Inside Philanthropy

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Silicon Valley Community Foundation

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OVERVIEW: The Silicon Valley Community Foundation (SVCF) is the biggest community foundation in America, and a major player on the Bay Area’s funding scene. It prioritizes a range of issues, including economic security, early childhood education, housing and community development.

IP TAKE: The Silicon Valley Community Foundation, which conducts grantmaking through an equity and social justice lens, is a major regional organization in California that is, as IP’s Ade Adeniji recently reported, “attuned to urgent needs in the region and across the nonprofit sector.” An accessible and collaborative funder, SVCF has a straightforward grant application process that primarily offers general operating support. The foundation accepts unsolicited proposals through its website for its Community Action grants, but also awards grants that address timely issues in San Mateo and Santa Clara Counties, including an anticipated new emergency fund for essential services to help Bay Area residents survive the impact of the “Big, Beautiful Bill.” Many opportunities are by invitation-only with guidelines that vary by program.

This is an excellent funder to know for grassroots organizations. SVCF funds in a wide range of focus areas all over the Bay Area, but also across the U.S. to organizations with offices in California. As one of the biggest community foundations in the U.S., it is also on the forefront of thought leadership on multiple fronts. Climate action and mental health are giving priorities at the foundation, but this is a funder to watch across all of its focus areas.

PROFILE: Established in 2007, Silicon Valley Community Foundation (SVCF) has become the largest community foundation in the world. It seeks to “advance innovative philanthropic solutions to challenging problems.” Its stated mission is to “connect people, ideas and resources to transform systems and ensure equity and opportunity for all.” Since its inception, it has acquired over $13.5 billion in assets. While SVCF conducts grantmaking for hundreds of donor-advised, corporate-advised, scholarship and other types of private funds, it engages in extensive discretionary grantmaking through several programs.

    • Equity Forward, which aims to “close the wealth gap in Santa Clara and San Mateo counties;”
    • The LatinXCEL Fund for Silicon Valley’s Latinx-aligned nonprofits;
    • The SVCF Emergency and Disaster Relief Fund, which provides relief support at times of crisis in San Mateo and Santa Clara Counties, as well as eight surrounding counties;
    • The Community Endowment Fund, which provides flexible, unrestricted funding for “innovative solutions to the region’s most challenging problems,” including natural disasters and other unexpected events;
    • The Community Opportunity Fund, which supports efforts to improve the lives of residents in San Mateo and Santa Clara counties; and
    • The Community Lifeline Fund, which supports “safety-net services” local residents depend on to help meet basic needs, “including food on the table, a roof overhead, access to medical care and essential support for low-income families, immigrants and seniors.”

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. This program typically opens its RFP in early March and accepts applications throughout the month. Guidelines and current due dates are posted on the grants page each year. Community Action Grants mainly stay in Santa Clara and San Mateo Counties and range from about $5,000 to $45,000.

Grants for Arts and Culture

SVCF’s Arts & Culture program works to support “arts organizations that are working to strengthen the social fabric of communities and deepen civic engagement.”

    • Funding prioritizes organizations with a strong presence and community outreach.
    • The foundation appears to award arts and culture grants twice annually. Past grantees include the Red Ladder Theatre Company, the Silicon Valley African Film Festival, Chopsticks Alley Art and La Raiz Magazine.

Grants for Environment and Climate Change

The Environment program, which is part of SVCF’s Community Action Grants, gives grants that are awarded twice annually and support community-oriented organizations that support environmental work that intersects with climate mitigation as climate change accelerates and multiplies risk in the Bay Area. Environmental grants aim to “fund organizations that demonstrate an understanding of environmental policy processes and are defining pathways for underserved communities to participate.” Funding related to climate action has proliferated in recent years at SVCF. This is an important area of funding to watch.

    • SVCF supports organizations that are “building the power of communities most impacted by environmental disparities. These organizations should be creating roles for community in the design and implementation of solutions to change environmental policy and build a resilient and just environment for all.”
    • Recent grantees include Belle Haven Action, the Green Foothills Foundation, Vida Verde Nature Education and the Guadalupe River Park Conservancy.
    • SVCF also conducts related giving through the Donor Circle for the Environment, which focuses on multiple areas including: climate change, land conservation and preservation, and environmental education.

Grants for Public Health and Mental Health

SVCF’s Health grantmaking aims to “address health disparities” and is “administered in partnership with The Health Trust, a foundation dedicated to building health equity.” Funding prioritizes the health and mental health of underserved groups.

    • Past recipients include the Santa Clara County chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness, the Bay Area Community Health Advisory Council, Latinas Contra Cancer and Voices of Recover of San Mateo County.

Grants for Journalism, Civic Engagement and Democracy

    • Local journalism grants address the “gaps in news and information in underserved communities by supporting coverage of hyper-local issues.” Funding prioritizes the grassroots efforts of nonprofits that work on providing accurate and inspiring community stories designed to inform, engage and activate residents to strengthen our democracy.
      • SVCF supports organizations at the intersection of journalism and civic engagement.
      • Grants support local programs across a range of media, including print, video and digital journalism and storytelling platforms. Youth and other participatory programs appear to be a priority.
      • Past grantees include the Mosaic Journalism Program, the San Jose News Bureau, New Voices for youth and Renaissance Journalism and Storytelling Center.
    • The foundation’s Movement- and Power-building aim to fund organizations that “utilize strategies central to building power, including policy advocacy, voter engagement and others.” Funding prioritizes grassroots groups and campaigns for social justice and change across areas including, but not limited to racial justice, worker’s rights, health, equitable education, voter engagement and more.
      • Grantees include Redwood City Together, the Santa Clara County Asian Law Alliance, South Bay Youth Changemakers and the African American Community Service Agency of Santa Clara County.

