laura Wisland – Heising-Simons Foundation and Ash McNeely – Sand Hill Foundation and Yellow Chair Foundation (learn about climate solutions, environmental justice, and why the Funder Allies nominated the organizations, Q&A): Thursday, January 14th 11:30-1:00pm | A calendar invitation will be shared with Environment LGR participants | Open to SV2 Partners, SV2 Teens, and Prospective Partners
2. Meeting 1 (meet and get to know our three finalist organizations): Tuesday, January 26th 11:00-1:30pm | RSVP here | Open to SV2 Partners, SV2 Teens, and Prospective Partners
3. Meeting 2 (Partners discuss our three finalist organizations and vote on Grantee): Tuesday, February 9th 11:00-1:30pm. To vote, Partners must read the diligence shared about the three finalist organizations before Meeting 2 and be present at Meeting 2. | RSVP here | Open to SV2 Partners and SV2 Teens

Meeting 1 is open to SV2 Partners and Prospective Partners. Meeting 2 is open to just SV2 Partners. Please RSVP by Monday, January 25th 2021. You’ll get more details once you RSVP and more information about the shortlisted organizations in December.

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. 

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.

SV2 Kids has a longstanding partnership with Family Giving Tree and our families look forward to working in the  warehouse each year to support their holiday gift drive. Family Giving Tree partners with Bay Area schools, shelters, and social service agencies to collect specific gift wishes from children and adults with whom they work year-round. 

While we had hoped to volunteer in the Family Giving Tree warehouse again this year, in an abundance of caution in light of the revised Santa Clara County guidelines implemented on November 30, we have made the difficult decision to pivot our support to be online only. 

Instead of volunteering in person with SV2, we invite Partners to support Family Giving Tree by purchasing a gift from their Virtual Giving Tree donation platform, which can be found here.  Purchasing a gift on the Virtual Giving Tree fulfills a holiday wish for a child, teen, or senior citizen and will be delivered directly to Family Giving Tree.

Virtual Giving Tree donations must be completed by January 15, 2021. 

Thank you for your flexibility and considering a donation to help spread comfort and joy in the community. Feel free to direct any questions about the pivot in plans or the SV2 Kids program to Lucinda Brommersma.

By Paru Desai, SV2 Get Proximate Co-Lead, SV2 Partner

This article is the third in a series about the principles and practice of getting proximate:

• Article 1: Overview: Confronting Truths, Changing Narratives, and Impacting System
• Article 2: Getting Proximate to Understand Multiple Narratives 

“How do we create equitable outcomes for all members of our community? We can start by defining people by their aspirations, not their challenges.” Trabian Shorters 

Words like “voiceless,” “at-risk,” “vulnerable,” are pervasive in our field and while the work of funders and nonprofits is well-intentioned, language like this — deficit-framing language — which emphasizes statistics and disparities tends to “other” the places and people who are involved. Language can risk reinforcing negative stereotypes and perceptions or communicate the idea that these are inherent characteristics of a person/people rather the result of circumstances. For the person or group being talked about, it can have a stigmatizing effect and impact identity or behavior.

In a previous Get Proximate article we discussed the importance of listening to multiple narratives to gain a more complete and real picture of a community or issue. One of the tools to do that is using asset-based frameworks and language that is centered in the community’s existing strengths, resources and capabilities of each individual, community and organization  rather than their problems and challenges. 

Asset-based approaches connect disparities and community wide problems to systemic causes, that is, it takes greater account of historical and systemic forces that led to the inequity, rather than to individuals. Seeing a community through an asset-based systems lens helps us recognize that where harm has been done, it is usually not the result of self-caused problems.  It also allows a community to lead change with their strengths and it amplifies their voices. It can expand equitable access to power, resources, and money while a deficit based approach continues the old paradigm of one group/community being the recipient of charity or in need and the other of saviours who will fix their problems.  

