As the New Year unfolds, we celebrate a fresh start, a renewed spirit, and boundless energy. We also look ahead to change--change in leadership along with a time of transition.

Change can be challenging and exciting at the same time. And we feel the best way to make this transition easier for us all is to share what is being done and and how it is being handled.

With whatever we do, we recall the Mission and Vision of Gilroy Foundation that guides us in our daily efforts.

Our Mission: To establish a legacy of giving, Gilroy Foundation links charitable gifts from donors to the vital needs of the community.

Our Vision: By engaging all aspects of the community, Gilroy Foundation is the recognized leader in connecting resources to community needs.

To our donors, we say "Thank You." You are the reason Gilroy Foundation is able to meet the needs of the community in the specific areas of Health, Education, Recreation, Technology, Culture, and Civic Services.

The Board of Directors of Gilroy Foundation is seeking an Executive Director responsible for the overall operation of the Foundation. The Executive Director is a strong leader who has a knowledge of and is a visible presence in the nonprofit and Foundation community, thinks strategically, and implements Board policies. This leader understands diverse community relations and needs and possesses the fund development skills to grow the organization.

Gilroy Foundation will be accepting applications in February with interviews held in March. If interested, visit the Gilroy Foundation website at gilroyfoundation.org.

Between the time the Early Alert was published on December 15, 2022 and now, a LOT has been accomplished with regard to the search for a new Executive Director to replace Donna Pray, who was Gilroy Foundation's first Executive Director in 1995.

A Transition Committee was formed November 2022 made up of four current Board members, and three Emeritus Board members who met weekly during the month of January. Following the timeline that was established, the Committee is working toward developing a job description in order to publicize the search with the help of a Search Firm. To begin the process, the Committee planned to seek the input of Gilroy Foundation's stakeholders. Focus Groups were formed and invited to share their input online and/or in person.

The seven Focus Groups were comprised of GF Staff members, GF Board of Directors, Emeritus Board members, GF Ambassadors, the Gilroy Foundation Youth Board, Latino Family Fund officers, Fund Donors, Nonprofit Investment Partners, SVCF Alliance Members and Regional Funders, past Grantees, GF Sustaining Sponsors, Gilroy City Government personnel, GUSD Superintendent, principals and classroom teachers, and Youth in Philanthropy (YIP) middle school students, parents and counselors. More than 200 responses were received from the in person meetings and 100+ from the online option! This is a very good representation of Gilroy Foundation's constituency.

NPAG, a search firm was interviewed at length in addition to four other firms, and the final decision to work with NPAG was reached by the Transition Committee. On Saturday, January 28, the Transition Committee met with the Board of Directors in order to find the commonality in all of the responses to begin our work with NPAG. This firm will launch the search, build the pool of applicants, do the background review, and narrow down the pool of applicants in coordination with the Transition Committee. Again demonstrating the ongoing support of Silicon Valley Community Foundation and appreciation for the work of Gilroy Foundation, a generous grant was provided by SVCF to ensure the search was at the highest level.

This is a LOT of information, and a LOT has been accomplished in 6 weeks. Next steps will be forthcoming....stay tuned!

It's that time of the year when high school seniors, their parents, and transfer students start narrowing down their college choices. At Gilroy Foundation, students who have the desire to go to college are one of our top priorities.

Gilroy Foundation has awarded nearly $6 million in scholarships to deserving high school graduates and college students in the Gilroy Area. In 2022, we were pleased to award 95 scholarships totaling $519,550.

For more information on scholarships offered through Gilroy Foundation, please visit:

SILICON VALLEY COMMUNITY FOUNDATION'S RELIEF FUND TO SUPPORT THOSE AFFECTED BY THE MASS SHOOTING IN HALF MOON BAY

To contribute to the SVCF Emergency and Disaster Relief Fund to help those affected by the Half Moon Bay shooting, visit https://www.siliconvalleycf.org/impact/emergency-response/svcf-emergency-disaster-relief-fund

A VERY BUSY JANUARY FOR LFF!        

In spite of all of the accolades that accompany being named Gilroy Chamber of Commerce's 2022 Nonprofit of the Year, LFF Executive Director Jaci Muro and Administrative Assistant Renee Garcia have not slowed down one bit in their effort to raise awareness of the vision of Latino Family Fund's work in the Gilroy Community.

With the assistance of Silicon Valley Community Foundation, regional funders from throughout Silicon Valley were invited to visit Gilroy and tour our downtown, led by youth from Digital Nest and Youth Alliance. Gilroy has already been identified by SVCF as a region with need in many areas--through LFF, we finally have the much-needed attention of Silicon Valley!

A grant application has been submitted to Sobrato Family Foundation along with a Capacity Grant for strategic planning to SVCF by Gilroy Foundation to benefit the work of Latino Family Fund. Plans are underway for another Tour to highlight the needs of this area, and they will be hosting a Chamber Mixer on March 9th.

These are very exciting times for Latino Family fund AND Gilroy Foundation!

Welcome to the newest members of Gilroy Foundation:

Silver Members: Mary Beth and Jeff Anderson, Penny & Robert Dowdy, Christine Flautt, Greg Gordon, Sue & Michael Hawk, Jacob Martinez, Porter Williams, and Shirley Willard.

Gold Members: Judy & Skip Bloom, Renee Filice, Aashish Kolagotla, and Amanda Reedy.

Platinum Members: Donald Vanni.