Silicon Valley Social Venture Fund

TO UNLEASH THE RESOURCES AND TALENTS OF THE SILICON VALLEY COMMUNITY TO ACHIEVE MEANINGFUL SOCIAL IMPACT.

EXPERIENTIAL GRANTMAKING & IMPACT INVESTING:SV2 PARTNERS POOL THEIR CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTIONS AND THEN WORK TOGETHER TO IDENTIFY AND SELECT HIGH-POTENTIAL GRANTEES AND IMPACT INVESTEES FROM AMONG LOCAL NONPROFITS AND EARLY STAGE COMPANIES WITH A SOCIAL OR ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT MISSION. GRANTEES AND INVESTEES RECEIVE UNRESTRICTED FUNDING IN ORDER TO SCALE THEIR ABILITY TO ACHIEVE THEIR MISSIONS AND CONTRIBUTE TO A BAY AREA AND WORLD WHERE EVERYONE THRIVES.IN 2022-23, SV2 MADE A MULTI-YEAR, GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT GRANT TO A LOCAL COLLECTIVE IMPACT INITIATIVE, REDWOOD CITY TOGETHER.THIS EXTRAORDINARY $505,000 GRANT TO REDWOOD CITY TOGETHER WAS APPROVED BY THE FULL BOARD AND FUNDED VIA A PLANNED EXPENDITURE OF EXCESS FINANCIAL RESERVES BUILT UP OVER SEVERAL YEARS (CAUSING SV2 TO SHOW EXPENSES IN EXCESS OF REVENUES OF $382,572 FOR THE YEAR) TO FURTHER SV2'S IMPACT IN THE COMMUNITY. THE COMMUNITY INITIATIVE GRANTEE WAS SELECTED BY A CORE TEAM OF COMMUNITY LEADERS,SV2 PARTNERS, AND STAFF WHO MADE THIS GRANT DECISION ON BEHALF OF SV2. HAVING COMMUNITY LEADERS SO DEEPLY INVOLVED IN SHAPING A GRANTMAKING STRATEGY AND FUNDING ALLOCATION IS A SIGNIFICANT STEP FOR SV2 TOWARDS PARTICIPATORY GRANTMAKING, AND IS A WAY WE ARE SEEKING TO LIVE OUR VALUE OF SHARING POWER.IN ADDITION, SV2 MADE TWO MULTI-YEAR, GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT GRANTS FOCUSED ONCLIMATE JUSTICE IN THE BAY AREA. SV2 ALSO CONDUCTED ITS EIGHTH YEAR OF IMPACT INVESTING, IN WHICH PARTNERS PERFORMED DUE DILIGENCE AND SELECTED EIGHT MISSION-DRIVEN COMPANIES IN WHICH TO MAKE INVESTMENTS.DATA SUGGESTS THAT, AS A RESULT OF THEIR ENGAGEMENT IN SV2 PROGRAMMING, 98% OFPARTNERS INCREASED THEIR LEVEL OF KNOWLEDGE ABOUT LOCAL COMMUNITY NEEDS AND SOLUTIONS,98% OF PARTNERS HAVE INCREASED CONFIDENCE IN PRACTICING EFFECTIVE GIVING, AND 85%INCREASED THEIR ABILITY TO ADVANCE EQUITABLE PRACTICES IN SOCIAL IMPACT.

LEARNING PROGRAMS: PARTNER PHILANTHROPY EDUCATION AND GRANTEE LEARNING:IN ADDITION TO LEARNING-ORIENTED GRANT ROUNDS, SV2 HOSTS REGULAR LEARNING EVENTS AT WHICH PARTNERS AND GRANTEES/IMPACT INVESTEES BUILD KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS FOR WORKING IN THE SOCIAL IMPACT SPACE. THEY HEAR FROM SOCIAL SECTOR AND COMMUNITY LEADERS WHO SHARE THEIR EXPERIENCES AND LESSONS LEARNED. IN-DEPTH WORKSHOPS AND IMMERSIVE LEARNING TRIPS PROVIDE NEW SKILLS, UNDERSTANDING OF LOCAL ISSUES, AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR SV2 COMMUNITY MEMBERS TO CONNECT WITH AND LEARN FROM ONE ANOTHER. ALL PARTNERS AND GRANTEES/INVESTEES ARE INVITED TO PARTICIPATE.

INNOVATION AND R&D:SV2 EXTENDS ITS IMPACT THROUGH FIELD LEADERSHIP (SPEAKING, WRITING, SOCIAL MEDIA), HOSTING MAJOR COMMUNITY-WIDE EVENTS, SPEARHEADING REGULAR COMMUNICATIONS ACROSS OUR NETWORK, AND BUILDING STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIPS WITH SOCIAL IMPACT-FOCUSED ORGANIZATIONS ACROSS THE BAY AREA AND AROUND THE WORLD.