The Affordable Housing Grant Round — part of SV2’s local Pathways to Opportunity focus — looked at approaches and organizations which are working to address the complex Bay Area housing crisis. Partners learned about the range of housing needs (from homeless to middle income residents) and considered various approaches like the “Three P’s” (Production, Preservation, and Protection), and intervention models including direct services and advocacy. Special thanks to our Funder Allies, Chan Zuckerberg Initiative and Silicon Valley Community Foundation, who nominated promising organizations from their portfolios and shared their insights and best practices with SV2 Partners on conference calls.
After an insightful kickoff learning panel and a rigorous process of hands-on learning and diligence, Partners selected three finalist organizations to make in-person presentations and site visits. Following a thorough final decision discussion, Partners selected SV@Home to receive a grant of $120,000, given over three years. Community Legal Services in East Palo Alto (CLSEPA) and Catalyze SV were awarded finalist grants of $10,000 each.
SV@Home’s mission is to drive the creation of affordable housing for a more vibrant and equitable Silicon Valley. They work at the local, regional, and state level, and have been conducting advocacy, education, research, and communications activities since July 2015. The focus of their work is to increase affordable housing options for those with the greatest need–households earning less than 60% AMI–and they recognize that many households making more than 60% of area median income also struggle to live in this high cost area.
SV2 Partners were impressed by SV@Home’s…
- Reputation as a “big tent” organization which values all voices and makes room for diverse stakeholders in a complex crisis
- Value as a collaborative convener
- Significant leveraged impact — thousands of units developed or committed
- Potential for impact at local, regional, and state level
Join us in welcoming this effective and impactful organization to the SV2 Portfolio!