Advancing Philanthropy
PVF is a demonstration foundation
We strive to be a model for the philanthropic community, demonstrating new concepts in giving and disseminating this information to colleagues across the country and abroad.
Corporate Philanthropy
This next generation of corporate founders and employees harbor a deep desire to have a social impact in their communities. They are not too busy with their heads down on the next product release to care or feel they are too small to make a difference. They are actively and creatively taking action now and PVF is there along side, pioneering new paths to corporate social responsibility. From our grassroots immediate response giving to this new emerging model as the bridge between the dynamic start ups of Silicon Valley and our vibrant communities, PVF will redouble our passion to push the bounds of philanthropy into new and exciting directions.
“In the spirit of radical collaboration, PVF has blazed new trails with Silicon Valley companies to embed the DNA of giving back to our communities early on in a company’s life and before their IPO.”
– James Higa, PVF Executive Director
Through his work with PVF, Higa is on a mission to discover what’s next in philanthropy, to take the old models of charity and shake them up.
– from the article “Bold New Vision” in the August/September 2014 edition of Gentry Magazine
Innovative Pilots
You may have heard or read about Non Fungible Tokens (NFTs), but are not quite sure what all the ballyhoo is about. With emerging technologies, it is often the case that underrepresented populations have historically been left behind and the last to benefit from important technology trends. We aimed to close this opportunity gap by bringing knowledge first instead of last into East Palo Alto.
Philanthropy Fellowships
PVF administers many types of fellowships and scholarship programs, all designed by donors who have an idea that we help formulate into a giving program.
For example, when Susan Ford Dorsey wanted to create a program to honor her late husband, Tom Ford, PVF designed two programs: the Tom Ford Fellowship Program — one-year internships for Stanford graduates in U.S. philanthropic foundations related to the fellows’ interests and experiences; and the Sand Hill Fellowship Program — intensive full-time summer internships for Stanford undergraduates at local foundations. These programs are in their tenth year of continued funding by the Sand Hill Foundation, and are managed by PVF in collaboration with Stanford University’s Haas Center for Public Service.
I am proud of the Tom Ford Fellows and the Sand Hill Fellows Programs at Haas Center for Public Service. I credit PVF with the wonderful idea and for your hard work to get them set up. Thank you for helping to continue Tom’s legacy.
– Susan Ford Dorsey
The Tom Ford Fellowship is a wholly unique and invaluable experience of immersion into the philanthropic sector. Due to the traditions persisting in an old field, it often takes structured opportunities such as fellowships to allow young people a meaningful point of entry into philanthropy. It is difficult to imagine where else I would have been able to interact with such a wealth of diverse individuals, from professionals, academics, policy makers, pastors and teachers to low-income workers, social entrepreneurs and youth organizers. Foundations are fertile ground for breeding exciting partnerships, and progressive frameworks to resolve age-old dilemmas.
– Patricia Soung, 2001 Tom Ford Fellow
Top and bottom banner photo credit: Craig Sherod
“We were delighted to discover that of the 30 on Forbes’ 2015 30 Under 30 Social Entrepreneurs list, PVF has known, funded, and mentored three of the awardees. One awardee is Kiah Williams, whom we first met when she was a Tom Ford Fellow in Philanthropy at the Haas Center for Public Service. This fellowship program, founded by PVF, took Kiah on the road to work at the Clinton Foundation and then to start SIRUM, which PVF funded with an early seed grant. SIRUM takes the billions of dollars of unused medicines that go to waste every year and applies technology to distribute this surplus to those in need.”
– PVF’s Executive Director, James Higa, in our January 2015 Progress newsletter, “Finding ‘Em and Funding ‘Em”