The asset-based framework was originally developed in the education sector as a strategy for improving the learning outcomes for students who were “underperforming” based on predetermined state metrics. When the focus was on correcting what was “wrong” in the students’ performance, many students internalized a narrative that they were inherently “not smart” or that they were “stupid”. The asset-based framework shifted the learning and teaching focus to center the strengths of the student as a key foundation for growth. 

It is important to recognize that asset framing is not just about being positive and using better language; merely doing this can actually have the converse effect of painting too rosy a picture. Problems very much exist and need to be solved but we, funders and nonprofits alike, rely too often on commonly understood language that doesn’t necessarily paint the full picture. For example, we often tell success stories of individuals in order to elicit action and support, especially financial, and to show impact. 

But we need to express these narratives to also include what was fully required to overcome system-caused obstacles and challenges, and also talk about how not everyone can access the support that was required. Otherwise the story can have the opposite effect of making it easier to say ‘Why can’t everyone do that?’ I remember one of our rockstar grantee leaders telling us that getting to where she had gotten involved not just financial and moral support but help in breaking through systemic barriers and recognizing that not everyone can access that support.  ‘Without the barriers, she said, there would be so many more like me so just holding me up as a success story isn’t enough’  

By defining communities by their aspiration and contributions the focus shifts from what’s wrong with this person or community to what’s right.  Asset-based language leads with shared values and emphasizes collective responsibility for solving collective problems. Here are a few differences in the two approaches.

Asset Based	Deficit Based
Strengths Driven Opportunity focus Internally Focused What is present that we can build on? May lead to new, unexpected responses to community wishes	Needs Driven Problems focused Externally focused What is missing that we must go find? May lead to downward spiral of burnout, depression or dysfunction
Mission and values statements are often full of deficit-framing.
Our mission is to amplify the voices in our community. The communities we partner with are strong and powerful! Youth in our community are our future. We must invest in them as leaders. Org X works with girls to prepare for graduation. In Org X, teens sharpen their problem solving skills.	Our mission is to give voice to the voiceless. The communities we serve are strong and powerful. We provide youth with jobs in order to prevent them from committing crimes Org X seeks to reduce dropout rates and end the dropout crisis. Org X addresses girls’ barriers to success.

 

Even as funder-grantee relationship practices are rapidly changing, especially in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic and social justice movements, commonly understood language is harder to change. Creating this mind and language shift from deficit-based to asset-based might not be easy, but as they say… words matter.  

Some suggestions on how to shift to a more asset-based approach:

• Examine, using the examples given above as a guide, the words we use when we talk about our work. What language are we using and what values do they reflect? 
• Evaluate mission and value statements of the organizations you support or work with to see if they lead from a position of strength. What, if any, reframing is needed? 
• Look more closely at what else is happening in the community we are seeking to serve and how organizations are building on existing resources and assets rather than coming in with answers and resources we think are needed. 
• Ensure that success and impact are defined by the community and not our predetermined set of outcomes.   

At SV2, we are continuing to learn and push forward concepts like this through Get Proximate and our DEI (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion) efforts. We look forward to exploring this topic further both individually and at SV2, with more examples and small case studies, in our Get Proximate learning series in 2021. Please contact Paru Desai if you have any questions about Get Proximate — and don’t forget to join our community on mySV2.

Let’s better support our Community Partners (SV2 Grantees). This includes following their leadership, listening, and acting on what’s helpful.

For example:

“…many of their [SV2] team members have attended our events, volunteering their time to support and give feedback to our students during live tournaments…”– Silicon Valley Urban Debate League (SVUDL)

In addition to receiving unrestricted funding, BAYCAT tapped into the SV2 network to get access to pro-bono legal consulting from the Stanford Law School Clinic. We’re thrilled that Villy Wang, BAYCAT Executive Director, spoke about Reimagining Meaningful Impact at our 2020 Fall Gathering!