Grants for Economic Development, Housing, Racial Equity and Immigrants

SVCF’s recent grantmaking has doubled down on income inequality and fair opportunity for work, housing and economic development in Santa Clara and San Mateo Counties. SVCF supports an array of programs that address economic mobility and stability, as well as housing through various funding efforts and strategic initiatives, which include Advancing Financial Stability, Housing, and Faith and Neighborhoods.

  • The Advancing Financial Stability program supports a range of initiatives for financial literacy, economic security, career development and more.
    • Past recipients include Joint Venture Silicon Valley, Tax Aid and West Valley Community Services of Santa Clara County.
  • The Faith and Neighborhoods program supports faith-based organizations that work with “underserved communities, invest in community leadership, and increase community participation in civic life to address housing and immigration issues.”
    • Programs for children and youth appear to be a priority.
    • Grantees include the First Christian Church of San Jose, Youth Utilizing Power and Praise and the EPA Peninsula Rugby Football Club, among others.
  • The Immigration program supports policies and programs that “advance just and humane immigration reform plans and increased civic participation.”
    • Despite flying under the radar, this program has helped SVCF become a major funder in the immigrant rights space.
    • Grantees include Immigrant Legal Resource Center, African Advocacy Network, and Catholic Charities of Santa Clara County.
  • Part of Strategic Initiatives, the Housing impact area prioritizes affordable housing initiatives led by grassroots and equity-focused community groups, and grants target policy, advocacy and leadership for affordable housing development, as opposed to direct services or housing development.
    • Grantees include the Housing Leadership Council of San Mateo County, the Non-Profit Housing Association of Northern California, the Regional Tenant Organizing Project and SV@Home.
  • Equity Forward is one of the foundation’s community partnership programs. This is not a grantmaking program per se; the initiative brings together “the region’s biggest sectors — nonprofit, higher education, government, and employers — to focus on inequity and change policies and practices to address systemic barriers.” SVCF is the program’s “administrative and operational backbone.” Organizational partners include Faith in Action Bay Area, Sacred Heart Community Service and Stanford Impact Labs.
  • The LatinXCEL Fund is a partnership between SVCF and the Castellano Family Foundation. This fund aims to energize funding for the region’s LatinX-led and LatinX-serving nonprofits with the overarching goal of “transform[ing] our region into one that is more inclusive and just, where all members can thrive.”
  • The Black Freedom Fund (formerly California Black Freedom Fund) was a designated fund at SVCF until it spun off as an independent community foundation in July 2025.

Grants for Early Childhood Education

SVCF’s Early Childhood Development program prioritizes underserved communities and aims to increase access to high quality early care and learning programs that cost 7% or less of families’ income.

  • The program also supports efforts to strengthen the area’s early childhood infrastructure through research, collaborations, advocacy and convenings.
  • Grants have ranged from $10,000 to $200,000. Grantees include the Bay Area Early Childhood Educators Association, the Child Care Law Center, Palo Alto Community Child Care and the Santa Clara County Office of Education, among others.

Grants for Higher Education

Scholarships are donor-managed, so requirements vary widely by opportunity. SVCF awards close to 700 scholarships each year to graduating high school seniors, curently enrolled undergraduates, re-entry students and graduate students.

  • Through scholarships established with SVCF by individuals, families, and organizations, SVCF has awarded nearly $35 million to students since 2007.
  • Interested individuals can search SVCF-Managed Scholarships for the right fit.

Grants for Disaster Relief

SVCF names Emergency Response as an impact area and supports organizations and agencies providing timely response to local issues.

  • This program expands its service range beyond Santa Clara and San Mateo Counties to include Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, San Francisco, Santa Cruz, Solano and Sonoma Counties.
  • Philanthropic partners include the Community Foundation of Santa Cruz County, the Marin Community Foundation and the San Francisco Foundation, among others in the region.

Grants for Nonprofits

Through the Capacity-Building and Leadership Investment (CBLI) program, SVCF offers both resources and some invitation-only funding opportunities that are related to the sustainability and long-term effectiveness of nonprofits in San Mateo and Santa Clara counties.

  • SVCF does not foresee any open RFPs through the program in the near future. However, interests nonprofit professionals should keep this program in mind for additional resources available here.
  • SVCF’s CBLI: Community Action Grants Program aims to “invest in organizations that demonstrate clarity of need, long-term thinking and a commitment to wellness.” Ultimately, this program also works to prevent and heal nonprofit burnout and to promote sustainability.

Important Grant Details:

SVCF’s grants typically stay between $1,000 and $225,000, although much larger grants are awarded via the foundation’s many donor-advised funds. The foundation awarded over $5 billion in grants in a recent year and had a more than $10 billion endowment.

  • Community Action grants top off at about $45,000 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@siliconvallycf.org. The foundation’s phone number is (650) 450-5400.

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