Sobrato Philanthropies

OVERVIEW: Sobrato Philanthropies supports education, health, and human services in the Silicon Valley area, as well as environmental issues, climate change, and marine health on a global level.

IP TAKE: Sobrato Philanthropies is a collaborative social justice funder that makes both grants and impact investments to the causes it supports. While it does not accept unsolicited proposals or requests for funding, it does invite potential grantees to reach out and introduce themselves at grants@sobrato.org. In addition to being approachable, it is transparent as well and lists its financial reports, as well as its previous grantees on its website. Overall, this is a good funder for area nonprofits to learn and network with.

PROFILE: Sobrato Philanthropies is an umbrella organization that includes the Sobrato Family Foundation, as well as several other entities. It seeks to “to partner with communities to meet immediate needs, address systemic barriers, and pursue social justice to build a more equitable and sustainable world.” Sobrato Philanthropies is itself part of the Sobrato Organization, operated by the multi-generational Sobrato family of Silicon Valley. The family’s history in this region dates back to the early 1910s. Real estate and development are Sobrato businesses. John A. Sobrato, founder and principal of the Sobrato Organization, was one of the most successful private real estate developers in California.

Collectively, Sobrato Philanthropies focuses on three areas of giving: Silicon ValleyEnglish Learners in California, and Sustainability. It also has a Family Giving initiative, which allows family members to support special causes and initiatives that may fall outside the Philanthropies other interest areas via several donor-advised funds at the Silicon Valley Community Foundation.

Grants for the Bay Area and Community Development

The Sobrato family’s near century of support for the Silicon Valley area is reflected in its Silicon Valley program, which works to bolster “a region where low-wage, housing-insecure families and people are engaged in their community, achieve economic advancement and have the power to craft their future.”

  • The program’s efforts toward economic advancement are further outlined in its Silicon Valley Investment Approach document.

  • Sobrato accepts applications for the Silicon Valley program by invitation only and will not support “individuals, fundraising events or endowment campaigns, school-managed clubs, or medical research initiatives.”

  • However, Sobrato does invite Silicon Valley-centered grantseekers to reach out here to submit a form expressing interest.

In addition to the main program, Sobrato supports nonprofits in the region through the Sobrato Centers for Nonprofits program, which provides office space and meeting and conference rooms to help nonprofits access quality, affordable workspaces in Silicon Valley, where costs are among the highest in the nation.

Grants for K-12 and Higher Education

Sobrato’s English Learners program seeks to help English language learners in California, particularly K-12 students, 42% of whom speak a language other than English at home.

  • The program builds on the efforts of the Sobrato Early Academic Learning (SEAL), a nonprofit organization supported by the family to provide a research-based foundation for professional development for educators, curriculum support, and technical assistance to school systems.

  • The English Learners program ’s approach seeks to make a statewide impact that engages “advocates, state and local policymakers, families, and students to work individually and as a collective on shared goals.”

    • It also focuses on regional opportunities in Fresno and Los Angeles Counties to facilitate implementation of state policies on the local level, and it cultivates “partnerships at the intersection of policy, practice, and research” to “increase public and private investment for ELs in California.”

    • The English Learners program does not accept unsolicited requests for funding, but it does encourage grantseekers to email grants@sobrato.org for more information.

Sobrato does not have a program dedicated to higher education, but tax records show that it is a priority for the family, particularly Santa Clara University, home to Sobrato Residence Hall. They have also donated $20 million to build the University’s Harrington Learning Commons, Sobrato Technology Center, and Orradre Library, as well as another $100 million to launch the Sobrato Campus for Discovery and Innovation

Grants for the Environment, Climate Change, and Marine and Freshwater

Created in 2020, the Sustainability program seeks to address the current “unprecedented period of environmental crisis” that is “threatening our very existence.”

  • The program is subdivided into a Climate initiative, a $23 million commitment that works to reduce emissions from fossil fuels and support forest conservation efforts.

  • There is also an Oceans initiative, which reflects a $25 million commitment that utilizes both grantmaking and impact investments to support three focus areas: maintaining marine protected areas, addressing overfishing, and removing harmful plastic pollution.

The Sustainability program does not accept unsolicited requests for funding, but it does encourage grantseekers to email grants@sobrato.org for more information.

Grants for Public Health and Food Systems

Sobrato does not have a program dedicated to healthcare, per se, but tax records show that it is a cause important to Family Giving, including a $20 million pledge to Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital for the Sobrato Pavilion. Sobrato also gave to El Camino Hospital in Mountain View and Santa Clara Valley Medical Center in San Jose.

The family has also supported mitigating the effect of industrial agriculture on climate change by funding efforts to create a more humane and sustainable food system, and by working to reduce the overuse of antibiotics in industrial farming. They have supported the policy efforts of Food Solutions Action.

Important Grant Details:

Sobrato gave $161 million in grants in a recent year held nearly $1 billion in assets. While some grants have reached $1 million, most remain below $50,000.

  • View the funder’s What We Fund section to learn about recent giving. Grantmaking typically focuses on Silicon Valley and the Bay Area of California.

  • The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests for funding but has a form to complete to help Silicon Valley nonprofits determine whether they meet the foundation’s criteria.

Grantseekers interested in its Sustainability and English Learners programs should direct general questions to the staff at Grants@Sobrato.org or 408-446-0700.

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