We’re learning that our most valuable BT$ support has included direct volunteering, making connections to our network (e.g. legal advisors, pro-bono consulting, non-profit space, speaking at our events), and increasing organizational health and capacity.

Simultaneously, SV2 has an opportunity to become more clear about what we’re specifically good at and what we can offer. The SV2 BT$ Working Group exists to bridge the gap between Grantee needs and Partner capabilities. This is an important strategic priority for SV2. The Working Group comprises SV2 Partners David Walling, Deb Dauber, Paru Desai, and Rachel Klausner, and SV2 staff member Amy Badiani.

Your completion of the survey by Fri. December 11th and participation in one of the Open Houses on Dec. 16th or Dec. 18th will significantly help in understanding SV2’s strengths and making impactful change with our Community Partners.

The Board of Directors is delighted  to announce the appointment of David Onek as SV2’s new Chief Executive Officer.

David brings almost three decades of non-profit, government and private sector experience to the job plus a deep commitment to equity and social justice. David previously served as Executive Director of the Northern California Innocence Project at Santa Clara Law School, as Deputy Director of San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom’s Office of Criminal Justice, and most recently as Justice Director at the consulting firm Resource Development Associates. He also taught at UC Berkeley Law School and served as Executive Director of the UC Berkeley Center for Criminal Justice. Earlier in his career, David worked for the W. Haywood Burns Institute for Juvenile Justice Fairness and Equity, Legal Services for Children, and the National Council on Crime and Delinquency. David is an active impact and angel investor and a long-time mindfulness meditation practitioner. He is a graduate of Stanford Law School and Brown University, and lives in San Francisco’s Bernal Heights neighborhood with his wife Kara Dukakis and their two daughters.

 “I am thrilled to join SV2 at this crucial time. 2020 has been a year like no other,” says incoming CEO David Onek. “The concurrent crises — COVID, racial justice, economic and climate — demand greater action from all of us. The time is now for SV2 to rethink and reinvent how we work with our Partners and our community to meet this moment.” 

 SV2’s search committee worked with a professional search consultant to conduct an intensive recruitment effort. Dozens of applicants were carefully vetted to find the right combination of nonprofit leadership experience, a social justice focus and an entrepreneurial mindset.

 “David brings to SV2 an extraordinary background of leadership, management and investing. His exceptional career to date perfectly positions him to take our partnership to transformational new heights,” says Laura Arrillaga-Andreessen, SV2 Founder and President of the Laura Arrillaga-Andreessen Foundation. “I cannot wait to partner with such a brilliant and entrepreneurial leader and amplify SV2’s impact in compelling new ways for our investors, grantee partners and the greater Silicon Valley community.”

David looks forward to connecting with our extended community when he assumes his role in December.

More than 80 SV2 Partners, Grantees, and social change partners attended SV2’s (first virtual!) Fall Gathering, Reimagining Meaningful Impact on Wednesday, September 30th. We were delighted and inspired to hear from social change leaders: Lisa Jones, SV2 Partner and Recipient of the Laura Arrillaga-Andreessen Social Impact Award, Villy Wang, Founder, President & CEO of BAYCAT (SV2 Grantee) and Catherine Berman, Co-Founder and CEO of CNote (SV2 Impact Investee). Watch some highlights and/or the full program, and be inspired by their incredible stories!

By Kelly Pope, SV2 Get Proximate Co-Lead, SV2 Partner

The Importance of Multiple Narratives 

This article is the second in a series about the principles and practice of getting proximate:

• Article 1: Overview: Confronting Truths, Changing Narratives, and Impacting System

What is a narrative and why are narratives so important?  Why can single narratives be so destructive?

Narratives are stories that we tell, or that are told to us, to describe a certain plight or circumstance of a community or group of individuals.  Single narratives are always biased.  They never tell the whole story.  Instead, they relay the emotional leaning of the narrator or the narrator’s community.  Many times, depending on who the narrator is, the narratives themselves can be one dimensional and may have little bearing on what stories the people or communities might tell of themselves.

