Grants: Daly City to Mountain View

Silicon Valley Community Foundation supports nonprofit organizations doing innovative work serving residents in the region from Daly City to northern Mountain View, including Palo Alto, Mountain View, Los Altos and Los Altos Hills.

If you have any questions about the application process, please contact us at grants@siliconvalleycf.org.

Community Grants

The community foundation's discretionary grants for Daly City to Mountain View are focused in the following eight issue areas:

For more information, please review our grantmaking guidelines in the appropriate area or contact us at grants@siliconvalleycf.org.

A letter of inquiry must be received by 5 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 15, 2008. Applications should be submitted to the community foundation’s Mountain View headquarters.

Arts and Culture

Arts and Culture grants provide opportunities to artists and communities whose work we might not otherwise see or hear. We seek to increase artistic expression through support of individual artists, arts organizations and arts programs for children and youth. Strategies supported by arts and culture grants include: increasing the creation and performance of art forms reflecting the diversity of our community; supporting programs offering children and youth experiences in the arts, both as participants and as audience members; and assisting organizations seeking to increase the venues for art exhibition and performances. Click here for grant guidelines.

Community Building

Community Building grants focus on strengthening communities by engaging residents and stakeholders in a process that builds leadership and capacity from within, while respecting and valuing the rich diversity represented in our geographic region. We support efforts to build social capital; a resource defined as the web of relationships and civic participation that improves our ability to address the challenges and opportunities we face as a community. We also recognize that building a community's capacity and leadership is a critical precursor to community involvement for those, who, because of language, culture or educational levels - have been excluded from participation. Click here for grant guidelines.

Environment

Peninsula and Silicon Valley residents are fortunate to live among abundant natural resources. Our work aims to preserve the Bay Area's biological treasures and increase environmental awareness in our communities. San Mateo and Santa Clara counties have developed amid rich, diverse ecosystems - including marine coast, bay wetlands, fertile agricultural lands and Pacific temperate rain forests. Our environment grants seek to foster greater awareness of, access to, and stewardship of the natural treasures gracing the Peninsula. By supporting opportunities in environmental education and conservation for both children and adults, we seek to promote greater access to the variety of parks, open space and wild areas stretching from the ocean to the bay, an overall appreciation for the natural environment and a sense of responsible stewardship for these natural treasures. Click here for grant guidelines.

First Five Years

Research has shown that the first five years are the most crucial and intense developmental period in a child's life. The community foundation focuses on supporting and nurturing children during this most vulnerable stage. We fund early childhood programs that promote positive child development by: maximizing the healthy physical and emotional development of infants and young children; nurturing a young child's love of reading and learning; and investing in quality child care, including professional development for child-care workers and increasing the supply of child care for low-income families. Specific efforts to combat the prohibitive cost and shortage of high-quality child care are among this portfolio's primary interests. Successful initiatives in their area include the Center for Venture Philanthropy's Raising A Reader® early literacy program for preschoolers and the Peninsula Partnership's Kickoff to Kindergarten program, a summer transitional program for San Mateo County children who are English language learners or who have not participated in a preschool program. Click here for grant guidelines.

Health and Wellness

By collaborating with county agencies and local nonprofit providers, the community foundation is improving health care access and affordability for individuals, families and children. Our health and wellness grants promote a healthy community and strengthen the health care safety net for uninsured and underserved persons. The community foundation works in partnership with community-based organizations targeting the health needs of diverse populations and geographic areas as well as public agencies protecting public health and ensuring the availability of care for all. We support strategies that: prevent illness and promote health; enhance access to health services; initiate or strengthen services for recovery from illness and substance abuse; and involve community members in addressing local health needs. Click here for grant guidelines.

In School and Out-of-School

Many Bay Area youth face academic, cultural and linguistic barriers to academic and personal development. Our "in school and out-of-school" grants invest in programs that promote educational achievement and positive personal development in school-age children and youth, particularly those in low-income families. We support a broad range of "in school" strategies aimed at increasing schools' capacities to foster students' academic success. These strategies include interventions that provide extra support and targeted instruction for students who need it, teacher professional development and programs that encourage family participation in school. The foundation also supports "out-of- school" strategies that provide homework assistance and academic support, enrichment activities that promote learning and positive development and programs that address working parents' need for safe, supervised activities outside of school. Click here for grant guidelines.

Strengthening Nonprofits

When healthy organizations have the support they need, new ideas and imaginative community solutions flourish. The community foundation makes selected grants to strengthen nonprofits and promote a vibrant nonprofit community. Grants in this area support the mission and infrastructure of the nonprofit sector as a whole. We make selected grants to management support organizations that provide services to other nonprofits and build capacity within the field as a whole. Our goal is to help exemplary organizations continue to thrive within a healthy and stimulating nonprofit sector. Click here for grant guidelines.

Supporting Families

Strong families are the cornerstones of a strong community. The community foundation is committed to helping families and individuals achieve self-sufficiency and the skills they need to prosper. Our funding is aimed at strengthening the human services safety net for low-income families and helping families of all kinds exercise their rights, fulfill their responsibilities and realize their full economic and social potential. We support nonprofit organizations that help low-income and disadvantaged children and adults meet basic needs for food, clothing and emergency and permanent housing. The community foundation also targets organizations addressing family violence, promoting expanded opportunities for persons with disabilities, and serving adults seeking to improve their economic prospects through literacy and employment development. Click here for grant guidelines.