HFSV

About HFSV

Hispanic Charity Ball

La Familia Award

Mission:

The Hispanic Foundation of Silicon Valley (HFSV) is a public foundation that cultivates philanthropy to inspire Hispanic children and families to achieve personal greatness. The Hispanic Foundation of Silicon Valley engages leadership and bridges resources to invest in a thriving Hispanic community.

History:

The Hispanic Foundation of Silicon Valley grew out of a special event, the Hispanic Charity Ball, which was first held in 1990 to raise awareness about issues affecting the Latino community, promote volunteerism, celebrate philanthropic leaders, and provide the funding vehicle to support nonprofit organizations serving the Hispanic community with cash grants. Over the course of its history, the event has been a powerful tool for community philanthropy generating nearly $1,000,000 in grantmaking funds.

Research:

In 2005, the Hispanic Foundation of Silicon Valley co-published with the Community Foundation Silicon Valley a study looking at the giving patterns of Silicon Valley Latinos. The groundbreaking report, Familia, Fe y Comunidad, did much to dispel the myths about Latino philanthropy. Download the report in English (PDF) or Spanish (PDF).

The findings clearly showed that Silicon Valley Latinos were very generous in giving and active in volunteering and that their giving patterns are direct, personal, informal and community-focused. Latinos in Silicon Valley, as nationally, significantly underreport their giving and volunteering activities.

Grantmaking:

Through its grant making, the HFSV has consistently focused resources in a timely way on critical areas of need to the Hispanic community. Since 1990, HFSV has provided nearly $1,000,000 in cash grants to local nonprofits serving the community in the areas of transitional housing; domestic violence; English language acquisition; career development; educational attainment; access to technology; youth leadership; arts education; math, science and technology education; childhood obesity prevention; and other important areas of need.

Board Leadership:

Many respondents to the individual surveying conducted in association with the Familia, Fe y Comunidad report said they often feel disconnected from local nonprofit organizations because they don’t see themselves reflected in the nonprofits’ board, leadership, or staff.

Hispanics/Latinos account for 25% of Santa Clara County’s population and 23% of San Mateo County’s. Nearly 32% of the population of San Jose, 39% of the population of Redwood City, and 60% of the population of East Palo Alto are Hispanic. However, Hispanics/Latinos do not yet have a leadership role in the region’s nonprofit and philanthropic sectors commensurate with their numbers.

In early 2008, the HFSV conducted an online survey to gain a better understanding of the level of Hispanic board representation and governance needs of Silicon Valley nonprofits. Of the 46 organizational respondents, 85% of respondents indicated that their organizations want greater Hispanic representation on their boards. At the same time, 65% of respondents to the survey reported that they had experienced difficulty in recruiting from this segment of the population.

The Hispanic Foundation of Silicon Valley recognizes and is responding to a critical need to increase the pool of qualified Latinos to serve on nonprofit boards and has begun development of a new program, a Latino Board Leadership Academy (LBLA). Through this program, the HFSV will recruit, train and match Latino professionals to serve on nonprofit and foundation boards in Silicon Valley. The Latino Board Leadership Academy has the potential to transform the region as a greater number of qualified Latinos take their place amongst the region’s decision-makers and sector’s leaders.

Commitment:

The Hispanic Foundation is Silicon Valley has established a lasting relationship with Silicon Valley’s Latino philanthropic leadership and has become an important vehicle for those who share a spirit of giving to have an impact on the lives of Hispanic children and families in Silicon Valley. We are proud to be developing and partnering with Silicon Valley’s Latino philanthropists to invest in the success of the Latino community and, by extension, the region as a whole.

Watch a Video About the HFSV