Endowments large and small across south Santa Clara County and
San Benito County are helping to sustain key nonprofits from Morgan
Hill to Hollister that need help more than ever right now.
Endowments large and small across south Santa Clara County and San Benito County are helping to sustain key nonprofits from Morgan Hill to Hollister that need help more than ever right now.
In Hollister, the Community Foundation of San Benito County is moving forward – in a big way – despite the rough economic times.
Last year the foundation gave away around $340,000 and is looking forward to giving away in excess of $600,000 this year, Executive Director Gary Byrne said. It’s largely due to first-time grant support from the David & Lucile Packard Foundation.
“I think we are definitely moving forward.” Byrne said. “I think it’s really exciting that we’ve had the opportunity to hire two wonderful staff people who are helping our nonprofits.”
The Community Foundation supports nonprofit organizations in the county with training, education and resources. It also encourages groups to set up endowments for funding and helps match donors to corresponding nonprofits.
A major reason for the foundation’s expansion, which includes moving into a much larger location this month, is the recent gift of $250,000 from the David and Lucile Packard Foundation.
The Community Foundation had applied to the Packard Foundation for funding help many years ago, but always had been told it was outside the area of influence and the group didn’t serve San Benito County. Byrne said talks with the Packard Foundation resumed about 1.5 years ago, and the Los Altos group decided to send a consultant to interview Byrne and several nonprofits. When the consultant left, she recommended the Packard board take a look at the county for a few different reasons, he said.
“One, we really are their neighbors,” Byrne said. “They also realized that a huge proportion of our population – working population – work in the Silicon Valley.”
The impact of just being able to say the name Packard Foundation in relation to San Benito County is a big thing for the county in terms of future donations.
“That’s a huge thing for us, not just for the Community Foundation, but for our county. It gives unbelievable credibility to the county when we go up to other foundations and say the David and Lucile Packard Foundation funds in San Benito County – it opens up the doors,” Byrne said.
One door that has been opened because of the Packard Foundation’s generosity is the Health Trust of Silicon Valley, which is giving grants to the community. Byrne said the trust came to the San Benito County last year and held a workshop for local nonprofits and advised these groups to apply.
Even with the recent positive steps forward, Byrne said the foundation will have to weather out the economy like all the other struggling nonprofit groups. But some donations actually have been larger due to concerns over the economy.
“We saw some of our major donors increase their donation,” Byrne said.
He added that donors are saying, “We are giving you a larger gift because other people can’t and we want the nonprofits to be stable.”
The Gilroy Foundation has been going now for 29 years, and it also strives to better health, education, recreation and other cultural and civic programs with the help of a local 12-member board of directors and various community-wide advisers. The Gilroy Foundation, which has about $5 million invested in the Silicon Valley Community Foundation, which itself pools money from similar organizations and oversees $1.9 billion in assets. Each year the local foundation doles out about $250,000 – or 5 percent of its fund – to ensure area nonprofits get money while the philanthropists can maintain their principal via interest and other returns. Since 1982, more than $1 million in grants and scholarships has been awarded to local nonprofits and students.
Next month, the foundation – which has an office at 8339 Church St. near Welbrun Avenue – will announce this year’s recipients. Last year the endowment group gave out more than $165,000 to 38 organization and an additional $80,000 in scholarships. Past recipients have included Community Solutions, the Gilroy City Public Library, the Gilroy Gang Task Force, Live Oak Adult Day Care Center, the Mexican American Community Services Agency, Planned Parenthood, Rebekah Children’s Services, South County Housing, the Theater Angels Art League and Victory Outreach.
“The Gilroy Foundation exemplifies the generous and caring spirit of South County. They have set a high philanthropic standard through their grants process that has spanned almost thirty years,” said Lisa De Silva, the nonprofit’s director of development. “Although we receive larger grants from regional and statewide foundations, the local support we receive from local funders such as The Gilroy Foundation are the most meaningful.”
And for the foundation, the Gilroy Garlic Festival is also a key. Their wine booth at the gathering and the annual A Day In The Country auction help the foundation, said Executive Director Donna Pray.
Up north, in Morgan Hill, Councilwoman Marilyn Librers served on that city’s Community Foundation board of directors from 2002 until she was elected in November, and had nothing but rave reviews.
“The Morgan Hill Community Foundation is working for the betterment of our community by awarding financial grants and also by being the umbrella organization to small nonprofits who need to have (legal nonprofit tax) status. I was very proud to be part of this organization,” she said.
Board Member Zack Alves said the group works its alliance programs to help them gain visibility in the community. Alliance programs include The Morgan Hill Dog Owners Group’s, the Teacher’s Aid Coalition, the South Valley Athletic Association, the Morgan Hill Wind Symphony, the San Pedro Trail Volunteers, the Morgan Hill Library Foundation, the Morgan Hill’s Sister City Committee and Kirk’s Kids.
The Morgan Hill foundation also has two major events each year: the nonprofit plaza at Taste of Morgan Hill in the summer – which raises awareness for the foundation and other prominent nonprofits in the area – and the Philanthropy Day luncheon, which just occurred for the third time in November.
“Those two events we’re really proud of and we have great community support,” board President Dave Reisenauer said.
The Morgan Hill foundation, which started in 2002, is also an affiliate member of the Silicon Valley Council of Nonprofits, but the nonprofit’s short existence mean its endowment of about $500,000 has not yet grown to Gilroy’s account – 10 times that size. However, the foundation has given grants to at least 35 community groups in the area, including scholarships to kids and transportation services. Nonprofits can apply now through the end of April for the current grant cycle and grants will be awarded in June.
“Even though times are tough we want to be able to give back to the community,” Reisenauer said. “We hope to start a program for the youth, and teach them leadership and management skills. We want to get people at a very young age to think about giving back to the community.”
