“The Palo Alto Community Fund strives to foster an equitable, healthy, and sustainable community where all residents have access to basic needs, opportunities, pathways for shared prosperity, and full participation in determining our collective future. Our 2024 grants—made possible entirely by our generous donors—provide critical momentum. The more we collaborate, the more we can invest in the future, respond to the moment, and close the gaps together.”
— Lisa Van Dusen, Executive Director
The Palo Alto Community Fund (PACF) proudly announces its 2024 grants totaling $1.725 million to 71 local organizations.
Thank you to the hundreds of donors from our community who make our grants possible. This year’s substantial investment in our nonprofit ecosystem amplifies the ability of these organizations to improve the lives of all those living in Palo Alto, East Palo Alto, and Menlo Park. For a full list of grantees, see below.
2024 Trends
Addressing affordable housing, increasing mental health resources, especially for our youth, and supporting marginalized populations for our community as a whole remain major concerns.
In fact, affordable housing and providing a living wage remain a serious challenge, even for the people working for local nonprofits.
On the positive side, we’ve seen a significant increase in nonprofits collaborating with each other to address these critical issues, resulting in innovative and meaningful solutions.
3 Impact Grants totaling $300,000
PACF’s Dave Mitchell Impact Grants provide larger, unsolicited, general operating support to nonprofit organizations that deliver transformative solutions to critical issues in our community in a way that works toward both immediate impact and longer-term systemic change. This year, our Impact Grantees stand out for their commitment to collaboration and putting those they serve at the center of their work.
Empowering People with Developmental Disabilities
AbilityPath: $100,000 for their support services that span a lifetime for children, adults, and seniors with developmental disabilities and for their families. AbilityPath is a leading example of how to lift up and support this underserved population by creating a campus that integrates classrooms, community event spaces, a commercial kitchen, and a trailblazing art studio and gallery space.
Producing and Preserving Sustainable Housing
Habitat for Humanity Greater San Francisco: $100,000 for their work in East Palo Alto, Belle Haven, and Menlo Park. Habitat for Humanity focuses on building new homes for low-income residents (including financing), housing preservation through major home repairs, helping residents to remain in their homes, and partnering with other nonprofits in our community to provide vital housing work.
Fostering Youth Mental Health
My Digital TAT2: $100,000 for their work leading a one-a-kind, youth-informed, data-driven approach to support 3rd-12th graders in navigating the online world. My Digital TAT2 partners with schools and healthcare providers to educate children and teenagers about ethical online behavior and to help the adults in their lives better understand the effects of the online world on youth. Their work helps to prevent mental health crises and avoid negative emotions and ideations, resulting in happier, healthier young people.
71 Annual Grants totaling $1,400,000
PACF has awarded 71 annual grants—of which 29 are multi-year. Each donation to PACF is amplified by the interdependence and interconnectedness of PACF’s whole portfolio of nonprofit partners. These grants reflect our ongoing commitment to improving lives and empowering communities.
Six of our 2024 grantees are new to PACF.
29 Multi-Year Grants
PACF introduced multi-year grants in 2022 to provide nonprofit organizations with secure funding for a two-year period.
3 Executive Director Grants
PACF’s Cammie Vail Executive Director Grants began in 2022 and are unsolicited awards that respond to emergencies, recognize exceptional nonprofit leadership, and support program innovation.
Introducing the 2024 PACF Grantees
View this list and learn about each grantee here.
Affordable Housing
East Palo Alto Council of Tenants Education Fund
Habitat for Humanity Greater San Francisco*
HIP Housing (Human Investment Project, Inc.)
Menlo Together
Arts & Culture
East Palo Alto Community Archive
Museum of American Heritage
Palo Alto Art Center Foundation
Quinteto Latino
Stanford Jazz Workshop
Athletics & Fitness
EPA Peninsula Rugby Football Club (Razorhawks)
Rich May Foundation
Children & Youth Beyond the Classroom
Boys & Girls Clubs of the Peninsula
Camp Kesem at Stanford
Cooline Team of East Palo Alto
EPACENTER
Family Connections
Foundation for a College Education
Fresh Lifelines for Youth
Learning Home Volunteers
Live In Peace, Inc.
Palo Alto Community Child Care (PACCC)
Peninsula Bridge
RISE (Reaching and Inspiring Success through Education)
StreetCode Academy
The Circuit EPA
YMCA of Silicon Valley/Lewis and Joan Platt East Palo Alto Family YMCA
Climate Action & Justice
Canopy
Climate Resilient Communities
Palo Alto Transportation Management Association
Community Building
Belle Haven Community Development Fund
Nuestra Casa de East Palo Alto
Economic Empowerment
Good Karma Bikes
The Institute for Families and Nannies
Women and Allies (WANDA)
Education – School Based
Achieve Kids
All Five
East Palo Alto Kids Foundation
Eastside College Preparatory School
Environmental Volunteers
Palo Alto Junior Museum and Zoo, Friends of the
Music in the Schools Foundation
Ravenswood Classroom Partners
Rosalie Rendu Center
St. Elizabeth Seton School
Emergency Assistance
Christmas Bureau of Palo Alto
Loved Twice
The Grateful Garment Project
Environment
Vida Verde Nature Education
Food Security & Nutrition
Ecumenical Hunger Program
Fresh Approach
Loaves & Fishes Family Kitchen
Onyxx Village Connection
Health Care
San Mateo County Health Foundation
Ravenswood Family Health Network
Vista Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired
Higher Education
Rise Together Education
Services for the Unhoused
Heart and Home Collaborative
Peninsula Healthcare Connection
WeHOPE
Legal Services
Catholic Charities CYO of the Archdiocese of San Francisco
Elevate Community Center
Legal Aid Society of San Mateo County
Mental Health
CASA of San Mateo County
Friends for Youth
KARA
My Digital TAT2*
Peninsula Kidpower Teenpower Fullpower
Racial Equity
Center for Excellence in Nonprofits (CEN)
Fit to the Core
Special Needs
AbilityPath*
Partners & Advocate for Remarkable Children & Adults (PARCA)
*2024 PACF Dave Mitchell Impact Grantee
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April 25, 2024