· Community foundation
The Palo Alto Community Fund
THE PALO ALTO COMMUNITY FUND focuses on the unique needs of our community and channels charitable giving of local donors to effective organizations that improve the quality of life for everyone in palo alto, east palo alto and menlo park.
What it funded, over time
Every grant placed by its stated purpose and the recipient’s mission, by year, FY2017 to 2025.
Where the money goes
Grants by size, and the largest recipients.
How this is measured
By grant size · FY2025
- $10k–50k66 grants · $1.5M
- $50k–250k3 grants · $300k
| Recipient | Amount |
|---|---|
| COMMUNITY LEGAL SERVICES EPA | $100,000 |
| EL CONCILIO OF SAN MATEO COUN | $100,000 |
| NUESTRA CASA DE EAST PALO ALT | $100,000 |
| YOUTH COMMUNITY SERVICE | $40,000 |
| DREAMCATCHERS | $40,000 |
| ELIZABETH F GAMBLE GARDEN | $40,000 |
| EAST PALO ALTO SENIOR CENTER | $40,000 |
| ADAS CAFE | $40,000 |
| EPACENTER | $40,000 |
| CHILDRENS HEALTH COUNCIL | $40,000 |
| FRESH APPROACH | $40,000 |
| EAST PALO ALTO ACADEMY FDN | $40,000 |
| EAST PALO ALTO TENNIS & TUTOR | $40,000 |
| RAVENSWOOD EDUCATION FDN | $40,000 |
| FRIENDS OF PALO ALTO JR M&Z | $40,000 |
Does the money reach high-need areas?
Each grant placed by the hardship in its grantee’s ZIP, against the area’s typical level.
Its human-services grants (FY17–25, $1.1M) land where the poverty rate runs at 8%, against an area that typically sits at 8%. 6% of those dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Its grants skew toward lower-need ZIPs.
How this is measured
How this is measured
Who it funds again
Organizations funded in more than one year, against those funded once.
Grantees it renews have grown median revenue +32% since the first grant, against +7% for those funded once.
118 repeat relationships: 53 still active in FY2025, 65 since wound down; 16 grantees were first funded in FY2025 (too recent to call).
How the two cohorts compare
Organizations
Total granted
Median revenue growth · since first grant
Still filing today
New vs renewed · share of each year
In FY2025, 80% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $365k went to new ones.
Where new relationships form · theme of each grantee’s first grant
How this is measured
Backed again, and grew
- LLIFEMOVES6× · 2017–2025 · $510k · revenue +186%
- RERAVENSWOOD EDUCATION FOUNDATION7× · 2017–2025 · $285k · revenue +212%
- DCDream Catchers Inc7× · 2017–2025 · $195k · revenue +152%
Funded once
- MDMy Digital TAT2 Incone grant, 2024 · $115k · revenue -41%
- SCSOUTH COUNTY COMM HEALTH CENone grant, 2024 · $40k
- SHSECOND HARVEST OF SILICON VALLEYgraduatedone grant, 2020 · $35k · revenue +45%
How this is measured
Repeat means funded in two or more distinct years. Growth and survival are read from each grantee’s own subsequent IRS filings.
Closest unfunded matches
The nonprofits that most resemble its grantees but are not funded by it, scored along the direction from the rest of the field toward the portfolio. A resemblance in what they say they do, not a recommendation.
PPS-SF's mission is to promote the fundamental value of public education and pursue the success of every public school by sharing knowledge, bridging communities, and informing policy.
The California School-Age Consortium (CalSAC) builds professional networks that provide training, leadership development and advocacy to ensure that all young people have access to high quality out-of-school time programs and to create a…
For more than 70 years, East Bay Agency for Children continues to improve the well-being of children, youth and families by reducing the impact of trauma and social inequalities.
Enterprise for youth empowers under-resourced san francisco youths to reach their potential through transformative paid internship experiences supported by a community of employers, caring adults, and peers.
Who we are - silicon valley education foundation (svef) focuses on raising student performance in the critical areas of math and science across all 33 santa clara county school districts, and also adjoining san mateo and alameda counties.…
San Francisco CASA transforms the lives of children and youth traumatized and displaced in the foster care and related systems by providing one consistent, caring volunteer advocate, trained to address each childs needs in the court and…
By advocating for quality early care and education, empowering families with information and financial support, and building the capabilities of educators, Children's Council of San Francisco ensures that every child in San Francisco has…
Unitedly is a nonprofit organization based in San Mateo County, California. Unitedly was established to ensure Asian families and communities have access to equitable opportunities and resources to thrive in the San Francisco Bay Area.
