by Christine Salinas, Manager of Grants and Communications

One cannot overstate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on nonprofits. Balancing significant losses in revenue due to canceled events, with a spike in urgent needs throughout the communities they serve, has put many nonprofits in a financial predicament.

We applaud the Silicon Valley corporations and foundations that are supporting nonprofits like Pivotal during COVID-19. Many wonderful partners such as Acer America, Comerica Bank, Pinpoint Foundation, Leo M. Shortino Family Foundation, Silicon Valley Community Foundation, Sobrato Family Foundation, and Tipping Point Community have generously donated to Pivotal’s Emergency Assistance Fund. With their support, we’ve gotten cash into the hands of youth who need it and continued to deliver support to our scholars. “We had to postpone a couple of major fundraising events and are now in a wait-and-see situation. The tough thing is that with or without those events, our young people continue to depend on us. Donations from corporations and foundations to our Emergency Assistance Fund are critical to helping us continue to meet their needs,” said Melissa Johns, Executive Vice President at Pivotal.

Other funders have generously offered to convert their program-specific awards into general operating support. Silicon Valley-based giant Adobe Systems, who has funded Pivotal since 2018, was the first to provide us with this opportunity. And, foundations are following suit. “As a small family foundation with deep roots in San Jose, we trust that our grantees will use our grant awards in the best way possible. They must be able to continue to serve our community’s most vulnerable populations in this time of great need,” shared Tamara Alvarado, Executive Director of Leo M. Shortino Family Foundation, a long-time Pivotal funder. 

Thank you to all our funders for supporting Pivotal scholars during these uncertain times!