May 2021: Thanks to our donors generosity, PACF has awarded $150,000 through four 2021 Dave Mitchell Impact Grants, with the goal of helping address three pressing challenges in our community:

• Vaccine Equity
• Extremely Affordable Housing
• Youth Mental Health 

Vaccine Equity: Ravenswood Family Health Network
PACF awarded $50,000 to the Ravenswood Family Health Network (RFHN), in East Palo Alto, to help fund barrier free access to COVID-19 vaccinations. While the vaccines themselves are provided at no cost to RFHN, they receive minimal funding to cover the significant cost of administering the shots.  As of April 5th, 82% of people 16 and older in Atherton were vaccinated compared to only 28% of those 16 and older in East Palo Alto. Ravenswood Family Health Network is running free COVID-19 vaccine clinics, open to those living in the Belle Haven, East Palo Alto and North Fair Oaks communities. 

Extremely Affordable Housing: United Hope Builders
PACF granted $50,000 to United Hope Builders (UHB), an East Palo Alto-based nonprofit organization that creates extremely affordable housing in the Bay Area. PACF’s grant funds the startup costs for a modular housing factory in East Palo Alto – a joint venture with mission-aligned IndieDwell, which has 12 sites nationwide. Modular housing is a nationally-recognized solution to our housing crisis, but there are very few modular home factories in California. The facility will provide high quality jobs with profit-sharing for approximately 100 local residents while offsetting otherwise high costs of transporting modular homes from outside California. UHB works with nontraditional landowners such as faith-based organizations and school districts, to place the units on no- or very low-cost land. 

Youth Mental Health: Children’s Health Council and EPACenter
PACF made a $30,000 grant to the Children’s Health Council (CHC), which has provided comprehensive youth mental health services in our community for more than 65 years. This past year, CHC has experienced an increase of 150 percent in demand for their services. In particular, the organization provides accessible mental health care for low income families, many of whom have been severely affected by the pandemic. CHC meets youth and their families where they are through established community-based programs in East Palo Alto, Belle Haven and North Fair Oaks.

PACF selected EPACenter, a new youth arts center in East Palo Alto, to receive a $20,000 grant to expand their youth art therapy program. EPACenter piloted a trauma-informed therapeutic program with CHC professional art therapists, serving children between ages 6 and 12. The program has a long waiting list and EPACenter will now be able to meet more of increasing demand.

Thank you to our donors
The Palo Alto Community Fund would like to thank our donors, without whom these grants would not be possible.

A short history of the Dave Mitchell Impact Grants
In 2020, the Palo Alto Community Fund (PACF) launched its Dave Mitchell Impact Grant program named in honor of longtime PACF and community leader, Dave Mitchell.  Complementing our more traditional grants, PACF Impact Grants do not require a grant application, but provide substantial general operating support for nonprofit organizations that deliver solutions to critical issues in our community in a way that achieves both immediate impact and longer term systemic change.

PACF invested another $1 million  in 2021 to strengthen our community at this pivotal time. Visit the PACF website for more information on all PACF 2021 Annual Grants, awarded to 70 local nonprofit organizations, PACF’s COVID-19 Relief Fund Grantees, and the 2021 Dave Mitchell Impact Grants.

Trust-based Philanthropy
PACF is honored to stand with our local nonprofit partners. Our grant giving is trust-based, and gives nonprofits flexible funding to allow them to be nimble and responsive to the needs of the community they serve. Smaller, community-based organizations are often the “last mile” in the distribution of a wide range of resources and services, such as food, rent relief, COVID-testing and vaccine delivery. PACF’s 40-plus years of experience working locally and the time we spend understanding and working with nonprofits ensures our grants are impactful and meaningful to our nonprofit partners and our community.