Silicon Valley Community Foundation

The community foundation was created in 2006 through the landmark merger of Peninsula Community Foundation and Community Foundation Silicon Valley, and launched in January 2007. Serving all of San Mateo and Santa Clara counties, Silicon Valley Community Foundation is a partner and resource to organizations improving the quality of life in our region, and to those who want to give back locally, nationally and internationally. Thousands of individuals, families, corporations, nonprofit and government organizations, and community leaders work with us to address critical needs and make an impact through effective programs and inspired philanthropy. Over the five decades that Peninsula Community Foundation and Community Foundation Silicon Valley served this region, both parent foundations helped to establish a tradition of generosity that has led many people to invest their time and philanthropic dollars to support the common good. Understanding that community issues do not stop at the county line and that greater social impact could be realized by acting regionally, the Boards of Directors of PCF and CFSV approved a memorandum of understanding (PDF 342k) on July 12, 2006, to form a united foundation. The result is the fourth largest community foundation in the nation with $1.7 billion in assets and more than 1,500 philanthropic funds. Silicon Valley Community Foundation brings together the combined expertise and collective voice of its parent foundations with the goal of engaging others in smart solutions to meet pressing needs. We undertake this work led by a knowledgeable board of directors of local leaders and an expert staff headed by Emmett D. Carson, Ph.D., CEO and president.