Whether or not we realize it, narratives can influence the way we see, think, and even respond to social issues. People and communities are not monolithic.  That is why it is so important to seek multiple narratives that are authentic – those that take into account not only the circumstances at hand, but also past events that may have created the current circumstances.  In addition, multiple narratives help us to understand the thoughts, feelings, and aspirations of those involved.

Let’s examine a well known narrative concerning low income students of color – that they continually underperform in math and reading.  Why?  As the narrative goes, these students often act out in class, are lazy and don’t study, and are just not mentally up to the task. There are, though, alternative narratives.  For instance, low income students of color have far less access to high quality pre-K than their wealthier white peers, therefore often enter the K-12 system already far behind.  Additionally, research has shown that just as the larger U.S. population shows implicit racial bias, teachers show this same bias towards students of color. While well intentioned, implicit racial bias in the classroom manifests itself through lower expectations, lower quality teaching, and how teachers manage their classrooms.

Another example is the narrative around young, low-income high school graduates that receive scholarships to attend college because they are “disadvantaged”.  An alternate narrative might suggest that these low-income high school graduates receive scholarships because they have academic potential and possess the same hopes and dreams for their futures that all young students have.

Reading these two narratives, what did you think and how did they make you feel?

A single narrative often creates stereotypes making it impossible for us to see anything else. And, stereotypes are often incomplete.  They unnecessarily put people in a box where they are seen in only one way, which is then what they become.  When we hear one narrative, we naturally judge its veracity based on our own life experiences … is this true or false?

Multiple narratives can open our minds up for discussion, while single narratives may cause us to judge either the truth of the narrative or make assumptions about the subjects of the narrative. Multiple stories often shed new light on an issue, while a single story simply reconfirms existing beliefs or causes us to make judgements about the subjects of the single narrative.  By rejecting a single entrenched narrative and instead seeking counter-narratives, we can begin to understand long standing systemic issues and can be better informed as we begin to seek solutions.

Part of the Get Proximate initiative asks us to be curious and to actively seek out new narratives. To hear them, we must listen deeply and truly engage with members of the community by hearing their voices. These new narratives will broaden our awareness and shape the way we see, feel, engage and act with our community partners as we all seek to understand and to break down systemic inequities.

Here are some practical ideas about how we might start to examine and seek out multiple narratives as we continue our social impact work.

As you are gathering information about an issue or organization, consider:

• Whose voices are missing in what you have learned so far?
• Identify ways you can hear these perspectives: attend community events (even online), reviews, testimonials, get connected to community members, etc.
• Examine what notions or assumptions you already have about a particular issue, organization or community they serve. Ask where does this narrative come from?
• Seek out information that challenges existing notions so in the end you have a fuller picture.

Many propositions are on the ballot and as we examine each one we learn the arguments for and against and weigh who is making them. In the end we make final decisions based on information from multiple sources. Does examining an issue from multiple sides change where you might have originally started?

SV2 Partners can share examples of your experiences and work, and continue the conversation in the mySV2 Get Proximate community.

By Kelly Pope, SV2 Get Proximate Co-Lead, SV2 Partner

Silicon Valley is a region whose stories and narratives are as diverse and complex as its residents.  Home to some of the highest concentrations of wealth and education levels in the nation, disparities have also given rise to sharp increases in hunger and homelessness, especially among families and children.  Communities of mansions are within a few miles of multiple families living in small single family homes and despite a boom in construction, demand and cost have far outpaced supply and financial means.  The region is home to some of the best universities and school districts in the country but also a place where reading at grade level or accessing basic classroom resources is a challenge for far too many children. When some people talk about long work hours, they talk about a job that also throws in perks such as around the clock food, on-site gyms, and even laundry services.  But for others, equally long hours mean shuttling in heavy traffic over long distances for multiple jobs at minimum wage, often without benefits, just to make ends meet. While COVID-19 has altered life for everyone, it has deepened the insecurity for populations who were already struggling with these challenges.  

