June 2026

Progress Newsletter

By Sheryl Young, PVF San Mateo County Program Director

This June, we're proud to share an update from PVF's San Mateo County Program Director, Sheryl Young, on a truly special evening that captured the heart of what community-driven philanthropy looks like in action.

On a recent evening in Hillsborough, community members, donors, nonprofit leaders, and neighbors gathered together under one roof for the Jackie Speier Foundation's "Love Local" event — a celebration not just of a fundraising milestone, but of what two years of determined, innovative work on behalf of San Mateo County's children and families has made possible. Chaired by Lilli Rey and brought to life by a wonderful team of volunteers, the event raised more than $250,000 to advance the Foundation's mission. More than a fundraiser, it was a reunion of people who believe deeply in their county and in each other.

Jeffrey D. Wohl, Annie Noonan, and Jackie Speier

The theme "Love Local" couldn't have been more fitting. San Mateo County is one of the wealthiest counties in the nation — and yet, as the Jackie Speier Foundation has worked tirelessly to illuminate, too many families there still struggle to afford the basics needed to raise healthy, thriving children. Jackie Speier's guiding vision is as clear as it is ambitious: "My vision is to eliminate child poverty in San Mateo County. We can do this." The Love Local evening was a celebration of how far that vision has already traveled — and a rallying cry for the road ahead.

One of the evening's most anticipated moments was an update from Dr. Ryan Padrez, Medical Director and Clinical Associate Professor of Pediatrics at Stanford University, on the Baby Bonus Program. This three-year pilot — for which the Foundation provided seed funding and helped mobilize more than $12 million — delivers direct financial support and coordinated care resources to families with newborns in San Mateo County. What makes this program especially powerful is its partnership with Stanford University, which is rigorously evaluating the program's long-term outcomes: how financial support and care coordination in a child's earliest days may shape their development, health, and future opportunities. It is exactly the kind of bold, evidence-based initiative that the Love Local community came out to celebrate.

Dr. Ryan Padrez, Medical Director and Clinical Associate Professor of Pediatrics at Stanford University

The evening also shone a light on two landmark reports the Foundation has produced: Hidden in Plain View: Poverty in San Mateo County and Child Care Solutions. Far from sitting on a shelf, these reports have driven real, tangible change — sparking the creation of a countywide Child Care Information Portal, a Tri-Share Child Care Pilot Program, and a Student-Led Diaper Initiative. Attendees heard how research, when rooted in community needs, can be a catalyst for action rather than just documentation. Also recognized was the Foundation's Immediate Response Program, which provides fast and flexible financial assistance to individuals and families facing urgent needs. The program is built on a simple but vital insight: that a small intervention at the right moment can prevent a short-term hardship from becoming a long-term crisis. For families living on the edge, that kind of responsiveness is everything.

Carla Borgana, Chair of the JSF Advisory Board, and Jackie Speier 

Woven through all of it is the Foundation's deep commitment to listening. Over the past two years, the Jackie Speier Foundation has conducted more than 20 listening tours throughout San Mateo County, ensuring that the voices of families most affected by poverty are at the center of every solution. That commitment culminated in a Child Poverty Summit attended by more than 350 participants — nonprofit leaders, educators, policymakers, donors, and community members — all gathered around a shared belief that meaningful progress is possible.

The Love Local event celebrated all of this and looked ahead with hope. In only two years, the Jackie Speier Foundation has built strong partnerships, launched innovative programs, mobilized community leaders, and demonstrated that when people come together around shared solutions, change is not only possible — it's already happening.

Joe Cotchett and Lilli Rey, Chair of Event

Terry Sprague and Jackie Speier

At PVF, we are honored to support this work and deeply grateful to Sheryl Young for her leadership and partnership as our San Mateo County Program Director. And to every donor and community member who filled that room in Hillsborough and said yes to loving local — thank you. This is your progress too.

To learn more about PVF's work in San Mateo County and beyond, visit venturesfoundation.org.

At Philanthropic Ventures Foundation, we are always listening for where support is needed most. When we recently reached out to a generous family about opportunities to strengthen our community, they turned the question back to us, asking where help was needed and graciously offering to provide it. The result has been transformative.

More than 750 families in San Mateo County have benefited from the donor’s extraordinary generosity. Through personal assistance funds distributed across eight trusted nonprofit partners, families facing immediate financial hardship received flexible, timely help when they needed it most.

Assistance ranged widely — from emergency needs like rental assistance, utility payments, and transportation, to smaller but meaningful supports like school backpacks, healthy snacks, children’s books, clothing, rain ponchos, and classroom supplies. Individual grants ranged from approximately $30 for everyday essentials to around $2,000 or more for families facing severe financial hardship.