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This is the Yearly Thing

This year, we regularly heard from grantee partners about the urgent housing crisis, especially the growing displacement of families who are priced out of their homes and communities. Many communities are seeing rapid growth in requests for services, particularly across Santa Cruz and Monterey counties and the San Joaquin Valley, all places where wages tend to be lower amid an escalating cost of living for families. In spite of serious threats such as public charge and changing eligibility for benefits, grantee partners have provided critical services to families around the region. In addition to our core portfolio, we made several grants to emerging and exciting work in the San Joaquin Valley that focuses on strengthening the capacity of local organizations. The strong leadership and investment by local funders in that region has been inspiring; we are excited to participate and learn. We also continued to fund efforts to ensure a fair and accurate count for the 2020 Census and have sustained our housing advocacy grantmaking at the state and local levels. In the coming year, we will explore how to more fully incorporate community voice to ensure that those most affected by poverty and policies are at the center of the work.

2019 Grant Data

Grants Paid
308

Unique Grantees
274

Payment Range
$7,500 - $500,000

Average Grant Payment
$74,266

Grant Payments
$22,874,000

Payments

Support Type
Program Areas
Grant Term
County

About the Team

board

Brian Acton Photo
Brian as a kid
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 Photo
Tegan as a kid
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 Photo
Sepi as a Child
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 Photo
Cedrick as a kid
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 Photo
Jessica as a kid
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 Photo
Kelsey as a kid
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
Erika Kiddo
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 Photo
Erin as a kid
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.