This is the Yearly Thing
Our core portfolio remained steady in 2018. We explored several new areas of focus identified by partners in the community and allocated grant funding to support that work for the next several years. We made grants to support regional efforts to prepare for the 2020 Census so that all communities, particularly those that are hard to reach, are counted accurately. An accurate census count is critical because the population data collected are used to allocate millions of dollars in federal funding to support low-income families in the Bay Area. We also made deeper investments in housing to focus on regional policy and advocacy work. This is particularly exciting given some of the promising opportunities to address the housing crisis around the Bay Area. Our team continued to spend a lot of time in the field with our partners to deepen our understanding of how we can best support families with young children living in poverty. On a slightly different note, our team spent time articulating how the foundation’s work connects more broadly to the work of its sister philanthropic entities in Wildcard Giving: Acton Family Giving and Solidarity Giving.
2018 Grant Data
Grants Paid
317
Unique Grantees
264
Payment Range
$1,000-$500,000
Average Grant Payment
$77,221
Grant Payments
$24,479,150
Payments
Support Type
Program Areas
Grant Term
County
About the Team
board
Brian Acton
Founder & Co-Chair
Ultimate frisbee player, former competitive speed cuber, and #1 Beatles fan. Executive chairman of Signal Foundation and co-founder of WhatsApp. Proud Stanford CS undergrad and engineering leader in Silicon Valley since the 90s. Previously worked at Adobe, Apple, and Yahoo. Brian is the Secretary and Treasurer of Sunlight Giving.
Tegan Acton
Founder & Co-Chair
World traveler, trail hiker, and pinball fanatic. Previously served as the Director of Communications and Strategic Initiatives at Stanford, and has worked at Yahoo and the Sundance Institute. Studied Political Science at UCSB (go Gauchos!) and grew up in sunny San Luis Obispo. Tegan is the President of Sunlight Giving.
staff
Sepi Aghdaee
Program Officer
Adventurous eater, plant enthusiast, and loving dog mom. Previously worked in grantmaking and advisory roles in philanthropy on a wide variety of issues across the Bay Area and beyond at Hirsch Philanthropy Partners, Evelyn and Walter Haas Jr. Fund, and San Francisco Foundation. Sepi focuses on Health Care Access, Food Security and Safe Spaces in Monterey, San Benito, San Mateo, Santa Clara, and Santa Cruz counties.
Cedrick Andrews
Program Director
Breakfast aficionado, cycling enthusiast, and Sunday crossword puzzler. Social sector career involved stints working on economic security, education and youth development, and policy reform at organizations including Single Stop, Meritus, and the Institute for College Access & Success. Cedrick directs Sunlight Giving's strategy and grantmaking, and leads the program team.
Jessica Avendano
Program Officer
KonMari Method follower, HIIT and strength training devotee, and coffee lover. Previous work focused on women’s economic empowerment and governance at the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation and early childhood education at the 4Cs of San Mateo County. Jessica focuses on Family Support, Housing Stability, and Safe Spaces in Alameda, Contra Costa, Merced, San Joaquin and Stanislaus counties.
Vianey Barroso Villa
Office and Administrative Manager
Adventurer, movie enthusiast, and Disney lover. Previously worked as the Business Operations Manager at a TK-8th charter school, where she dedicated her time to optimizing all aspects of school operations and creating an extraordinary learning environment for students. Vianey manages Sunlight Giving's office space, and supports our staff, vendors, and grantee partners.
Kelsey Leuchars
Grants Manager
Dog cuddler, dedicated thrift shopper, and tea aficionado. Previous work has included various operational roles at Reading Partners, a national nonprofit, and the Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles. Kelsey focuses on grants-related administration and management for Sunlight Giving.
Erika Matadamas
Program Officer
Kickboxing enthusiast, book collector, and coffee aficionado. Previous work has included advancement with the Boys & Girls Clubs of Monterey County and grantmaking roles with Pacific Foundation Services and the Community Foundation for Monterey County. Erika focuses on Family Support, Family Opportunity, and Housing Stability in Monterey, San Benito, Santa Cruz, Santa Clara and San Mateo counties.
Erin O'Donohue
Operations Director
Road tripper, cookbook collector, and perpetual student. Previously worked as a lawyer for youth in the foster care and juvenile justice systems; later served in management roles for several nonprofits that support children and families. Erin focuses on operations, human resources, finance, and planning for Sunlight Giving as well as our sister entities, Acton Family Giving and Solidarity Giving.
Example Grantmaking Areas
Stories
Sharing and hearing authentic stories to build connections and reinforce our shared humanity
Animal Connection
Using stories to elevate the human-animal bond and encourage us to broaden our circles of care
Good Fight Grants
Answering calls to fight injustice
Areas of Exploration
Continuing to learn from and further the field of empathy through research, practice, and real-world application
Example Main Initiatives
Empathy Building
Supporting opportunities to reaffirm and strengthen the capacity for empathy
CGRE
The Collaborative for Gender + Reproductive Equity
New Pluralists
A collaborative fostering a culture of pluralism in America
Other Giving
Grants that advance the collective priorities of our initiatives and sister entities, and have connections and meaning to our family and board
