The Noble and Lorraine hancock family:
An Evergreen Commitment to Philanthropy

While their roots in Portola Valley, California may have expanded to support family members living across California and Oregon, Noble and Lorraine Hancock and their children remain firmly connected in their shared commitment to protecting the natural environment.  

“Growing up in San José, then raising a family in Portola Valley, my parents saw tremendous change in their community and instilled in us all a sense of shared passion to live our values, serve our community and support organizations that make a difference,” said Allen Hancock, the youngest of the Hancock children and advisor to the Hancock Family Fund from his home in Eugene, Oregon.

Through their advised fund, created in 2001 after the dissolution of a private foundation, Noble and Lorraine continued their family’s long tradition of giving as a family, but with a new twist. “During a family retreat in Mendocino [California], for the first time we identified our shared goals and criteria for our new family philanthropy,” says Allen. 

“Many of the grantees are in the field of education.  Also, while not a criteria per se, we prefer proposals that address underlying societal problems rather than dealing merely with symptoms and are located in the San Francisco Bay Area, including organizations that deal with:

• Protecting the natural environment,  
• Creating or strengthening a community, and
• Working to help an underserved population.”

 The Hancock family also identified the role the community foundation would play in supporting their philanthropy.  “Each year, we look to the foundation to create a docket to guide our family meeting, to provide expert advice on the strongest local organizations working in our areas of interest and to let us know how past grantees have performed,” says Allen. “We take it from there.” 

The family’s multi-year support of Hidden Villa, the Los Altos Hills 1,600-acre farm and wilderness preserve, provides a powerful connection to past generations of giving in the Hancock family. “My grandfather’s private foundation began supporting Hidden Villa’s multicultural camp in the 1950s.  Today, we support the organization for their continued commitment to environmental stewardship, social justice, organic farming and its unique role as a living and learning laboratory for families regardless of income.”   

From his hometown of Eugene, Allen researched and recommended that his family also support LEAD which stands for Leadership, Education, Adventure, Direction. Like Hidden Villa, LEAD is an organization that is involved in empowering low-income youth. Serving low-income youth throughout Lane County, Oregon, LEAD’s programs and activities include outdoor exploration, tree planting, petitioning the local government and teaching leadership skills.

Other organizations that have benefited from the Hancock family’s grantmaking include Youth Community Service, Via Verde, and the community foundation’s Environmental Solutions Forum. 

Although Allen concedes that grantmaking in a large family can be a challenging experience, he says that “The rewards are clear. We now get together more often and have found that philanthropy has helped fortify our connections.  We’ve learned that issues like the environment and education are shared multi-generational passions and areas where we can make a difference together.”  

What causes does your family champion? Whether it is the environment, health, education or eradicating poverty, there are many community issues to learn about and to impact through your charitable giving.  Our donor engagement team is available to help families make the most of their giving. For more information on the community foundation’s services for donor families, please contact Ash McNeely, vice president of donor engagement at 650.358.9369 or abmcneely@siliconvalleycf.org.