FY2026 in Review
Dear Friends,
This year reminded us how quickly community needs can change, and how important it is to have strong local organizations ready to respond.
Disruptions to food assistance, intensified immigration enforcement, economic pressures, and painful youth losses placed added strain on families and on the nonprofits serving them. With your support, the Palo Alto Community Fund (PACF) was able to act. We moved resources where they were needed, deepened our investment in youth mental health and wellbeing, and helped trusted organizations respond as needs changed.
Our work extends beyond grants. Your generosity helps us strengthen nonprofits, connect people and partners to local solutions, and act quickly when urgent needs arise.
Throughout this report, we share examples of what that support set in motion—from food reaching families and opportunities opening for young people to stronger nonprofit connections and a community rallying around youth wellbeing. Together, these stories offer a glimpse of the work our 114 nonprofit partners are advancing every day across Palo Alto, East Palo Alto, and Menlo Park.
We also strengthened PACF itself, expanding our team and moving into the Sobrato Center for Nonprofits, where working alongside many of our partners helps us listen, connect, and serve more effectively.
Thank you for trusting PACF, standing with our nonprofit partners, and helping turn generosity into action across our community.
Becky Beacom
President, Board of Directors
Irene Wong
Chief Executive Officer
Your Support in Action
This year, we awarded 80 grants totaling $1.5M+.
Explore the full list of grantees PACF donors made possible in FY26 here.
Grantmaking in Action: Removing Barriers, Expanding Opportunity
Local funding in action
PACF’s FY26 grants supported practical solutions to challenges facing our communities. From improving food access to opening opportunities for young people and responding quickly when urgent needs emerged, our funding helped trusted organizations turn local knowledge into action.
Keeping Food Moving
Dave Mitchell Impact Grantee: Alta Housing
Alta Housing manages more than 1,000 affordable homes across the region, including approximately 700 within PACF’s service area. In 2025, it distributed more than 109,000 pounds of food from Second Harvest and 65,000 pounds from Martha’s Kitchen. But limited transportation capacity constrained how reliably food could reach residents.
A $50,000 Dave Mitchell Impact Grant funded an electric van dedicated to food distribution across Alta Housing communities. The investment removes a persistent logistical barrier, helping food reach more residents consistently while building capacity for years to come.
Opening Access In and Out of the Pool
FY26 Annual Grant Spotlight: Race Swami Belle Haven
The cost of coaching, equipment, and travel can put competitive sports beyond the reach of many families. Race Swami Belle Haven removes those barriers as the Peninsula’s only USA Swimming program created specifically for young people from Belle Haven, East Palo Alto, and neighboring communities.
Children can participate regardless of their ability to pay, with equipment provided by the team. Free tutoring and academic support extend the program’s impact beyond the pool, giving young people access not only to competitive swimming, but also to the encouragement and resources that help them succeed.
“If I could describe Swami in a word it would definitely be family…You can have laughs and cry with anyone in Swami because we treat everyone like they belong, like family.”
Responding When Needs Emerge
Community needs do not always arrive on a predictable timeline. PACF’s local relationships and flexible funding allow us to respond quickly when circumstances change and timely support can make a difference.
When federal delays in SNAP payments threatened food access, PACF provided rapid funding to three trusted partners already serving local families. The grants helped a food pantry manage a 10 percent increase in food costs, provided fresh produce boxes to 250 households each week, and supported a year of food assistance for 41 children.
PACF also supported the community-led revival of Track Watch, a volunteer program that creates a visible, caring presence at local railroad crossings and connects into the community’s broader network of youth mental health and wellbeing support. As parents and community members mobilized, PACF quickly funded vests, whistles, training materials, and other basic supplies needed to help volunteers get underway.
Across these grants, PACF listened to our community, trusted local partners, and acted when timely support could make a difference. This year, we also saw an opportunity to go deeper on one important issue, bringing together funding, donors, nonprofits, young people, and community leaders. That became PACF’s first Community Campaign.
"We urgently needed support to meet this increased demand. Every contribution ensured families can choose and receive fresh produce at no cost, providing essential nutrition when it is needed most."
“The more you can normalize people talking about mental health issues— their worries, anxieties, different feelings other than being okay, the easier it will be to normalize mental health. The more we can normalize that, the sooner people can get help.”
Rallying Around Youth Mental Health and Wellbeing: Community Campaign
Growing concern about youth mental health and painful losses in our community brought renewed urgency to an issue PACF has supported for years.
