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For the third year, we are pleased to have again partnered with Joint Venture Silicon Valley to release the 2010 Index of Silicon Valley. This year’s Index reported that there are clear warning signs that the region has entered a new era of uncertainty, one in which our ability to attract top talent, fund innovation and preserve a decent quality of life is no longer guaranteed. Cuts to funding for education have weakened our ability to sufficiently prepare our children for college and train our workforce for global competition. The flow of foreign talent that has fueled our region’s innovation has begun to slow with the rapid economic growth and increasing opportunities in China and India. Finally, and perhaps most troubling, Silicon Valley is failing to garner a significant share of the federal funding that is being disbursed for biotechnology, energy and clean tech.

This is important because a popular myth is that Silicon Valley’s renowned innovation is the result of hard working entrepreneurs, risking all, working in garages. While much is owed to these entrepreneurs, Silicon Valley became a magnet for innovative people from around the world due to federal investments in the defense industry, space and the Internet. As a result of these investments, talented people were in close proximity to each other and innovation flourished. Today the federal government is making new investments that will create the innovation hubs of tomorrow and it is imperative that Silicon Valley actively seek its fair share of these investments.

To jump start these efforts, the community foundation is funding a new position at Joint Venture to research ways in which Silicon Valley can bolster its competitiveness and attract more federal funding. This position will report to a steering committee representing the community foundation, Joint Venture: Silicon Valley Network, the Bay Area Council, the Silicon Valley Leadership Group and Stanford University. The job responsibilities will include tracking federal funding projects and researching why Silicon Valley is no longer attracting federal funding as it once did, while places like Huntsville, Alabama and Washington D.C. are seeing increased rates of growth in federal support.

Federal funding can do more than seed Silicon Valley’s talent and jobs, it can also provide funds for social services, healthcare and transit needs. Our region has another immediate opportunity to secure federal funding for our region: this year’s Census. Every 10 years, the U.S. Constitution requires a population count of all residents – citizens and non-citizens – to apportion seats in the House of Representatives and determine the distribution of more than $400 billion in federal funds each year for health, education, social services, transit and other services. Given the significant budget challenges that California faces, it is more critical than ever that every person be counted. Our region will lose more than $11,500 in federal funding in the next decade for every person who is not counted in the upcoming census.

To ensure an accurate count, the community foundation has joined with the U.S. Census Bureau to hold several trainings and workshops for nonprofit organizations conducting outreach. We have also partnered with the City of San José, Santa Clara County, other funders and individuals to create a collaborative funding pool that awarded grants to 18 nonprofit organizations for regional census outreach. This month, we are launching a billboard and bus advertising campaign to highlight the importance of being counted to people living and working in hard-to-count census tracts. Check our website for more resources on the Census, and remember to mail back your Census forms by April 1.

Beyond our region’s borders, we reached out to Haiti in its time of crisis. Led by our donors, we were pleased to be able to quickly provide a matching challenge grant and to raise more than $1.4 million to help Haiti recover from the devastating Jan. 12 earthquake. Please see our update to learn more about our Haiti Earthquake Relief Fund and the recovery grants we have already awarded.

Finally, I hope you take a moment to read our year in review for 2009. At the community foundation, we saw last year’s challenges as an opportunity. The year-end report highlights our accomplishments as a comprehensive center for philanthropy and the work we do with our donors, grantees, and other partners.

Thank you for your continued investment in our region and beyond. Without your support and generosity, none of our work would be possible. As we look ahead into a new year and a new decade, it is our commitment to continue widening the circle and deepening the engagement to improve our region’s future.