November eNews | Welcome New Community Partners, Vote in Google.org Impact Challenge, Fall Gathering Recap, The Mindful Minute

Code Tenderloin removes barriers that keep people from securing long-term employment such as finances, legal, soft skills, childcare, transportation, and education. They are based in the Tenderloin neighborhood in San Francisco.

Puente de la Costa Sur promotes and advocates for equitable access to education, health, and economic security among those in Pescadero, La Honda, Loma Mar, and San Gregorio.

20+ SV2 Partners participated in our Economic Inclusion Grant Round, learned more about community strengths and aspirations, what economic inclusion means, and selected these two community rooted and impactful organizations to each receive $75,000 in multi-year unrestricted funding, beyond-the-dollars support as helpful, and friendship!

“The Google.org Impact Challenge Bay Area is an open invitation to organizations across the Bay Area to submit their ideas to address some of the most challenging societal issues facing our community today. The 5 boldest and brightest ideas will be selected to receive $1 million in funding and support from Google.”

We’re excited to learn that eight SV2 Community Partners (current or alumni Grantees) are finalists in Google.org’s Impact Challenge.
These organizations are in the running for the $1M grant, and you can vote here by November 14th: One Degree, SOMOS Mayfair, and Young Women’s Freedom Center.
These organizations will each receive a $100,000 grant and support from Google: Braven, Center for Youth Wellness, Inner City Advisors, StreetCode Academy, and The Big Lift.

Congrats to all participating organizations and best wishes!

Our Fall Gathering: Deepening Connections, Deepening Impact was on Oct. 20th.
We loved connecting with the leaders of 5 impactful and inspiring organizations / SV2 current and alumni Community Partners:

Anna Schember | Accion Opportunity Fund
Dianne Calvi | Village Enterprise
Gatanya Arnic | Safe & Sound
Jane Melia | Harvest Thermal
Olatunde Sobomehin | StreetCode Academy

Also, we’d like to give a huge shoutout to Brenda Graciano and Luis Romero with Upward Scholars, another one of our wonderful Community Partners, who provided fantastic interpretation of the event.

Here is our community collage with some of our takeaways!
We look forward to more such special and motivating gatherings together.

The mindful minute is a quick and simple tool that can allow you to create space between one activity to the next, between one emotional state to another. It can ‘clean’ the clutter and churn
that exists in your mind from whatever has happened up to that point. Those thoughts jumping around can also show up in your body as tension, tightness and constriction. A mindful minute
brings you into the present moment and with the pause allows you to notice what is happening in your mind, emotions and body. And once you notice them, you can rebalance and refocus to meet the present moment.

WED. NOV. 10 | 11:30AM - 1:30PM

Impact Investing Working Group

The SV2 Impact Investing Working Group discusses prospective impact investment opportunities, hears pitches from social entrepreneurs, and performs due diligence in order to make informed investment recommendations on behalf of SV2. The Working Group is comprised of Partners who are committed to actively participating in all aspects of impact investing, including the due diligence process. All Partners are welcome to begin regularly attending IIWG meetings at any point in the year or are welcome to audit meetings on a drop-in basis.

WED. NOV. 17 | 10:30AM - 12:30PM

SV2 Pickleball

Join SV2 Partners for our first SV2 Pickleball event! SV2 Partners of all playing abilities -- including brand-new -- are invited. We have reserved four courts between 10:30am and 12:30pm at Portola Valley Town Center Tennis Courts. Please RSVP on Eventbrite and also fill out the information in this Google Form to register for the event. Linda Lazor and Kwok Lau are sponsoring this Partner-organized event. Please email Linda if you have any questions.

SUN. DEC. 5 | 1:30PM - 2:30PM

Calling all Teen Changemakers! SV2 Teens Information Session

SV2 Teens is a youth-led changemaking initiative. During the program, Teens learn about and go deeper with their social impact interests, practice active listening, take a community-asset based approach, further develop leadership and teamwork skills, and grow as changemakers. Teens gain exposure to pressing local social issues, learn about nonprofit organizations and thoughtfully allocate small unrestricted grants to three organizations. At this session, current SV2 Teens, alumni, and their parents will share their first-hand experiences with the program and the impact the experience has had on them. We'll share an overview of the 2022 program. Join us!

WED. DEC. 15 | 11:30AM - 1:30PM

Impact Investing Working Group

The SV2 Impact Investing Working Group discusses prospective impact investment opportunities, hears pitches from social entrepreneurs, and performs due diligence in order to make informed investment recommendations on behalf of SV2. The Working Group is comprised of Partners who are committed to actively participating in all aspects of impact investing, including the due diligence process. All Partners are welcome to begin regularly attending IIWG meetings at any point in the year or are welcome to audit meetings on a drop-in basis.

Celebrations, Opportunities, Events

With some of our current Community Partners / Grantees

Braven

We are looking for professionals from all fields who are willing to share their career experience, personal stories, and unique talents with our diverse and driven Fellows. All volunteer opportunities will be virtual while social distancing orders are in effect. To receive alerts about upcoming volunteer opportunities: SIGN UP FOR THE BRAVEN NETWORK

Shop the ICA Marketplace! | By shopping with us, you’re helping the Bay Area small business ecosystem thrive.
Apply to ICA's Accelerator Programs:

Deadline to apply for both tracks is December 1:
The Lab at ICA: designed for early-stage, high-growth companies looking to stabilize, scale, and get ready for capital over 4 weeks.
The Accelerator: designed for established high-potential companies looking to think strategically about growth and become investment-ready over 4 months.

SV@Home | Friday, Nov. 19th 12-1:00PM

Join SV@Home for a conversation about what happened in the legislature in 2021 and what's ahead in the new year! RSVP here.

Upward Scholars

The Upward Scholars English Conversation Club happens virtually via Zoom. Our next Conversation Club will be on Friday, November 12 from 6:30–7:45 pm. Please RSVP by noon on November 10 to join us as we help our students practice speaking English in a safe, virtual, and comfortable environment.

With more friends and allies...

Ashoka Changemaker Summit 2021| Online September 30th-November 25th, Onsite December 1st-3rd, 2021 (Turin, Italy)

The Summit is the global milestone to share cutting-edge ideas that change systems for the better. Meet other doers, shapers and thinkers who believe in the power of changemaking to drive social impact.

Listen4Good

While many organizations believe in asking their clients for direct feedback, figuring out how to effectively gather and respond to their input can be challenging. Listen4Good helps you harness the power of direct feedback and make client perspectives more integral to your work. Organizations can join either our January or June cohorts each year. Our January round has a registration deadline of December 1, 2021 and our June cohort has a deadline of May 15, 2022.

Silicon Valley Community Foundation Latinx Giving Guide

The Latinx-led nonprofit organizations highlighted in this guide provide leadership, direct services, advocacy and support for Latinx communities in San Mateo and Santa Clara counties. The LatinXCEL Fund, created in partnership with the Castellano Family Foundation, will invest in people and organizations that address the infrastructure needs of nonprofits serving Latinx communities in our two-county region.

Silicon Valley Community Foundation Year-End Giving Guide

The organizations listed in SVCF's Giving Guide are aligned with their strategic priorities: early childhood development, financial stability, and housing. They’ve also included organizations that provide safety-net services as we continue to see the effects of the pandemic on our communities.

We All Count: Data Equity Workshop | Nov. 16th & 18th, 2021

The We All Count Data Equity Framework remains one of the few actionable systems of tools, checklists, and strategic processes that can support you in making both immediate and long-term changes in the way that your entire team uses data.