More Than Grantmaking
Pay It Forward
Off The Grid
At PVF, we believe philanthropy is more than just dollars.  We believe in being as helpful as we can in all the ways that we can. We invest our advice, experience and time to emerging leaders and fresh ideas without expecting anything in return.

We met Dan Hill and Michelle Rittenhouse back in May of 2018. They were all-star Airbnb employees with an undeniable track record of success. But they wanted to do more. They dreamed about leaving their established careers to build a new kind of platform for their peers who have the desire, but don't know how to get started on their philanthropic journeys. 

We offered counsel and advice not just about the non-profit world, but also on their product design, how to launch a startup and founder leadership.

Fast forward to a year later, ALMA has grown  dramatically to 6,800 members and distributed over $600K in grants to more than 78 non-profits. Their success rests on clear product vision, crisp execution and mature leadership. 

Contributing to these key success factors are just as important as the philanthropic dollars and PVF is privileged to work with leaders like Dan and Michelle and pay forward and be at the forefront of the ever evolving philanthropic ecosystem. 

It also embodies the PVF 'radical 
collaboration' approach to philanthropy. You don't often see VC's, non-profits, impact startups, advocacy groups, and foundations gathered around the same table in an open peer discussion about how best to take the next concrete steps. 
Philanthropic Ventures Foundation doesn't just do grantmaking. Behind the scenes we do a considerable amount of bringing people together and as a result, some significant things happen.

We come up with ideas for programs, like the two philanthropic fellowships at Stanford University: the Sand Hill Fellowship and the Tom Ford Fellowship. The Sand Hill Fellowship is for nine weeks during the summer and places five students with Bay Area foundations full-time, with a $6,500 stipend for each student. The Tom Ford Fellowship is full-time for 11 months and has a $35,000 stipend. 

Over 140 students have participated in these programs, which were designed to bring more young people into the philanthropic field and to date 10 students are working full-time in philanthropy.

The student fellows get a full-rich experience in philanthropy and, in some cases, international travel is involved. 

"Engaging in philanthropy has introduced me to the nonprofit sector in a way that I could not have obtained in other places. It's given me a nuanced perspective about different approaches to social change and how movements are built or sustained. It's been such an extraordinary opportunity to work on the issues I care about and I wouldn't trade this experience for anything else." 
- Hannah Meropol, Ford Fellow at the Ford Foundation

The entire program is now sponsored and staffed by the Haas Center for Public Service and has been funded by the Sand Hill Foundation for the last 18 years.
- James Higa, Executive Director
- Bill Somerville, Founder
Beyond #MeToo

The end of 2018 saw the rise of the  #MeToo  movement and PVF actively made many grants to new organizations in this space. But now, the movement is entering its   'now  what' phase. I recently attended a   'get  things done' anti-harassment policy design workshop for the venture capital community hosted by  The Purple Campaign  in partnership with  #MovingForward . 

The day focused on practical steps for VC firms to create more diverse and inclusive workplaces. How to extend corporate harassment policies to third parties as an example. These policies have historically only protected employees. VC firms however interact day in and day out with large numbers of outside third parties like founders pitching for an investment, consultants, and advisers who are not directly protected as they are not employees of the firm. Best practices examples of what should be encapsulated in a gold standard harassment policy were shared as well as how to train and support the people within firms who have been designated as a reporting representative.

These are all examples of the practical building that happens next. It was reassuring to see many of the VC firms from the Bay Area in attendance. It was also heartening to see vanguard organizations of the movement like  Callisto  and  Better Brave  that count PVF as their earliest funder. PVF was right there with them at the beginning of this movement, driven by our animating spirit of   'find  them, and fund them'. 
About the Editors
James Higa
James Higa, Executive Director, brings 28 years of executive experience from Silicon Valley, working with Steve Jobs to change the face of technology. He was at the birth of the personal computer revolution as a member of the original Macintosh team and was deeply involved in the creation of many products and services at Apple over 3 decades. He has a long history of public service as a board member of Stanford's Haas Center and in grassroots relief efforts.
Bill Somerville, Founder, has been in non-profit and philanthropic work for over 50 years. He was the director of a community foundation for 17 years, and in 1991 founded Philanthropic Ventures Foundation where he serves as President. Bill has consulted at over 400 community foundations, on creative grantmaking and foundation operations. Bill is the author of  Grassroots Philanthropy: Field Notes of a Maverick Grantmaker. 
About PVF
PVF is a demonstration foundation practicing unique forms of grantmaking and innovative philanthropy. Our primary interest is in the creative and significant use of the philanthropic dollar.
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