Both of these Silicon Valleys work, play and exist side by side and each reflects vibrant and dynamic communities.  But these communities are segregated along economic lines which also reflects another reality of the area: wealth is predominantly concentrated in the hands of whites and Asians while LatinX, African Americans, Native Americans or recently arrived immigrants make up the majority of residents in the less affluent neighborhoods.  Interactions between the two are primarily transactional. Vastly different realities and systemic influences allow some to thrive economically with access to opportunity,  while others face obstacles simply by virtue of their zip code or race.  When you peel back the layers of the prevailing narrative that success and affluence abound in the Silicon Valley, you find a harsher truth.  It is that even though many work hard and do all the right things, systemic inequalities and disparities are barriers that deprive them of ever ‘making it.’

“If you live and work in Silicon Valley, you may take affluence for granted because it permeates daily life. You may think that with so much growth, everyone’s boat is rising. But you would be wrong.”  [The Giving Code]

Beyond Single Narratives

To better understand the communities and people in our area, two years ago SV2 launched the Get Proximate pilot.  As learners and funders committed to creating opportunities for everyone to thrive and to affect better outcomes, this journey was about deepening our learning and seeing through a different lens: one that is led by community voice and experience where SV2 Partners are humble witnesses and participants.   

It is not a new concept.  Bryan Stevenson lays out a framework that addresses today’s inequalities and incomplete narratives; in his view, we must get “proximate” to those in need in order to better understand their experiences.  Stevenson speaks with forceful passion as he remarks: 

“if you are willing to get closer to people who are suffering, you will find the power to change the world.“²

At the core of getting proximate is engaging in multi-faceted dialogue, learning and reflecting with leaders and residents of local communities, and acting through this informed lens.  Jointly designed experiential exchanges allow us to get close, or proximate, with those with whom we don’t normally cross paths and listen to voices we don’t always hear. Getting proximate is both physical and emotional. It is humbling to bear witness to other people’s circumstances, listen deeply to their stories and then engage in authentic dialogue to learn more. It may mean feeling deeply uncomfortable in the process, either by going to places we haven’t been to before or hearing and seeing things that are new and revealing.  It means confronting truths that are painful, about ourselves and our societies. Getting close allows us to see a broader picture and tell a more accurate story. In doing so, we see individual and community potential, better understand the assets and strengths that allow communities to be responsive and resilient, and, together, begin to imagine solutions for systemic change and positive outcomes.

As we move forward from pilot to embedded practice, we place greater emphasis on understanding root causes so that systemic issues can be better addressed and acted upon. In the words of Jackline Novogratz, CEO of Acumen: 

“Empathy without action risks reinforcing the status quo”.  She goes on to say that [empathy] is, “… built from the bottom up and grounded through immersion in the lives of others. It involves connecting on a human level, analyzing the systemic issues at play, and only then envisioning how to go beyond applying a Band-Aid to making a long-term difference.” ¹

Sv2’s Get Proximate Initiative has an underlying theory of change: Empathy to Action.  It is guided by curiosity and learning which leads to deep empathy.  We define empathy as the capacity to understand or feel what another person is experiencing through a better awareness of their perspectives and life realities.  This approach predicates that by better understanding alternative narratives and systemic issues that communities grapple with, we better understand our role as partners and the actions needed to change systemic inequalities.  

The Empathy to Action cycle requires us to See, Listen, Engage, Feel, Reflect and Act.  By going through these steps to gain a deep understanding of what is, we move to a heightened commitment to empathy which then leads to action.  Action, individual or systemic, is based on a shared vision of equity and justice that allows everyone to thrive. The shifts in perspective that take place after getting proximate will likely transform not only local giving but how people navigate their roles as community members, donors, and leaders more broadly. 

