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• Foundation At A Glance
• Foundation Staff
• Board of Directors & Board of Advisors
• Advancing Philanthropy
• Support PVF's Work

Sparking innovative ideas, forging collaborations, shaping creative grantmaking

Philanthropic Ventures Foundation, a 501(c)(3) public charity, was founded in 1991 to try new approaches to creative grantmaking and to maximize the impact of the philanthropic dollar. We are proud of our 23 years of responsiveness to the community and our contributions to the philanthropic sector.

During these years, Philanthropic Ventures Foundation has:

• Given more than $98 million to outstanding projects and grassroots organizations in the San Francisco Bay Area and worldwide.
• Launched a model for immediate-response grant programs that serve all sectors of the community, from health and social welfare to education and the arts.
• Put musical instruments, paintbrushes, science kits and classroom resources into the hands of local students through $6 million in Teacher Resource Grants, all delivered in 48 hours.
• Served the critical needs of foster children through $1 million in grants recommended by Juvenile Court judges, social workers and Court-Appointed Special Advocates (CASA).
• Enabled more than 130 charitable initiatives to get started and accomplish their work through PVF’s Designated Fund services.
• Collaborated with 50 Bay Area foundations — including the David & Lucile Packard Foundation, Thomas J. Long Foundation, Flora Family Foundation, Heising Simons Foundation, Westly Foundation, van Loben Sels/Rembe Rock and Y & H Soda Foundation — to set up and administer creative granting programs.
• Helped hundreds of visionary donors to develop and achieve their philanthropic goals through our Donor Venture Fund services.
• Consulted on creative grantmaking at 400 community foundations in the United States, Canada and Europe.
• Developed curriculum and led workshops for nonprofit staff in writing effective proposals and successfully identifying funders.
• Entrusted outstanding nonprofit leaders and school principals with “paperless” discretionary grants to meet the critical needs of those they serve. Through such models, PVF demonstrates and advocates for more responsive, streamlined, effective grantmaking in the philanthropic community.