The Silicon Valley Community Foundation (SVCF) “brings together the resources and skills of donors, businesses, government, and community members to address the most pressing challenges in San Mateo and Santa Clara counties.” Civity partnered with SVCF to create relational listening space with community grantees.
Mauricio Palma, Director of Community Partnerships, describes the joint initiative:
“At Silicon Valley Community Foundation, community truly sits at the heart of what we do. That’s why, when we set out to roll out our first grantmaking strategies, integrating Civity’s relationship-building approach into our work with nonprofit grantee cohorts felt like such a natural fit.
“Over the course of a year, Civity facilitated workshops with four groups of SVCF grantees, focused on arts and culture, faith communities, neighborhoods, and local journalism. Within each cohort, participants connected through one-on-one conversations and small group discussions that fostered trust, empathy, and understanding. Between sessions, participants were invited to extend that relationship-building beyond their own groups, bringing those practices into the broader community.
“For SVCF, these sessions became more than opportunities for grantees to connect, they became spaces for us to listen deeply. The space Civity helped create allowed for open, honest dialogue that revealed the real challenges and needs our partners face in their work. Those candid conversations helped us reimagine our grantmaking practices and cohort approach, including the elimination of final reports, while strengthening our relationships and giving us invaluable insights into how we can show up in ways that are truly supportive and aligned with community priorities.”
Read other Civity case studies:
Center for Rural Affairs
Leadership Rhode Island