At the center of this year’s Community Campaign was allcove Palo Alto, a welcoming drop-in space designed with, by, and for youth, offering mental health, physical health, and social support on young people’s terms.
PACF awarded allcove a $100,000 Dave Mitchell Impact Grant, including a $25,000 community matching challenge. Over the summer, 45 donors contributed more than $50,000, unlocking the full match and bringing total support through the campaign to more than $150,000.
The campaign also created opportunities to deepen understanding and bring more people into the conversation. PACF’s Community Celebration kicked off the summer effort, with Shashank V. Joshi, MD, FAAP, DFAACAP moderating a candid youth panel on the pressures young people face and needed support. Throughout the summer, that learning continued. A community-wide Youth Mental Health Town Hall brought together Supervisor Margaret Abe-Koga, Assemblymember Marc Berman, and nonprofit and city partners. We later hosted a conversation with Steven Adelsheim, MD, Director of Stanford’s Center for Youth Mental Health and Wellbeing.
Together, these efforts helped us listen, learn, and rally around a shared priority: supporting allcove and strengthening our community’s commitment to young people’s wellbeing.
Locally
of local teens are completely unaware of mental health resources available to them
of teens say they struggle with mental health
of youth are not using any mental health resources
Palo Alto Youth Council Mental Health Census, 2024
of youth who need mental health care never receive it.
NIMH, 2023
Strengthening Nonprofits, Strengthening Community
Strong nonprofits are essential to a strong community. In FY26, PACF supported organizations not only in delivering services, but also in building the connections, knowledge, and sector infrastructure that help them advance their missions.
Investing in a Stronger Nonprofit Sector
Through the Cammie Vail Community Resilience Grants, PACF funds organizations that strengthen the broader nonprofit sector. Support for Thrive Alliance for Nonprofits helped connect leaders, build organizational capacity, and amplify the collective voice of nonprofits across San Mateo County. These investments allow many organizations, not just one, to better serve their communities.
Creating Spaces to Connect and Learn
More than 125 nonprofit leaders came together at Rise & Shine for a morning without agendas or asks—time to exchange ideas, build relationships, and learn from one another. Pastor Paul Bains, co-founder and president of Project WeHOPE, shared reflections on the impact of showing up through small, consistent acts of care.
At Gather & Grow, PACF collaborated with the Sand Hill Foundation and Sobrato Philanthropies to bring together our grantee communities. Honorable Joe Simitian shared practical guidance on advocacy and building relationships with decision-makers, while nonprofit leaders gained access to a wider network of peers and funders.
Showing Up Matters
PACF’s work starts with being connected to our community. By showing up at local celebrations, nonprofit gatherings, and community events across Palo Alto, East Palo Alto, and Menlo Park, we listen, build relationships, and deepen our understanding of local needs. Those connections help PACF be a better partner to nonprofits and a more knowledgeable resource for donors.
PACF Staff at the 2026 Community Celebration
PACF Attend the District 5 Mixer
PACF and allcove at the first Palo Alto Pride
Youth Mental Health Town Hall
In FY26, we supported 3 events totaling $11K in event sponsorships.
We are not just reactive, but we're proactive. Whether it's a big event or a challenge to the sector, or forces that were unanticipated, this is an organization that is flexible and committed to making sure that resources get invested in the strongest way possible, in the most effective ways possible.
Our 2026 Grantees
114 Nonprofits in 2026 Grantee Cohort | 49 FY26 Annual Grantees | 20 FY26 Multi-year Grantees | 2 Dave Mitchell Impact Grantees | 9 Cammie Vail Community Resilience Grantees + Other Grantees | 41 FY25 Multi-year Grantees | 8 First-time Grantees
Addressing Food Insecurity and Affordable Housing
Alta Housing
Belle Haven Action**
Community Overcoming Relationship Abuse (CORA)*
East Palo Alto Community Alliance and Neighborhood Development Organization (EPACANDO)
Ecumenical Hunger Program
Fresh Approach*
Habitat for Humanity Greater San Francisco
Heart and Home Collaborative*
HIP Housing
LifeMoves*
Loaves & Fishes Family Kitchen
Martha's Kitchen**
Peninsula Healthcare Connection
Rebuilding Together Peninsula
Samaritan House
St. Anthony's Padua Dining Room*
Street Life Ministries**
WeHOPE
Youth United for Community Action (YUCA)*
Helping Children and Youth Thrive
AchieveKids
Addiction Education Society
All Five*
Beyond Barriers Athletic Foundation
Boys & Girls Clubs of the Peninsula
Chicana Latina Foundation
Pathwise*
East Palo Alto Academy Foundation*
East Palo Alto Kids Foundation (EPAK)
East Palo Alto Peninsula Rugby Football Club (Razorhawks)*
East Palo Alto Tennis & Tutoring (EPATT)*
Eastside College Preparatory School*
Family Connections
Foundation for a College Education
Girls to Women**
Gunn Foundation*
Health Connected*
Karat School Project
Learning Home Volunteers*
Live In Peace, Inc.