A long-term, strategic alliance of labor, community, faith-based, and student organizations working together to build greater economic power for workers and community members through employee rights at work and access to good jobs,…
Institute for Applied Tinkering IAT develops, practices and shares educational methods that challenge and support all children to engage deeply in their learning via real interests and real tools.
Foodwise grows thriving communities through the power and joy of local food. We envision a world that nourishes all people, local economies, and the living earth.
Support and inspire children's natural curiosity and independence through free play during their out-of-school time.
How this is measured
162 grantees tracked through their own filings, 2017–2025.
Each grant beside the grantee’s revenue from every source, year by year.
How this is measured
Counted here: distinct organizations funded across 2017 to 2025, not grant rows in a single year, so this will not match the grant count on the cover. 162 of the 176 grantees resolved in that span have returns of their own we could reconcile.
Each grantee is resolved to its own IRS returns. Association, dated; never a causal claim.
Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee
Each grantee by its size and the funder’s share of it; top left is load-bearing
Grantee by grantee: a decade per organization, before and after funding
A decade per grantee: revenue shaded, grants as bars, all rows on one timeline.
- Who funds LIFEMOVES ↗
- Who funds Community Legal Services in East Palo Alto Inc ↗
- Who funds RAVENSWOOD EDUCATION FOUNDATION ↗
- Who funds Nuestra Casa de East Palo Alto ↗
- Who funds LIVE IN PEACE ↗
- Who funds Dream Catchers Inc ↗
- Who funds JOBTRAIN INC ↗
- Who funds WEHOPE ↗
- Who funds CHILDREN'S HEALTH COUNCIL INC ↗
- Who funds LOAVES & FISHES FAMILY KITCHEN ↗
- Who funds Upward Scholars ↗
- Who funds South County Community Health Center Inc dba Ravenswood Family Health Center ↗
- Who funds PALO ALTO COMMUNITY CHILD CARE ↗
- Who funds Climate Resilient Communities ↗
- Who funds PENINSULA HEALTHCARE CONNECTION INC ↗
- Who funds ECUMENICAL HUNGER PROGRAM ↗
- Who funds Ada's Cafe ↗
- Who funds KARA ↗
- Who funds CORA Community Overcoming Relationship Abuse ↗
- Who funds HABITAT FOR HUMANITY GREATER SAN FRANCISCO ↗
- Who funds COUNSELING AND SUPPORT SERVICES FOR YOUTH ↗
- Who funds ABILITYPATH ↗
- Who funds EAST PALO ALTO TENNIS & TUTORING ↗
- Who funds PALO ALTO UNIVERSITY INC ↗
- Who funds EAST PALO ALTO ACADEMY FOUNDATION ↗
- Who funds My Digital TAT2 Inc ↗
- Who funds EAST PALO ALTO KIDS FOUNDATION ↗
- Who funds EPACENTER ↗
- Who funds AVENIDAS ↗
- Who funds RAVENSWOOD CLASSROOM PARTNERS ↗
- Who funds KAFENIA PEACE COLLECTIVE ↗
- Who funds PALO ALTO ART CENTER FOUNDATION ↗
- Who funds EL CONCILIO OF SAN MATEO COUNTY ↗
- Who funds FRESH LIFELINES FOR YOUTH INC ↗
- Who funds Legal Aid Society of San Mateo County ↗
- Who funds FOUNDATION FOR A COLLEGE EDUCATION ↗
- Who funds ADOLESCENT COUNSELING SERVICES ↗
- Who funds EAST PALO ALTO SENIOR CENTER ↗
Co-funders
Grantmakers whose grantees overlap with this funder’s far more than size alone predicts. Closer means stronger alignment; arcs show where they also fund each other. Here they form a tightly interlocked group: most of these funders back each other's grantees too.
Open a dossier: Atkinson Foundation · Philanthropic Ventures Foundation · Embarcadero Media Foundation · Sand Hill Foundation · The Sobrato Family Foundation · Los Altos Mountain View Community Foundation · Bothin Foundation · Silicon Valley Community Foundation · The David and Lucile Packard Foundation · Gordon E and Betty I Moore Foundation · Jewish Community Federation of San Francisco the Peninsula Marin & Sonoma · San Jose Mercury News Wish Book Fund Inc
How this is measured
How much its grantees rely on government
Each dot is one organization The Palo Alto Community Fund funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from The Palo Alto Community Fund. Bigger dots raise more.
- City Year Inc: 11% of income from government
How this is measured
Play a game based on Palo Alto’s filings →