This is the second year in a row Taylor has been recognized by The NonProfit Times for her work leading the country’s largest community foundation and advancing systemic solutions that drive enduring community change
Mountain. View, Calif., Aug. 18, 2022— Nicole Taylor, President and CEO of Silicon Valley Community Foundation (SVCF), has been named one of The NonProfit Times' 2022 NPT Power & Influence Top 50. The publication’s 25th annual list highlights the most influential nonprofit executives who are leading the development of innovative solutions and organizational models that set a standard for the broader sector. Other honorees from the Bay Area include Fred Blackwell of the San Francisco Foundation, Don Gips of the Skoll Foundation and Crystal Hayling of the Libra Foundation.
"I’m honored and humbled to be included on this list once again, especially among so many talented leaders in philanthropy and the broader nonprofit sector whom I respect and admire,” Taylor said. “Since taking the helm of SVCF in late 2018, my goal has been to address the systemic inequities that persist in Silicon Valley and create opportunity for all residents. My incredible colleagues and our community partners and donors have supported this goal every step of the way, ensuring each action we take centers on equity and our community’s primary needs. This recognition belongs to everyone who has been part of that collective effort.”
Taylor has led SVCF in working with donors to build a culture of effective philanthropy with a focus on local giving. Though Silicon Valley is a byword for innovation and prosperity, it’s also a place where income inequality has accelerated twice as fast as in California and the nation overall. Taylor created a Community Advisory Council made up of 20+ local community leaders of color to help ensure a genuine understanding of the challenges their communities face, giving them a platform to continually influence the foundation’s strategies, policies and grantmaking. Additionally, the foundation has shifted its strategy to provide more general operating support and capacity-building grants to support a broader range of organizations led by and serving people of color.
Thanks to the generosity of its donors, in 2021, SVCF distributed $2.27 billion in grants to nearly 6,000 nonprofits and community organizations supporting education, youth and community development, health, public safety, and other important community issues. That total represented a 21.5% increase compared to 2020. Aligned with Taylor’s proactive outreach to donors encouraging them to give locally, $777 million went to nonprofits in the Bay Area.
“At SVCF, we’ve taken great care to continue our momentum of change and progress, and it’s gratifying to see that work being recognized. We look forward to continued collaboration with our donors and corporate and community partners as we work toward achieving a more equitable Silicon Valley together,” Taylor said.
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About Silicon Valley Community Foundation
Silicon Valley Community Foundation is a regional catalyst, connector and collaborator. We bring together the resources and skills of donors, business, government and community to solve some of our region’s toughest challenges. We promote philanthropy in our region and support philanthropists to invest with impact. Through advocacy, research, policy and grantmaking, we seek systemic solutions to drive enduring community change.
More than 1,800 individuals and families and over 60 companies partner with Silicon Valley Community Foundation using our donor advised fund (DAF) services. More than a third of donor advised funds held at SVCF have balances of $25,000 or less. We encourage and advise donors to be active philanthropists andto give on a continual basis. Under our rigorous policy to discourage inactive funds, if after two years a donor has not recommended any grants from their DAF, SVCF will pool and distribute the funds through our Community Endowment Fund.
Learn more at siliconvalleycf.org.