Philanthropic Ventures Foundation
/OVERVIEW: The Philanthropic Ventures Foundation supports education, youth and community initiatives in the San Francisco Bay Area of California.
FUNDING AREAS: Education, youth, community
IP TAKE: Although PVF has consulted at many community foundations around the world, Bay Area organizations are a top priority, and many San Francisco grassroots groups that are focused on equity receive funding each year.
PROFILE: Established in 1991, Philanthropic Ventures Foundation (PVF) is a public charity foundation based in Oakland, California within the San Francisco Bay Area. Bill Somerville founded PVF and is known as an expert on creative grantmaking after over 50 years of nonprofit work that includes 17 years as the executive director of the Peninsula Community Foundation. The foundation aims to "engage creative donors and community partners in grassroots philanthropy via radical collaboration.” It funds local efforts for education, youth and community initiatives.
The Philanthropic Ventures Foundation is a funder that tests new approaches and engages in creative grantmaking to maximize philanthropic dollars. PVF has a staff of eight people and a board of directors and advisors who are very involved in the local philanthropic community. PVF partners with companies to fund nonprofits and specializes in giving to grassroots groups for its community initiatives. Teacher resource grants address inequalities in the public education system and support individual classrooms. Foster youth is also a priority for PVF, with grants going towards the critical needs of children as identified by social workers and juvenile judges. There are various funds managed by PVF for each of its interest areas. In addition to PVF’s grant programs, the foundation also provides grantmaking consulting services, philanthropy fellowships and an invention hub that is a collaborative workspace to tackle the inequality gap in Bay Area communities.
Grants range between about $5,000 and $100,000. Learn more about this funder’s local giving by examining the financial information linked on the funder’s about us page. Grantmaking focuses on the San Francisco Bay Area of California. Specific local communities recently supported include San Francisco, Berkeley, Los Altos, East Palo Alto, Redwood City and Menlo Park. Past local grantees include 1951 Coffee Company, At the Crossroads and Hesperian Health Guides.
This foundation accepts unsolicited grant applications from nonprofits for some grant opportunities. Each grant program has its own unique set of guidelines. Direct general questions to the staff at info@venturesfoundation.org or 510-645-1890.
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