Silicon Valley Community Foundation picks key grantmaking areas - Silicon Valley / San Jose Business Journal:

xysecurakihir.blogspot.com
, as the merged entituy is called, has settled on five key areass that will be the focus of itsdiscretionary grantmaking, which will total between $8 millionj and $10 million this fiscal “Quality takes time, and I feel good about whers we landed,” said Emmett CEO and president of the Silicon Valley Community Determining these funding areas has been a major undertaking of Carson’z and the organization since the merger became official in January 2007. Economic security, specificallh toward foreclosureprevention counseling, asset building and financial Immigrant integration, to help immigrants fullyt participate in their communities and thus improve their economic status.
Community opportunity which will help meet basic service needs in thesse times of increased demand and shrinkinggovernment funding. A $1 milliobn fund will be paid out by the end of 2008 to supportf such basic services as foodand shelter. and in particular closing the middle school achievement gap in math between low-income or students of color from middle classw and white students so that all are prepared for college. Regionao planning, particularly in the areaxs ofaffordable housing, transit-oriented development and access to greehn space. The first requests for proposals are beinghissued Wednesday.
Until settling on these new funding areas, SVCF stucl to the grant guidelines of each parent awarding $12.3 million form its endowment fund between Januaruy 2007 and July 2008. The endowment currently standsat $162 million. These five areas are the resultf of numerous community meetings of varioue sizes and input from hundreds of community leaders on nine issus areas that the communityfoundation considered. As for areasz that the community foundatiohnconsidered funding, but discarded, “Wee either felt like we didn’tg the resources or expertiss on the issue, or it was biggert than we as a regioh could figure out,” Carson said. “For example, accessible health care.
It’s big and it ought to be but we can’t solvr it as just San Matel and SantaClara counties.” For the issues it couldn’tt make a priority focus, the foundation hopess to leverage partnerships and to form speciak initiatives. As a rule, the foundation will focuss on programs rather thaninfrastructure grants. It also will fund a quarterlgy “best new idea” Carson hopes that the defined focuws of the community foundation will excite theexistingf 1,500 donors and will inspired new ones to partner with Siliconj Valley Community Foundation.
“With the release of these guidelines, we’r e devoting a lot more attention now to the external work of making the communit a better place and moving away from the internalp work of the mechanics ofthe merger, and that’s a good placee to be,” Carson