OVERVIEW: The Silicon Valley Community Foundation (SVCF) is the largest community foundation in America, and a major player on the Bay Area’s funding landscape. It prioritizes a range of issues, including economic security, early childhood education, housing and community development.
IP TAKE: The Silicon Valley Community Foundation is a major regional funder with national influence that approaches grantmaking through an equity and social justice lens. IP’s Ade Adeniji reported that SVCF is particularly “attuned to urgent needs in the region and across the nonprofit sector.” For example, an anticipated new emergency fund for essential services is slated to help Bay Area residents survive the impact of the deep cuts to safety net programs included in the “Big, Beautiful Bill” of 2025.
Grantseekers should understand that while SVCF manages billions in charitable assets, many grants flow through donor-advised funds and are not open applications. The strongest opportunities are typically through programs such as Community Action Grants and targeted initiatives. Organizations seeking support should demonstrate clear alignment with SVCF’s priorities, serve communities in Santa Clara or San Mateo Counties, and emphasize measurable impact. An accessible and collaborative funder, SVCF provides clear guidelines and encourages nonprofits to monitor its website for evolving opportunities.
PROFILE: Established in 2007 through the merger of two regional community foundations, Silicon Valley Community Foundation (SVCF) has become one of the largest community foundations in the world, with more than $11 billion in assets. Its mission is to “connect people, ideas and resources to transform systems and ensure equity and opportunity for all.” In addition to grantmaking, this organization serves as a hub for community partnerships, programs and initiatives in the Silicon Valley region. The foundation conducts grantmaking for hundreds of donor-advised, corporate-advised, scholarship and other types of private funds. It awards discretionary grants via its Community Action Grants Program, as well as Strategic Initiatives and Special Projects that may change from year to year. SVCF currently lists strategic initiatives including:
- Emergency and Disaster Relief Fund
- Early Childhood Development
- Advancing Financial Stability
- Housing
- Equity Forward
- LatinXCEL Fund
Grants for Community Development
SVCF’s Community Action Grants program serves as the foundation’s main giving vehicle. This program’s focus on Santa Clara and San Mateo Counties remains fairly stable from year to year, but thematic areas change regularly. The program supports smaller local nonprofits serving communities experiencing inequity.
- Areas of interest in recent years have included civic engagement, arts and culture, environmental concerns health, and “faith and neighborhoods.”
- This program typically opens its annual RFP in March. Guidelines and current due dates are posted on the grants page each year.
- Community Action Grants generally provide modest awards, often ranging from roughly $5,000 to $45,000.
- Recent recipients include Youth Community Service of San Mateo county, the Pilipino Bayanihan Resource Center, Nuestra Casa de East Palo Alto and the League of Women Voters of South San Mateo County, among others.
Grants for Early Childhood Development and Education
Early childhood has been a strategic initiative of the foundation for several years running. Grantmaking addresses quality care, education and family support.
- Grantmaking prioritizes “communities most impacted by systemic disparities” so that children may “achieve their full potential and build a solid foundation for the future.”
- Additional areas of focus include increasing access and quality of early childhood care and educational experiences.
- In addition to grantmaking, the foundation participates in research, policy development, advocacy and convenings to improve the region’s early childhood infrastructure.
- Past grantees include the San Mateo County Family Child Care Organization, the Santa Clara County Office of Education and the Bay Area Childhood Educators Association, among others.
- This program accepts applications by invitation only, but grantseekers may email grants@siliconvalleycf.org for additional information.
Grants for Economic Development, Housing and Homelessness
Two additional strategic initiatives address the overlapping areas of Financial Stability and Housing in the Silicon Valley region.
- The Financial Stability initiative addresses the regional issue of “endemic and growing income inequality.” The initiative focuses on advancing economic stability and mobility, particularly for communities facing systemic barriers.
- Past grantees include Amigos de Guadalupe, Coastside Hope, Somos Mayfair and West Valley Community Services.
- This program is not accepting applications at this time, but grant seekers may email grants@siliconvalleycf.org with questions about the program.
- The Housing strategy focuses on community-led organizing for equitable and affordable housing and solutions to the area’s housing shortage.
- Strategies include policy development, advocacy, coalition building and the “3Ps of housing,” which are “production, preservation, and tenant protection.”
- Grantees include Livable Sunnydale, Silicon Valley at Home and the Nonprofit Housing Association of Northern California.
- This program is currently accepting applications by invitation only, but prospective grant seekers may email the foundation at grants@siliconvalleycf.org with questions.
Grants for Racial Justice and Higher Education
Two of the foundation’s special initiatives address racial equity in the region and aim to dismantle barriers to achievement and stability for historically marginalized groups.
- Equity Forward is a “multi-sector movement to close the wealth gap in Santa Clara and San Mateo counties.”
- This initiative represents a collaboration among the region’s “nonprofit, higher education, government and employers” to advance policy that enables economic mobility for all residents.
- Partners include Faith in Action Bay Area, Sacred Heart Community Service, San José City College and Santa Clara University.
- A recent grant was awarded to San Mateo County in the amount of $490,000 to “implement a framework that supports community- and data-driven decision making that addresses inequity.”
- The LatinXCEL Fund is run collaboratively with the Castellano Family Foundation and addresses “disparities in income, education, health and housing” experienced by the region’s Latinx communities.
- Grantmaking is conducted in response to the findings of a 2020 report, the Blueprint for Change, by the Castellano Foundation.
- Past grantees include the California Collaborative for Immigrant Justice, Casa Circulo of San Mateo County, Colectivo Accion Latina de Ambiente and the Day Worker Center of Mountain View.
Grants for Disaster Relief and Humanitarian Aid
SVCF also maintains an Emergency and Disaster Relief Fund, which is activated in response to specific emergencies and disasters in the foundation’s service region.
- Relevant relief includes shelter, food, financial assistance, medical services and more.
- The fund aims to give flexibly to meet needs in a timely and strategic way.
- Grantmaking from this fund is dependent upon “moneys raised” in response to emergencies and disasters, so applicants may not receive the entire amount requested.
- The foundation partners with other regional community funders in this work, including the Community Foundation of Santa Cruz County, the East Bay Community Foundation, Napa Valley Community Foundation and the San Francisco Foundation.
- This program is not currently accepting applications, but check the program page for opportunities when needs arise.
Important Grant Details:
SVCF distributed approximately $1.54 billion in grants in 2024, with the majority coming through donor-advised and other advised funds. SVCF’s discretionary grant opportunities are generally smaller and focused on organizations serving Santa Clara and San Mateo Counties.
- Community Action grants top off at about $100,000 but are an excellent source of support for smaller or startup organizations in Santa Clara and San Mateo Counties. Grants stemming from the foundation’s Core Impact Areas are larger but support well-established organizations in the region.
- Grantseeking organizations must serve San Mateo and/or Santa Clara counties, provide significant services to the counties, or partner with an organization based there.
- This funder accepts applications for its Community Action grants and provides details, guidelines and due dates, which may vary from year to year, on the grants page. Subscribe to the newsletter to receive email updates.
Find information about recent grantmaking here.
- Direct questions about the grantmaking process to foundation staff via email at applysvcfgrants@siliconvalleycf.org. The foundation’s phone number is (650) 450-5400.
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