WHY SVMAP?

Silicon Valley is renowned as a hub of innovation, entrepreneurship, and opportunity, boasting one of the largest economies in the world. Standing out as one of the most diverse regions in the word, Silicon Valley is home to a vibrant mix of cultures and communities. Yet, despite these strengths, there remains deeply entrenched racial, social, and economic inequities and injustices - driven by structural, institutional, and individual racism. As these inequities widen, they threaten to erode the foundation of Silicon Valley’s strengths, identity, and prosperity. 

Silicon Valley’s nonprofit sector is not insulated from these realities, as leaders of color often experience additional and more pernicious obstacles than their white colleagues. As outlined in Building Movement Project’s recent report, "Nonprofit Executives and the Racial Leadership Gap: A Race to Lead Brief", as compared to their white counterparts, nonprofit leaders of color are more likely to experience: 

• Inadequate compensation

• Lack of meaningful relationships with funders

• Insufficient investment in their professional development.

• Inheriting smaller organizational budgets 

• Feeling unsupported by their boards 

• limited access to diverse funding sources.

These inequities are a result of both implicit and explicit biases within the nonprofit sector. This has caused a racial leadership gap in Silicon Valley’s nonprofits. To address these challenges, leaders of color must build their individual, organizational, and collective power. Through SVMAP’s focus on transformative relationship building and partnerships, leadership development, and individualized professional development and investment, leaders of color can begin to build healthier, more sustainable organizations, leading to a more equitable and effective nonprofit sector.

Created by and for BIPOC leaders, we are committed to advancing equity by cultivating an environment that fosters diversity, equity, and inclusion. We will:

We will drive a racial justice movement ecosystem. Nonprofit BIPOC leaders will be catalyzed to be their authentic selves, dream big and bold, and dismantle systemic oppression barriers. BIPOC leaders are the driving force in creating and promoting equal opportunities for every child, family, and community.

OUR APPROACH

Meet Our Class 2 SVMAP Fellows

Dr. Ana Angel Avendaño

El Concilio of San Mateo

*Not pictured: Kaytie Brissenden-Smith (All Five)

Reflecting on PCRC’s core value in uplifting and elevating the voices that have been historically marginalized, 18 diverse executive directors of color across ethnicity, gender, geography, issue sectors, generations, and tenure, participated in SV MAP Class 1 – a comprehensive two- and a half-year fellowship.

THANK YOU TO OUR KEY STRATEGIC PARTNERS!

For more information contact: