Give. Grant. Grow.

2024 Newsletter

March 20, 2024

Welcome to the latest edition of our newsletter! We’re thrilled to share updates, stories, and opportunities that highlight the impactful work being done in our community. From new fund announcements to sharing our 2023 impact report, we aim to keep you informed and inspired. Through the power of giving, granting, and growing, we’re building a stronger and more vibrant region for all. Thank you for being an important part of our community.

What's New at 3VCF?

Welcome Kim Damiani

We are thrilled to announce the newest addition to our 3VCF board, Kim Damiani. Kim brings a wealth of leadership and financial expertise garnered from her various roles. Notably, she served as both Board Chair and Treasurer for the Pleasanton Chamber of Commerce, where she played a key role in fostering community growth and economic development. Kim’s commitment to empowering the next generation of leaders was evident through her founding role in the Pleasanton Young Professionals. To date, she serves as a board member for both the Pleasanton Chamber Foundation and the Summit Financial Foundation. A graduate of Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, Kim joined Summit Financial Group in 2018 as a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™, leveraging over a decade of experience in the financial services sector. Being a Bay Area native, she is dedicated to giving back to her local region. Please join us in welcoming Kim as she brings her expertise and dedication to the 3VCF mission!

Unveiling Our Professional Advisors Network

Our new Professional Advisors Network (PAN), chaired by Kim Damiani, is actively forming with the aim of offering support and solutions that help professional advisors provide quality service to their clients – by linking those clients to effective and often unique charitable options. Community Foundations nationwide have established strong partnerships with key investment and financial leaders within their geographical area. Our professional advisors will participate in ongoing, hosted “lunch and learn” meetings focused on key economic and philanthropic topics, trends, policies and legislation.

At 3VCF, we value our relationships with financial, legal, accounting and investment professionals in the greater Tri-Valley region, recognizing their role as trusted sources of information for individuals and community members in their personal estate and investment decisions. Our organization is absolutely committed to trust, transparency and a Tri-Valley focus in all funds and investment opportunities. PAN’s focus is to simplify giving and ensure our Three Valleys region offers a range of flexible, personalized services informed by 3VCF’s understanding of local needs, programs, and charitable causes.

Coming Soon - In Our Backyard Series!

We are committed to educating members of our Foundation family and community about issues in our region. To fulfill this commitment, 3VCF is hosting an In Our Backyard series, designed to provide interactive and thematic forums for our donors to engage in direct dialogue with local nonprofits about the important work being done in our community.

In Our Backyard seeks to build a bridge between local nonprofits and current and prospective individual and corporate donors. During each invitation-only reception, we will focus on different community causes, such as foster youth, the arts, senior services, early literacy, or our local environment and sustainability. Our kick-off event in this series will have a focus on foster youth and underserved children in our region, supporting the efforts of Project HOPE.

Our donor education series will provide a platform for nonprofit agencies to present and provide data about their work so that donors are empowered and informed about the important issues in our community and where and how they can contribute to make a positive difference and transformative impact. Together, we are connecting local donors to local needs – and encouraging collaboration among nonprofits working in the same space. Stay tuned for further details, dates and focus areas!

Give Today, Grant Tomorrow, Grow Our Future

Are You Up for the Challenge?

Our 2024 Power of Collaboration Corporate Challenge Campaign – a special challenge for corporations and businesses in our region to support local needs via 3VCF’s Community Impact Grants. Last year’s campaign awarded over $138,000, providing direct support to 13 community-based organizations and nonprofits in our region with a focus on mental health and wellness. This campaign has the transformational power to reinvest local corporate funding back into our region to target key community issues. As your philanthropic geographic anchor, our commitment to you and our Three Valleys is unwavering— our 2024 competitive grantmaking will continue to build upon our prior focus on mental health and overall wellness, as well as take us in new, exciting directions, as we also distribute funds to nonprofits working on causes related to the environment and sustainability.

Thanks to a generous lead gift, we have launched the Give, Grant & Grow Green Fund. Individuals and Corporate Challenge donors are invited and encouraged to augment this fund. Contributions will be distributed to nonprofits working to address local environmental education, issues and opportunities.

A special thank you to John Muir Health for spearheading our 2024 Corporate Challenge with a generous commitment of $30,000 and to Jean King for kicking off our Give, Grant & Grow Green Fund! Pledging today will directly support community initiatives central to the vitality of our region and supplement many of the individual commitments made by local donors in our region who are interested in giving, granting, and growing our community. As highlighted during our State of Giving Gathering in November 2023, 104 grantmakers are headquartered in our region, awarding $22 Million in grants. However, only 42 of these grantmakers directed grants locally, totaling $11.8 Million in 2022.1 We are dedicated to implementing strategies that will bolster this figure. Through the Corporate Challenge, we can collaborate to strengthen our overall impact on the region.

¹ CANDID/Foundation Directory Online, November 2023

Thank You 2023 Corporate Challenge Sponsors!

Local Funds for Local Causes

Stories From Pleasanton’s Past: Powering the Future Fund:
In March 2024, 3VCF and Donna Kamp McMillion, visionary behind the writing and publishing of Cruising Down Memory Lane: Stories of Pleasanton in the 50’s, presented a $10,000 check via the Stories from Pleasanton’s Past: Powering the Future Fund to Amador Valley High School’s AV/Journalism Program to provide funds to assist with printing its student newspaper and buying much-needed equipment, such as cameras. Read more »

KKIQ Stuff the Buss for Toy for Tots:
During the 2023 Holiday Season, Three Valleys Community Foundation proudly sponsored the KKIQ Stuff the Bus for Toys for Tots Fund to directly support the Livermore-Pleasanton Firefighters Foundation Holiday Toy Drive. Thank you to everyone who contributed to this worthy cause to benefit children in our community! Read more »

Nonprofit Spotlight

In December 2023, 3VCF staff, board, and advisors, visited Open Heart Kitchen’s new Food Pantry Warehouse to learn more about their mission-driven work, opportunities to volunteer, and direct services to our community. By participating in periodic tours and “field trips” to nonprofit sites, 3VCF leaders become more immersed in our community, experience firsthand the work being done by our nonprofits, and are able to elevate their impact via our communications. We encourage our local nonprofits to join our growing nonprofit directory and submit their upcoming events on our Nonprofit Events Calendar.
View the Field Trip Photo Album »

3VCF in the Community

Danville Area Chamber of Commerce hosted a Sharing the Spirit Luncheon

Sharing the Spirit, was a community giving luncheon to celebrate local champions and the great work they do to help the community thrive in the greater Danville Area and San Ramon Valley. Highlights of the event included the launch of their Women’s Enterprise Initiative and the awarding of their very first grants under the Youth Mental Health Outreach Initiative. Nonprofit grant recipients included the Discovery Counseling Center of the San Ramon Valley, Teen Esteem+, and the National Coalition Against Prescription Drug Abuse.

These initiatives are being offered in partnership with 3VCF, which serves as the fiscal agent for the Danville Area Chamber of Commerce Fund and their field of interest fund, the Danville Area Chamber’s Youth Mental Health Outreach Initiative.

2024 Make a Diffrence Day

3VCF joined the 2024 Make a Difference Day, a nonprofit fair at the Pleasanton Senior Center. We had the opportunity to connect and stay engaged with local organizations. Thanks to everyone who stopped by and said hello. A special thank you to Jeanette for overseeing our booth!

2023 Community IMpact Report

It is an honor to highlight our philanthropic journey in this inaugural report and showcase our impact since our founding. Thank you for igniting the power and promise of philanthropy.