Peninsula Bridge*
Race Swami**
Ravenswood Classroom Partners
Ravenswood Early Learning**
Ravenswood Education Foundation*
Rich May Foundation*
RISE - Reaching and Inspiring Success through Education
Rise Together Education*
Rosalie Rendu Inc.
StreetCode Academy*
The Peninsula College Fund*
The.Circuit EPA*
Upward Scholars*
Youth Community Service (YCS)*
Embracing the Arts and Our Environment
Art In Action*
Canopy
Climate Resilient Communities
East Palo Alto Community Archive
Elizabeth F. Gamble Garden*
Environmental Volunteers
EPACENTER ARTS*
Friends of Palo Alto Jr. Museum & Zoo*
Grassroots Ecology
Hidden Villa*
Kids & Art Foundation*
Palo Alto Art Center Foundation
Palo Alto Players
San Francisco Chamber Orchestra
Save the Bay**
Stanford Jazz Workshop
Vida Verde Nature Education
Strengthening Local Communities
AbilityPath*
Ableworks
Ada's Cafe*
AgeUp, Inc.
Avenidas*
Bay Area Friendship Circle
Belle Haven Community Development Fund
Center for Excellence in Nonprofits
Community Legal Services in East Palo Alto (CLSEPA)
East Palo Alto Senior Center, Inc.*
El Concilio of San Mateo County
Fresh Lifelines for Youth (FLY)
Green Envelope Fund
JobTrain
Legal Aid Society of San Mateo County
Loved Twice
Nuestra Casa de East Palo Alto
Ombudsman Services of San Mateo County, Inc.*
Partners & Advocates for Remarkable Children & Adults (PARCA)
Parents Helping Parents
Peninsula Conflict Resolution Center
Peninsula Volunteers Inc. (PVI)
Renaissance Entrepreneurship Center
Silicon Valley Bicycle Exchange
Society of Heart's Delight**
Silicon Valley Council of Nonprofits
The Grateful Garment Project (TGGP)
Thrive Alliance for Nonprofits
Supporting Mental Health and Wellness
Adolescent Counseling Service*
allcove Palo Alto/Alum Rock Counseling Center
CASA of San Mateo County
Children's Health Council*
Counseling and Support Services for Youth (CASSY)*
Fit To The Core Inc.
Free At Last Community Recovery and Rehabilitation Services
Friends For Youth
Jasper Ridge Farm
Kara
Palo Alto University*
Peninsula Kidpower Teenpower Fullpower ('Kidpower')*
San Mateo County Health Foundation
Ravenswood Family Health Network
Vista Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired
YWCA Golden Gate Silicon Valley*
* FY25 Multi-year recipient
** First-time grantee
Note: 2025–2026 multi-year grantees are included in our online current grantee list.
Ways to Partner with PACF
PACF connects local generosity to local impact. Donors choose the giving path that best fits their goals:
- Annual Giving – Fuels yearly unrestricted general support grants to trusted nonprofits in Palo Alto, East Palo Alto, and Menlo Park.
- PACF Endowment – Ensures long-term resources for sustainability; in FY 2026, it stands at $12 million.
- El Palo Alto Legacy Circle – Creates a permanent legacy of generosity through planned gifts that sustain PACF’s mission for generations.
- Events & Community Engagement – Brings neighbors together to learn, celebrate, and invest in local solutions.
When you give through PACF, whether with an annual gift, a legacy commitment, or an endowment contribution, you become part of a movement to ensure Palo Alto, East Palo Alto, and Menlo Park remain strong, vibrant, and resilient. Together, we are strengthening our vibrant community.
“PACF is a trusted institution that's been around for decades, run by exceptionally talented community leaders who have been involved in so many different areas of civic life. As a trusted institution with a depth and breadth of local knowledge and expertise, it's a great way for the community to pool its resources with like minded individuals to tackle the plethora of issues and needs in our community.”