It was wonderful to learn and make an impact together in our Education Equity Grant Round!
The José Valdés Math Institute and Learning Home Volunteers are our new outstanding Grantee Partners! Each will receive an unrestricted grant of $90,000 (given over three years), beyond-the-dollars support, and friendship. Our three wonderful finalist organizations, Oakland Kids First, ParentChild+, and Youth Together, each received a $1,000 honorarium from SV2 in acknowledgement of their impactful work and time spent with us in the Grant Round.
A big shoutout to SV2 Partners Dave Babulak and Deepti Sharma for their focused, compassionate, and friendly leadership of this Grant Round! We’re so grateful for all of your thoughtful work and leadership!
The José Valdés Math Institute (JVMI): Mission: “To contribute to the development of the whole student by advancing their math skills and enabling them to flourish in a diverse community.” JVMI does this through math programs (full year of math during summer), year-round tutoring, JVMI Academy, and JVMI Enrichment. JVMI is based in San José.
“Being part of Valdés Math allowed me to grow my confidence in all of my classes, not just math. It allowed me to trust that I am capable of solving problems—mathematical or not—regardless of how difficult they may be. I am forever grateful for Valdés Math!” – Elizabeth, student
Robert Escobar, JVMI Executive Director, has many accomplishments, including being a civil rights activist, community volunteer, and former Planning Commissioner of the County of Santa Clara and the City of Morgan Hill.
Learning Home Volunteers: Mission: “To ensure that every child gets an equal start at school.” Learning Home Volunteers accomplishes this through training parents, home-based learning, learning and activity kits, resources, and wrap-around services. Learning Home Volunteers is based in San Carlos.
“My daughter loves to explore and learn. I wish I had learned this way when I was young.” – Renata, parent
Victoria Shoemaker, Learning Home Volunteer Executive Director, has an impressive background. She owned a successful software business for over 30 years. She volunteered in youth sports, with professional associations, and at a preschool education setting for 5 years.
In our Grant Round, we had over 25 SV2 Partners participate with so much enthusiasm, and we received invaluable guidance about education equity from 6 current or alumni Grantee Partners. Here are some quotes from SV2 Partners about their experience with the Grant Round:
“I learned about a couple of great new organizations that I am considering supporting on my own!” – Deb Dauber, SV2 Partner
“Co-leading the Grant Round was a rewarding experience. Seeing trust-based philanthropy in action was amazing, and the way SV2 partners built on each other’s ideas so effortlessly really showed the strength of our community.” – Deepti Sharma, SV2 Partner Co-Leader, Education Equity Grant Round
“Co-leading this round was a great opportunity to meet and work with fellow SV2 partners. Learning about the dozens of organizations in the Bay Area working on education equity was deeply inspiring.” – Dave Babulak, SV2 Partner Co-Leader, Education Equity Grant Round
We’re grateful to learn about so many inspiring and insightful examples of education equity and look forward to continuing our changemaking efforts as the SV2 community!