CONTACT:
Rebecca Salner, Media Relations Officer
Silicon Valley Community Foundation
650.450.5525 or rsalner@siliconvalleycf.org

Donor Circle Awards Grants to 16 Arts Groups

MOUNTAIN VIEW -- The donor circle for the arts at Silicon Valley Community Foundation has completed its first round of grants, awarding $55,000 to help fund a diverse range of projects, including a hip hop concert by East Palo Alto youth, a bilingual play based on the stories of Silicon Valley’s immigrant Vietnamese families and the Youth Latin Ensemble jazz musicians.

Members of the donor circle, all of whom have philanthropic funds at the community foundation, agreed to pool money to support art that reflects the diversity within San Mateo and Santa Clara counties.

The donor circle received 50 proposals from a range of arts groups throughout the region. Grants ranging from $2,500 to $10,000 were awarded to 16 organizations representing dance, music, media, performing and visual arts.

"The donors who came together for this project are really saying how important the arts are to our communities," said Emmett D. Carson, Ph.D., CEO and president of the community foundation at an awards ceremony celebrating the donor circle and grantees. "We’re looking to build on this and hope that other donors will join this effort."

The donor circle grew out of an invitation from the community foundation to donors who support the arts. Since 2006, fund advisors at the community foundation have given more than $17 million to the arts, locally and throughout the nation.

For members, the donor circle has been a chance to extend their passion for the arts, develop expertise in grantmaking and learn more about the needs and the work of arts groups in the two-county region.

"I would never have known about all these fantastic small arts organizations were it not for the opportunity to learn about them through the donor circle for the arts," said member Guy Tiphane.

Among the grants awarded were $5,000 to support Art in Action programs at El Granada Elementary School in Half Moon Bay, $2,500 to Kaisahan of San Jose Dance Company for Filipino culture classes and a recital, and $2,500 to the Center for Literary Arts at San Jose State University to support a resident artist working with high school students to create a project about life in East San Jose.

For the full list of grantees, go to www.siliconvalleycf.org/donor-circle-for-the-arts.html.

"The passion that drives individuals and organizations to delight and astonish us deserves our support now more than ever," said circle member Patricia Bashaw. "Especially in times like these, we need the arts to nourish our spirits and bring us together. Being part of the donor circle offers a tangible way to participate in making this happen."

In addition to Bashaw and Tiphane, other members of the donor circle include Janet Baumgartner, Monica Cappuccini, Jim and Kenna Fenton, Phil Kurjan, Noel Butler and Jaci Hall.

The donor circle expects to issue an announcement soliciting a second round of grant proposals later this year.

The donor circle for the arts fund was created through a partnership between individual donors, the James Irvine Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts Expansion Arts program and Silicon Valley Community Foundation.

About Silicon Valley Community Foundation
Silicon Valley Community Foundation is a catalyst and leader for innovative solutions to our region's most challenging problems. Serving all of San Mateo and Santa Clara counties, the community foundation has more than $1.9 billion in assets under management and 1,500 philanthropic funds. The community foundation provides grants through donor advised and corporate funds in addition to its own Community Endowment Fund. In addition, the community foundation serves as a regional center for philanthropy, providing donors simple and effective ways to give locally and around the world. Silicon Valley Community Foundation launched in January 2007 following the landmark merger of Community Foundation Silicon Valley and Peninsula Community Foundation and is now one of the largest community foundations in the nation. Find out more at www.siliconvalleycf.org.