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I just returned from the annual meeting of the national Council on Foundations in Atlanta where, for the second year in our young history, the community foundation received several "best in class" honors from our peers. As you might imagine, the broader conference focused on how foundations can and should respond to help ease the severe impacts of the deepening recession. Several high ranking officials of the Obama administration spoke to the conferees about a wide range of topics including: the economy and the stimulus package, H1N1 flu virus, universal health care and other issues. Surprisingly, nearly every speaker focused their remarks on the need for foundations to become more actively involved in the public policy process at the local and national level. As I heard these repeated calls to action, I became ever more proud of the community foundation’s recent decision to become more engaged in the public policy arena as another component of our work along with research, convening and grantmaking.

OCT. 15, 2009
Fox Theatre,
Redwood City, California

Families, Money & Habits
Do current trends foreshadow future financial challenges for the adults of tomorrow? Why should we be concerned? How can we as family and friends help the next generation develop and maintain healthy money habits? Families, including young people ages 13 and above, are encouraged to participate.

Money Sanity
Amid the mixed signals of the consumer culture, it can be difficult for parents and others to talk about money and involve the next generation in philanthropy. Both the media and peers have a great deal of influence on the money habits and values of today’s families – especially on our youth. This second session expands and deepens the themes of the first session. Families, including young people ages 13 and above, are encouraged to participate.

New Stretch to Kindergarten Initiative in Santa Clara County
Silicon Valley Community Foundation is pleased to announce its newest early childhood development initiative, Stretch to Kindergarten. The program is funded by the Heising-Simons Foundation and modeled after the community foundation’s highly successful Kickoff to Kindergarten program, which has helped more than 6,000 children in San Mateo County successfully enter kindergarten. Stretch to Kindergarten is a pilot program in Mountain View, which the community foundation hopes to expand to other communities in Santa Clara County.

Reminder! Open Requests for Proposals:
Community Opportunity Fund - Safety-Net Services due May 28
Immigrant Integration - Adult English Language Acquisition due June 30

Silicon Valley Community Foundation released new requests for proposals, or RFPs, for grants that focus on Safety-Net Services and Adult English Language Acquisition needs in our region.

For this RFP round, Silicon Valley Community Foundation is collaborating with the County of San Mateo. All eligible applicants can use one application per organization to apply for both the community foundation's Community Opportunity Fund: Safety-Net Services and San Mateo County's Economic Urgency Assistance Program. Visit our press release for more details.

For grants that address Adult English Language Acquisition needs in our region, we strongly encourage you to read the background research paper and the RFP.

Both RFPs are available online at www.siliconvalleycf.org

Next RFP Announcement:
Economic Security Strategy: Anti-Predatory Lending Policy Advocacy

Just Released: ONE: Innovation Through Philanthropy Spring 2009
In this issue, learn more about the local organizations fighting to keep homeowners from losing their homes in the cover story, "Keeping Doors Open" and read about "The Power of Corporate Philanthropy" to enrich company culture and benefit the community through the words of NetApp CEO Dan Warmenhoven.