See: Notice with interest with the eyes, mind and heart/Observe with curiosity/Look for the hidden or less visible

Listen:  Actively listen to words and sounds around you/Hear without judgment/Hear different voices and stories

Engage: Interact with humility and curiosity/Capture fresh insights

Feel:  Deeply relate to and identify with suffering/Experience new emotions

Reflect: Thoughtfully consider new understandings and meanings /Integrate and absorb

Act: Modify previous behavior to influence positive change/Transform live and systems by action

Get Proximate: A New Tool for SV2

For SV2, getting proximate is a critical lens through which to see an individual’s or community’s potential, to recognize the existing disparities, and to seek solutions. Getting proximate is a way of being and a set of values that impact interactions with anyone or anything you seek to know better. In fact,  SV2 believes it is a core competency in the philanthropic tool-kit, much like being able to analyze financial statements or understand strategic plans. In conjunction with Diversity, Equity and Inclusion work, SV2 is looking at how we can embed the principles of getting proximate in all of our work.  We will go more deeply in our learning sessions, grant making and impact investment to learn the root causes and the systemic challenges to equity and justice as well as the levers for eliminating them. By bringing in more grantee and community voices to our learning opportunities and strategic discussions, we will create deeper learning as well as leading with best practices for Partners to emulate in their other philanthropic activities. Our three year commitment to partner and learn alongside the North Fair Oaks community will allow us to to learn about community assets and solutions from multiple perspectives across a range of intersecting issue areas.

Silicon Valley is in some ways a microcosm of the promise and the challenges of the United States itself.  The depths of inequality and disparity were already starting to permeate the regional consciousness and this has only been accelerated with COVID-19 and the racial justice movement. Locally and nationally, there is a growing recognition that addressing deep rooted systemic inequalities which exclude and oppress cannot be put off any longer.  Challenges that affect one community in the end affect us all and barriers that keep us separate are permeable and need to be torn down. 

2020 has tested us as never before, but there is cause for cautious optimism.  As communities across the country grapple with multiple social issues, we are being challenged to reflect on who we are and what we want to be.  In our increasingly diverse nation – socially and economically — our communities are full of assets, resilience, grit, strong work ethic, innovation and creativity. Though there are those fighting to preserve the status quo, there is a bigger social and political movement that seeks to harness the power of this time for the good and benefit of all and so that everyone can thrive to their fullest potential.  Moving in this direction will require learning to listen deeply, be in empathy with the community and act together to make the changes we desire.

To keep current with Get Proximate activities and information, please join the Get Proximate community on mySV2 (for SV2 Partners). For any questions about Get Proximate, please contact Paru Desai.

SV2 Teens will start Sunday, January 10th 2021 for Teens (grades 7 – 12) of SV2 Partners. That may seem far away, but it will be here before we know it! To participate in the program this year, Teens – please apply here by Friday, Jan. 8th 2021.

We’re hosting an SV2 Teens Info Session on Zoom Sunday, Dec. 6th from 1:30 – 3:00 pm RSVP here. 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 nonprofit grant round – reviewing three nonprofits 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 criminal justice reform, environmental sustainability, hunger and homelessness, STEM education, and resilient youth in the Bay Area. 

Here’s generally what Teens will do: 

From January – May 2021 over about 9 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. Hone changemaker skills like active listening, taking a community asset based approach, teamwork, and leadership
4. Research and learn more about the issues and solutions, and organizations doing great work
5. List organizations you want to learn more about and invite them to participate in our initiative
6. Learn more about 3 organizations – e.g. hear the stories of community leaders, have insightful discussions with the organization’s staff, do some virtual volunteering
7. Determine how to allocate funding across the 3 organizations – yes, you’re giving out real money!
8. Celebrate with the organizations and reflect on the overall experience with your family and friends
9. Have fun! 

This award-winning program has been lauded in the philanthropic field and in the press (take a look at 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