LatinXCEL Fund is a fund focused on increasing aid targeted specifically at the Latino community in Silicon Valley, California. LatinXCEL Fund is a three-year initiative housed within Silicon Valley Community Foundation (SVCF) and created with help from the Castellano Family Foundation (CFF). The Fund launched in May of 2021, claiming to promote “equity and inclusion” by funding the “leadership opportunities and capacity-building needs” of Latino community-based organizations and Latinos within two counties in California. ¹

“Blueprint for Change” Report

The “Blueprint for Change: A Call to Action for Silicon Valley Philanthropy to Engage and Support Latinx Organizations, Communities and Leaders for the Common Good” report was commissioned by Castellano Family Foundation and Silicon Valley Community Foundation² to evaluate the state of the Latino community in the Silicon Valley area by way of research, community outreach, and executive consultations, all completed over a two-year period. The report states that Latino nonprofit organizations are disproportionately allocated money, therefore, philanthropies in Silicon Valley are called to focus, pledge, and invest more aggressively into Latino-serving and Latino-led organizations. The report calls for Silicon Valley philanthropic leaders to join with the CFF to change how Latino organizations receive money. ³

Funding

With an initial $10 million investment by Castellano Family Foundation and Silicon Valley Community Foundation, LatinXCEL Fund provides money and support to Latino leaders and organizations in San Mateo and Santa Clara counties, which comprise Silicon Valley, California. ⁴

In less than two months, LatinXCEL Fund raised more than $2 million from local philanthropic institutions and private donors, including Applied Materials Foundation, Castellano Family Foundation, Chavez Family Foundation, David and Lucile Packard Foundation, Google.org, and Sunlight Giving. ^{5 6} David and Lucile Packard Foundation allocated $100,000 to be used by SVCF for the LatinXCEL Fund over a 12-month period. ⁷ The Fund has generated support from philanthropies, but plans to focus on gathering funding from the corporate sector and local government. ⁸

Grants and Requirements

LatinXCEL Fund awards grants in rounds of request for proposals (RFPs). The Fund will issue grants to organizations that serve and support the Latino community but will give preference to those organizations that are led by Latinos, all while promoting the support of Latino nonprofits. ⁹ In order to qualify for a grant from LatinXCEL, the organization must meet two of three requirements: have a Latino executive director, the majority of board members are Latino, or the majority of the senior leadership is Latino. The organization must also either have a mission focused on the Latino community or the majority of people the organization serves must be Latino. ¹⁰

Carmela Castellano-Garcia, president of CFF, said that LatinXCEL encourages organizations to not just make grants to Latino organizations, but to make long-term investments in their leaders and communities. She attributes the success of foundations such as CFF and SVCF to the Black Lives Matter Movement. ¹¹

Major Funders

Castellano Family Foundation

Castellano Family Foundation is a left-of-center grantmaking private foundation that heavily supports Latino leaders, organizations, and communities, primarily in the state of California. ¹² The organization was founded in 2002 when Carmen and Al Castellano won a record-breaking state lottery jackpot ticket. ¹³ In 2013, Carmen and Al passed the organization’s leadership on to their children. ¹⁴ Castellano Family Foundation is now led by Carmela Castellano-Garcia as president and her brother, Armando Castellano, as secretary. ¹⁵

Silicon Valley Community Foundation

Silicon Valley Community Foundation is a left-of-center grantmaking organization that tends to operate through donor-advised fund (DAF) accounts. ¹⁶ It claims to be the largest community foundation in the world. ¹⁷ It also manages the California Black Freedom Fund, which complements the LatinXCEL Fund, a five-year $100 million initiative to increase grantmaking for black-led organizations¹⁸ and the Community Catalyst Fund. ¹⁹

