Out of the Shadows The fight against SV human trafficking Moving Pictures Films inspire action English POSSIBILITIES START HERE Learners CF Erasing the achievement gap Partner Power From big names to in-the-field nonprofits, joint efforts boost causes SILICONVALLEYCF.ORG • SPRING 2015 SVCF Mag Ad M3.pdf 1 4/23/15 11:11 AM Thank you to our sponsors Bernard A. Newcomb Krishnan Shah 1440 Fund Foundation Family Foundation Sheri and Eric Brisson Michael and Sarah Mayer Robert N. and Florence Jennifer Secoy Krach Reddere Foundation Russell-McAdoo Fund Family Fund Slinger Foundation Ten to the Ninth Plus Foundation Thompson Family Foundation Charles B. Kuhn Memorial Fund John Dawson and Jennie Savage Kristi Yamaguchi Naren and Vinita Gupta Foundation Rick and Sally Jones Family Fund Tundra Glacier Fund Florence D. Brown Gallo Friends of Yu-Ai Kai Glen and Sherri Osaka Henrikson Family Foundation Ditribution Fund Family Fund Namaste Foundation Morgan Family Foundation and Inflection Park Rich and Lynn Voelbel Sand Hill Foundation Family Fund Steiny Family Foundation See you next year on May 3, 2016 SVGives.org Spring 2015 November’s Concert For Valor, featuring Metallica and other major acts, helped build momentum for veterans’ causes. PAGE 6 DEPARTMENTS FEATURES 2 From Emmett D. Carson Find out about SVCF’s role in a 6 Partner Power historic White House gathering Whether working on veterans’ needs, celebrating the importance of Ebola or education for girls around community foundations. the world, corporations and nonprofits 3 Big Ideas PAGE 5 alike find strength in joint efforts. For one SVCF donor, film has the power to inspire action. Learn how she shares her passion with 14 Impact others, and get an answer to the A by-the-numbers look at 10 Stopping Traffic question, “Where is Rod Streater?” the data driving innovation Human trafficking isn’t someone else’s in philanthropy. problem; it’s happening here in Silicon 12 Visionaries With Box.org, Karen Appleton and 16 What If? Valley. Find out how philanthropy can colleagues made cloud computing What if students learning help bring it out of the shadows. work for the greater good. They English were set up for academic start by listening to nonprofit achievement? John A. Sobrato needs. discusses a model for success. COVER: JONATHAN ERNST/REUTERS/CORBIS TOP: CAROLYN KASTER/AP IMAGES SILICONVALLEYCF.ORG n SPRING 2015 n 1 Volume 2, Number 1 BOARD OF DIRECTORS C.S. Park, Chair Samuel Johnson, Jr., Vice Chair David P. López, Ed.D., Secretary/Treasurer Jayne Battey Emmett D. Carson, Ph.D. Thomas J. Friel Rose Jacobs Gibson From Marie Oh Huber Robert A. Keller Julie Miraglia Kwon Emmett D. Carson Dan’l Lewin Wade W. Loo Anne F. Macdonald Lynn A. McGovern, CPA Catherine A. Molnar Eduardo Rallo Tom Stocky Sanjay Vaswani Thurman V. White, Jr. Community Core Gordon Yamate Jill S. Dodd, Outside Counsel CEO & PRESIDENT To understand how community Emmett D. Carson, Ph.D. foundations differ from other philanthropic organizations, look no further than the word SV “community.” Community is for constructive local POSSCFIBILITIES START HERE why we exist, and dialogues that engage it was at the core of diverse community CHIEF BUSINESS, deVELOPMent AND brand OFFICER discussion when we members on difficult, Mari Ellen R. Loijens co-hosted more than 150 and even contentious, VICE PRESIDENT, MARKetinG community foundation topics. AND COMMUnications and government officials In the pages of this Sidney G. Griffin, Jr. at the White House. magazine, we highlight CREATIVE DIRECTOR The December meeting, some of those topics. Ian Kawata hosted with the White You’ll read about our MANAGING EDITOR Chris Blose House’s Office of Social early efforts to shine ART DIRECTOR Lance Pettiford PHOTO EDITOR Sara Elder Learn more about Innovation and Civic a light on human PROJECT MANAGER Connie Otto Silicon Valley Gives Participation, celebrated trafficking, a practice COPY EDITOR Tara Kawar at svgives.org. Read the centennial of the taking place in the CONTRIBUTORS Heather Boerner, Mike Carlson, Emmett D. Carson’s Vanessa Richardson, Miriam Weiner White House remarks shadows in Silicon [email protected] at siliconvalleycf.org/ community foundation Valley. You’ll learn about Editorial, Design and Production Management whitehouse. andfounding the importance of the first the hurdles our region’s English learners face SVCF magazine is published two times a year by Silicon in the classroom, and Valley Community Foundation. To receive a copy, call future.of these We institutions believe in the smart approaches to 650.450.5400 or email [email protected]. Postmaster: Please send address changes to Silicon powerin ensuring of community America’s overcome them. You’ll Valley Community Foundation, 2440 West El Camino foundations to lead find out how strategic Real, Suite 300, Mountain View, California 94040- 1498. The opinions and statements expressed by the candid conversations partnerships can tackle authors and contributors to this publication do not necessarily