March eNews | Equity, Welcome APEN and Menlo Spark, the Transformational Power of Listening, In Solidarity with Asian Americans

We’re delighted to announce SV2’s newest Community Partners / Grantees: Asian Pacific Environmental Network (APEN) and Menlo Spark! Both impactful organizations participated in our Environment Lightning Grant Round as finalists, and decided to split the unrestricted grant. We’re learning a lot from their leadership to advance equity practices, and have an even greater appreciation of the quality and depth of collaboration amongst nonprofits to further environmental justice. Kudos to SV2 Partner Co-Leaders Jennifer McFarlane and Zweli Mfundisi for putting together this insightful and action-packed experience!

Joyce Song is currently Chief of Staff to Laura Arrillaga-Andreessen, having previously been at Silicon Valley Community Foundation and served as the Directing Attorney of the Immigration Program at Community Legal Services in East Palo Alto. Her husband, Alexander Key, is a professor at Stanford University where he is the Director of the Stanford Humanities Core and recently wrote a book about Classical Arabic theories of language and mind. Joyce and Alexander have two daughters in elementary school in Menlo Park.

Asha Chandra has led both global and local social impact and community engagement programs. She is currently part of Facebook’s global Community Resilience team, leading Resilience for Good to support small businesses, youth & schools, and at-risk communities. Asha has an MBA from the Thunderbird School of Global Management, is an impact investor, and volunteers for several organizations including the India Community Center, Dress for Success, and local food banks. She is also West Coast Co-Chair for the Parents Leadership Council at Northeastern University. She enjoys cooking, traveling, hiking, and spending time with her husband and two children. She looks forward to participating in SV2 and making new friends along the way.

WED. MAR. 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.

TUES. MAR. 23 | 12:00PM - 1:15PM

Investing for Racial Equity: CDFIs

In this next session in our series on Investing for Racial Equity, we will hear from some of the leading names in the Community Development Finance Institution (CDFI) sector about the deep impact of CDFIs and the unique opportunities they present to invest to address the racial wealth gap. CDFIs provide vital credit and financial services to underserved populations making loans for housing, business, consumer, and community infrastructure. Their impact recently has been and remains especially critical to help those in low income communities survive the economic effects of the pandemic.

MON. MAR. 29 | 5:00PM - 6:30PM

EPIC Sparks a Conversation on Electrification: From Grid to Home

Can you speed up replacing fossil fuel appliances in existing homes? The gaps between policy, capability, and citizen attitudes are closing. Sadly, the speed and spread of home conversions are uninspiring and most under-resourced communities feel the goal of replacing fossil fuels in their homes is an out-of-reach dream. What will it take to convert lower-income homes into a fossil-free reality?

FRI. APR. 2 | 6:30PM - 7:30PM

In Conversation with Adult Learners; Getting Proximate with Upward Scholars

Much of California’s culture, diversity and vibrancy is due to the hard work and ingenuity of our large immigrant community. In our Get Proximate experience with Upward Scholars (Community Partner), we'll connect with Adult Learners / Scholars as they share their immigrant and academic journeys. We'll then have casual small group discussion similar to one of Upward Scholars' popular programs, Conversation Clubs, that help Scholars practice speaking English in a safe, virtual, and comfortable environment.

WED. APR. 14 | 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.

March 31, 2021 | Northern California Grantmakers

Northern California Grantmakers is hosting a Meet The New Local Philanthropic Leaders in Silicon Valley panel featuring SV2 CEO David Onek and others. SV2 Partners can register as a NCG member for this event to waive the $50 non-member fee. E-mail registrar@ncg.org with questions.

Listen4Good | Simple, yet systematic ways to build high-quality survey-based feedback loops with clients, especially those whose voices are least heard. Learn More
Shop the ICA Marketplace! | By shopping with us, you’re helping the Bay Area small business ecosystem thrive.
Participate in volunteer food distribution to fellow community members | Organized by One Life Counseling, contact Jennifer Bautista for details.
April 15-30, 2021 | Stanford PACS Education for Philanthropy Professionals Program
Levi Strauss Foundation | Pioneers in Justice

The Levi Strauss Foundation is now preparing to launch its third cohort of Pioneers in Justice—a signature program supporting Bay Area leaders shaping the future course of social movements. Recognizing that female-identified leaders face more barriers than men, LSF will focus our next phase on supporting a cohort of women of color social justice leaders. We are asking for your help in identifying excellent candidates for this 2-1/2 year program. Those selected will receive more than $150K in grant support, in addition to leadership development and peer-learning opportunities. The deadline for nominations is March 19, 2021.