1. Blueprint for Change. “Amplifying the Message.” Castellano Family Foundation. Accessed June 22, 2021. https://castellano-ff.org/blueprint-for-change/
2. Ramirez, Martha. “In Silicon Valley, Donors Are Neglecting Latinx Nonprofits. A New Fund Aims to Close the Gap.” Inside Philanthropy. June 3, 2021. Accessed June 22, 2021. https://www.insidephilanthropy.com/home/2021/6/3/in-silicon-valley-donors-are-neglecting-latinx-nonprofits-a-new-fund-aims-to-close-the-gap#:~:text=A%20New%20Fund%20Aims%20to%20Close%20the%20Gap,-June%2003%2C%202021&text=A%202020%20report%20drove%20that,launched%20by%20two%20regional%20funders.
3. Report. “Blueprint for Change: A Call to Action for Silicon Valley Philanthropy to Engage and Support Latinx Organizations, Communities and Leaders for the Common Good.” Castellano Family Foundation. February 2020. Accessed June 22, 2021. https://www.ncfp.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Blueprint-for-Change-A-Call-to-Action-Castellano-FF-2020.pdf
4. Press Release. “Two Silicon Valley Foundations Launch $10 Million Effort to Support Local Latinx Communities.”  Silicon Valley Community Foundation. May 18, 2021. Accessed June 16, 2021. https://www.siliconvalleycf.org/blog/announcements/two-silicon-valley-foundations-launch-10-million-effort-support-local-latinx
5. Press Release. “Two Silicon Valley Foundations Launch $10 Million Effort to Support Local Latinx Communities.” Intrado. May 18, 2021. Accessed June 20, 2021. https://www.globenewswire.com/en/news-release/2021/05/18/2231975/0/en/Two-Silicon-Valley-Foundations-Launch-10-Million-Effort-to-Support-Local-Latinx-Communities.html 0
6. Ramirez, Martha. “In Silicon Valley, Donors Are Neglecting Latinx Nonprofits. A New Fund Aims to Close the Gap.” Inside Philanthropy. June 3, 2021. Accessed June 22, 2021. https://www.insidephilanthropy.com/home/2021/6/3/in-silicon-valley-donors-are-neglecting-latinx-nonprofits-a-new-fund-aims-to-close-the-gap#:~:text=A%20New%20Fund%20Aims%20to%20Close%20the%20Gap,-June%2003%2C%202021&text=A%202020%20report%20drove%20that,launched%20by%20two%20regional%20funders.
7. Grants and Investments. David and Lucile Packard Foundation. 2021. Accessed June 20, 2021. https://www.packard.org/grants-and-investments/grants-database/silicon-valley-community-foundation-21/
8. Ramirez, Martha. “In Silicon Valley, Donors Are Neglecting Latinx Nonprofits. A New Fund Aims to Close the Gap.” Inside Philanthropy. June 3, 2021. Accessed June 22, 2021. https://www.insidephilanthropy.com/home/2021/6/3/in-silicon-valley-donors-are-neglecting-latinx-nonprofits-a-new-fund-aims-to-close-the-gap#:~:text=A%20New%20Fund%20Aims%20to%20Close%20the%20Gap,-June%2003%2C%202021&text=A%202020%20report%20drove%20that,launched%20by%20two%20regional%20funders.
9. Ramirez, Martha. “In Silicon Valley, Donors Are Neglecting Latinx Nonprofits. A New Fund Aims to Close the Gap.” Inside Philanthropy. June 3, 2021. Accessed June 22, 2021. https://www.insidephilanthropy.com/home/2021/6/3/in-silicon-valley-donors-are-neglecting-latinx-nonprofits-a-new-fund-aims-to-close-the-gap#:~:text=A%20New%20Fund%20Aims%20to%20Close%20the%20Gap,-June%2003%2C%202021&text=A%202020%20report%20drove%20that,launched%20by%20two%20regional%20funders.
10. LatinXCEL Fund. Silicon Valley Community Fund. Accessed June 23, 2021. https://www.siliconvalleycf.org/latinxcel-fund
11. Ramirez, Martha. “In Silicon Valley, Donors Are Neglecting Latinx Nonprofits. A New Fund Aims to Close the Gap.” Inside Philanthropy. June 3, 2021. Accessed June 22, 2021. https://www.insidephilanthropy.com/home/2021/6/3/in-silicon-valley-donors-are-neglecting-latinx-nonprofits-a-new-fund-aims-to-close-the-gap#:~:text=A%20New%20Fund%20Aims%20to%20Close%20the%20Gap,-June%2003%2C%202021&text=A%202020%20report%20drove%20that,launched%20by%20two%20regional%20funders.
12. Castellano Family Foundation, Return of Private Foundation Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990-PF), 2018, Part XV, Line 3. Accessed June 17, 2021. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/display_990/912164439/02_2020_prefixes_91-94%2F912164439_201906_990PF_2020021917164055
13. Ramirez, Martha. “In Silicon Valley, Donors Are Neglecting Latinx Nonprofits. A New Fund Aims to Close the Gap.” Inside Philanthropy. June 3, 2021. Accessed June 22, 2021. https://www.insidephilanthropy.com/home/2021/6/3/in-silicon-valley-donors-are-neglecting-latinx-nonprofits-a-new-fund-aims-to-close-the-gap#:~:text=A%20New%20Fund%20Aims%20to%20Close%20the%20Gap,-June%2003%2C%202021&text=A%202020%20report%20drove%20that,launched%20by%20two%20regional%20funders.
14. Report. “Blueprint for Change: A Call to Action for Silicon Valley Philanthropy to Engage and Support Latinx Organizations, Communities and Leaders for the Common Good.” Castellano Family Foundation. February 2020. Accessed June 22, 2021. https://www.ncfp.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Blueprint-for-Change-A-Call-to-Action-Castellano-FF-2020.pdf
15. Report. “Blueprint for Change: A Call to Action for Silicon Valley Philanthropy to Engage and Support Latinx Organizations, Communities and Leaders for the Common Good.” Castellano Family Foundation. February 2020. Accessed June 22, 2021. https://www.ncfp.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Blueprint-for-Change-A-Call-to-Action-Castellano-FF-2020.pdf
16. “About SVCF.” Silicon Valley Community Foundation. Accessed June 23, 2021. https://www.siliconvalleycf.org/about-svcf.
17. LinkedIn. Silicon Valley Community Foundation. Accessed June 20, 2021. https://www.linkedin.com/company/silicon-valley-community-foundation/?originalSubdomain=ve
18. Silicon Valley Community Foundation. Community Foundation Opportunity Network. Accessed June 20, 2021. https://cfon.org/neon/silicon-valley-community-foundation-neon/
19. Mahoney, Jack. “How Can We Build Power Among Silicon Valley Residents Who Don’t Have It?” Silicon Valley Community Foundation. March 4, 2021. Accessed June 23, 2021. https://www.siliconvalleycf.org/blog/announcements/how-can-we-build-power-among-silicon-valley-residents-who-dont-have-it