reflect opinions or positions of Silicon and build bridges everything from Ebola Valley Community Foundation. All rights reserved. between groups of to veterans’ needs. No material in this publication may be published or copied without the express written consent of Silicon people with different Meeting these Valley Community Foundation. Copyright © 2015 expectations and needs. challenges is up to us. Silicon Valley Community Foundation The historic gathering Events such as our Silicon Valley Community Foundation is gave us all a chance to second annual Silicon confirmed in compliance with National recommit ourselves Valley Gives, held on Standards for U.S. Community Foundations. to addressing the May 5, demonstrate world’s most pressing that we have the challenges. Community will and resources ALDWELL foundations are ideally to strengthen the C situated to answer nonprofit organizations DWARD President Obama’s call in our community. E 2 n SPRING 2015 n SILICONVALLEYCF.ORG TRENDS AND INNOVATION Big Ideas IN PHILANTHROPY The Big Lift’s Next Steps Major grants tackle reading proficiency Forty-two percent of third-graders in San Mateo County can’t read proficiently. Unfortunately, that’s a predictor of poor future academic achievement. “In one of the most prosperous regions in the country, our young children face a series of challenging problems,” says Avo Makdessian, Dan Cohen, director of Silicon Valley Community founder of the nonprofit Music Foundation’s Center for Early Learning. & Memory, Now, SVCF has the chance to help set shares memory- children on the path to educational success, inspiring music with Mary Lou thanks to funding for The Big Lift. SVCF was Thompson in one of only seven organizations nationwide the film Alive to receive funding in 2014 from the Social Inside. Innovation Fund, a federal program committed to effective community solutions. The $7.5 million appropriated to SVCF will be matched and initially invested in four local school districts to support programs aligned with Big Lift goals. Moving Pictures The Peninsula Partnership Leadership The personal power of film Council spearheaded The Big Lift in 2012 in what Makdessian describes as “a call to action” after research showed just how poor literacy As the Bay Area director of the Windrider Film Forum, rates were. One of the program’s top priorities Terri Bullock searches for independent films with a few will be providing high-quality preschool, which common traits. They must be engaging. They must be parents usually have to pay for out-of-pocket. conversation starters. They must inspire action. U by the However, high-quality preschool is just For Bullock, an SVCF fund advisor and longtime numbers one priority among four. Big Lift partners also supporter of the arts, education and other causes, one film will focus on reducing rates of absenteeism, that played at the festival in 2014 held all of these traits encouraging continued learning through the on a personal level. The film,Alive Inside, chronicles the summer months and increasing parental nonprofit Music & Memory’s mission to use music for involvement outside the classroom. “One of memory restoration and therapy for people suffering from the programs we’re definitely implementing is Alzheimer’s. Raising A Reader,” he says, referring to an SVCF 42 “So many films on Alzheimer’s are depressing,” Bullock program that has proved highly successful in the percent says, “but this was amazing. It was hopeful. It provided past. “It’s not just passing out books. It’s parents of third-graders something for families to do right now rather than waiting in San Mateo and caretakers intentionally engaging children County can’t read for a cure.” That “something” is providing patients OSSATO-BENNETT in literacy and fostering a love of reading.” proficiently with Alzheimer’s a music program designed to trigger R Makdessian hopes that The Big Lift model memories. Bullock, whose sister had been diagnosed with proves to be “the recipe for success when it Alzheimer’s seven years earlier, got a chance to see the comes to literacy.” — Miriam Weiner program’s power firsthand. She was hesitant at first to believe in the film’s promise. Explore The Big Lift at But she went to visit her sister in the hospital and handed OURTESY OF MICHAEL C siliconvalleycf.org/thebiglift. CONTINUED ON PAGE 4 O SILICONVALLEYCF.ORG n SPRING 2015 n 3 Big Ideas OMOVING PICTURES CONTINUED FROM PAGE 3 her a music player and headphones Model loaded with “I Hear a Symphony” by the Corporate Supremes, one of her sister’s favorites. Her Citizen sister started smiling, 5 questions for a CSR leader shaking her hips and singing instead of clenching her teeth. “It The breadth of Colleen Cassity’s work, was just jaw-dropping and her passion for it, reveals why she to watch her,” she says. was named “Practitioner of the Year” in “We were laughing and the 2014 Powered by EF (Entrepreneurs’ crying.” Foundation) Awards, recognizing At that moment, leadership in corporate citizenship.