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Philanthropic Ventures Foundation
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September 2012
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progress
a newsletter for our donors and colleagues
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| New Executive Director of PVF
We are very pleased to announce that Philanthropic Ventures Foundation has a new executive director: James Higa. James comes to PVF from Apple Inc., where he was Senior Director in the Office of the CEO working directly for Steve Jobs.
 Since joining the Macintosh team in 1984, James has had a hand in many of Apple's products and services over the years including negotiating the iTunes agreements with the music labels, and launching iTunes University which makes available over 500,000 free lectures from schools such as Stanford, MIT, and the University of Edinburgh. James' penchant for innovation with a global reach relates to his deep concern for improving the lives of poor people locally and globally.
Bill Somerville will stay with PVF as President and CEO. "This is the right change at the right time," states Somerville, "I'm looking forward to working with James who brings to our work the very latest in social innovation."
"I have spent my career endeavoring to think different and change the world through technology," states James Higa. "Now I want to carry on that work at PVF through people and communities." |
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CalFresh
Philanthropic Ventures Foundation is playing a key role in assisting the CalFresh food stamp program in San Mateo County. The county has one of the lowest enrollments of any county in the state (18% of those eligible enroll), not because it is a wealthy county but because poor people are not clear on whether or not to apply and how to do it.
PVF has researched the issue and is moving on a number of initiatives. One of these is a grassroots program with the Parent Involvement Workers who the foundation funds at the middle school in East Palo Alto. The Parent Involvement Workers would now contact parents, help determine eligibility, and help them apply for the program. This means getting the parents over their fears, coming to the school and learning how to fill out the applications, and then having a county social worker come to the school to conduct the required personal interviews. We are very grateful to a PVF donor for funding this project.
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Join Us
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Philanthropic Ventures Foundation has come to depict exciting philanthropy - grassroots giving that is born out of creative thinking. If readers would like to explore new possibilities in their giving, we are ready to meet at your convenience. We believe your giving should be fun, satisfying and significant.
We can be reached at (510) 645-1890.
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About the Editor
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Bill Somerville has been in non-profit and philanthropic work for 50 years. He was the director of a community foundation for 17 years, and in 1991 founded Philanthropic Ventures Foundation where he serves as Chief Executive Officer. PVF is a demonstration foundation practicing unique forms of grantmaking and conducting innovative philanthropy. Bill has consulted at over 400 community foundations in the United States, Canada, and the U.K., on creative grantmaking and foundation operations. His primary interest is in the creative and significant use of the philanthropic dollar.
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Board of Directors
| | Duncan Beardsley, Chair
Director, Generosity in Action
John P. Carver
Retired Senior Vice-President
The Gap Inc.
William E. Green
Attorney
William Green & Associates
James Higa
Executive Director
Philanthropic Ventures Foundation
Albert J. Horn
Attorney
Carr, McClellan, Ingersoll,
Thompson & Horn PC
Bill Somerville, President
CEO
Philanthropic Ventures Foundation
Jackie Speier
U.S. Representative
12th District of California
Moira C. Walsh
Attorney and
Philanthropic Advisor
Colburn S. Wilbur
Trustee and Former President,
David and Lucile Packard Foundation
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Board of Advisors
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Janet Camarena
Director, San Francisco Office,
The Foundation Center
Leonard Edwards
Judge-in-Residence, California Administrative Office of the Courts
Kathy Kwan
Eustace-Kwan Family Foundation
Dien Yuen
Chief Philanthropy Officer,
Give2Asia
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Press Release - James Higa Joins PVF
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James Higa, former Senior Director in the Office of the CEO at Apple Inc., has joined Philanthropic Ventures Foundation as the new Executive Director - marking the first change in leadership since PVF was founded by pioneering philanthropist Bill Somerville in 1991.
Mr. Higa will assume responsibility for Grantmaking and Special Initiatives at the PVF headquarters in Oakland, CA. His initial efforts will focus on the foundation's ability to respond rapidly to urgent needs (often within 24 hours), create imaginative strategies to address...click here to read more
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Philanthropic Ventures Foundation, 1222 Preservation Park Way, Oakland CA 94612-1201
Telephone: (510) 645-1890 Fax: (510) 645-1892
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www.venturesfoundation.org
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