Education Equity in Silicon Valley: Donor Pathways to Impact

Local Needs

Education can provide the foundation for every child to reach their full potential in life. We all benefit from a well-educated, productive populace. Yet here in Silicon Valley—the epicenter of world-changing innovation—our public education system is at once failing too many of our children, while providing others with a world-class education that prepares them for a meaningful career. Statistically speaking, you can predict a Silicon Valley child’s educational opportunity based on their household income, zip code, and the color of their skin.

It doesn’t have to be this way. And it isn’t a zero-sum game. We can provide a high-quality education to EVERY child. Philanthropic dollars can play a catalytic role in making this possible. But would-be donors often find our complex local education system overwhelming. With so many needs, it is hard to know where to begin or whether your dollars will make a difference. Education Equity in Silicon Valley: Donor Pathways to Impact offers donors more clarity and inspiration to spark their giving.

We introduce a simple framework of three broad and intersecting categories to help make sense of the complex landscape: people, programs within systems, and policies.

And to make this brief as actionable as possible, we highlight five levers of intervention within that framework that research tells us offer a particularly significant return on investment:

Teacher & leader talent & development
Family engagement
High-quality early care & education
College access, college success & career readiness supports
Policy, advocacy & organizing across education issue areas

We also feature six local education donors to inspire you: Kathy Kwan, Tammy Crown, Michelle Boyers, Kelly Pope, Shannon Hunt-Scott, and the Castellano Family Foundation.

There are many ways to make a difference in the local education system, at a wide range of investment levels. We hope this brief will help you identify your ideal way to get started.