All Blog Posts (18)

SV2 Partner Alexa Culwell recently wrote this interesting blog post in the Stanford Social Innovation Review: Local Resources for Local…

I recently interviewed Jered Lawson, Executive Director and Co-Founder of Pie Ranch about some of the innovative projects he's working on right now.

Q: Tell us about some of the more unusual visitors you’ve had recently at Pie Ranch.

A: We are developing a great relationship with Google,…

There are so many great organizations working on so many praiseworthy and necessary causes -- I wish SV2 could fund all of them. However, we have limited resources, and as Partners, we want to make sure those resources are used efficiently and effectively. A good due diligence process is key to reaching these goals.



This process is particularly difficult in SV2's International Grantmaking Group, where we do not restrict funding based on the nonprofit's issue area or…

I had the pleasure of speaking with Josh Nesbit, Executive Director of SV2 Grantee Medic Mobile:

Q: What have been the recent highlights for Medic Mobile?

A: The last few days have been very exciting. President Clinton announced our projects in Liberia and Kenya during the…

I hate to admit it, but there was a time in my life when I threw plastic bottles away in the garbage.  While there probably was no recycling bin available, I’m sure the main reason I did it was because I didn't know any better. But, once I knew better, I did better. Now, I minimize buying anything in plastic and recycle every part I can.

Education—the process of acquiring knowledge—is the first step to establishing good habits. Whether the information comes from a teacher at school or…

Jeff Edmonson, CEO of Strive, defines some key differences between the standard definition of collaboration between people and entities and the new model of collective impact. He posits that discipline is the primary differentiator.  One example of discipline is using data to continuously narrow the focus and  target investments/resources/people on areas where data shows specific actions to be really working.…

This year SV2 has added Health as a new focus area. This is a topic with outstanding potential for impact, but what really draws me in is the “startup” mode of this grant round. There’s no momentum from previous grant rounds, no history of research, and no potential Grantees that just missed out during the last round. We're very much at the fuzzy front end of the brain-storming process. We have a clean canvas to work with, and the creative process can go in any direction at this point.…

WOW! What a great group of knowledgeable experts in the Blended Learning (BL) panel on Tuesday! We are at the beginning of this BL wave (and our experts agreed that blended learning IS NOT a fad). Gisele Huff (of Innosight Institute) likened the infancy of BL today as analogous to the early days of the Sony transistor radio. Boy, have we moved lightyears from that! (radio+phone+GPS+wallet+movie/music player+HD…

I had the pleasure of interviewing a current SV2 Grantee - Alex Bernadotte, Executive Director of Beyond 12:

Q: What motivates you to do Beyond 12's work of helping first-generation college students succeed in college?

A: Only 9% of students from low-income families complete a…

Recently SV2 Partners had the opportunity to observe blended learning in action at two charter schools in San Jose CA.  The latest trend in using technology in schools, blended learning combines online lessons with traditional teacher instruction.  Advocates of this approach use computers to individualize instruction so that each student can master content and skills at his or her own pace.

As our tours demonstrated, there is no one way to integrate blended learning in a school.  At…

A few days ago I had the opportunity, along with several other SV2 Partners, to meet with three amazing Executive Directors at the Boys and Girls Clubhouse in East Palo Alto. They included the Boys and Girls Club, East Palo Alto Tennis and Tutoring, and Citizens Schools. I was impressed to see all the programs the Boys and Girls Club offers - tutoring, computer instruction, a "college track" program for high schoolers, field trips to hear interesting, engaging speakers, and even a "music…

I had the pleasure of interviewing a past SV2 Grantee - Janet Knipe, Executive Director of National Foster Youth Action Network: 

Q: What impact has SV2 had on the National Youth Foster Action Network?

A: The Action Network was only an idea in my…

I was so honored to receive this year's Laura Arrillaga-Andreessen SV2 Social Impact Award at the Annual Meeting. I've been involved with SV2 since it was founded in 1998, and the SV2 partnership has been a priceless community for me and my family. In addition, the structure of SV2 has impacted my philanthropy in two key ways.

First, participating in the grant rounds has profoundly changed my outlook on group philanthropy. I was heavily involved with the Education grant round in 2009…

We had a record 175 Partners, Grantees, and friends join us at our Fourteenth Annual Meeting earlier this month. The enthusiasm in the room was palpable and an incredible launch to SV2’s 2012-13 year ahead. 

Our Grantee speakers were truly inspiring. If you didn't get to see their speeches, I encourage you to check out the films.

My special congratulations to SV2 Founding Partner and Board Member,…

We are very pleased to share our new Annual Report for FY11-12. Please read this report and share it…

Welcome to our new SV2 blog! We welcome your comments and suggestions!

I know it isn’t January, but since the SV2 “year” kicks off in September, it’s time for New Year’s Resolutions! What’s your Philanthropic New Year’s resolution? What would cause you to grow as a philanthropist this year? How can you leverage all of your resources (including your time and expertise) to better the world? Here are some ideas to get you…