"Our 'formal' mission is: "The Gilroy Foundation invests charitable gifts into a lasting legacy, serving the vital needs of the Gilroy Community." However, in more reader-friendly terms, I would say that the Foundation has, and will continue to, put together a "community savings account" that will last for generations to come. Interest earned from these invested funds are granted to local nonprofits each year to help with their work in our community."

2. How long has it been in

existence and who runs it?

"Triggered by Proposition 13, the Foundation was conceived by Bill Ayer, the city's former Parks and Recreation Director, who was concerned about the city's ability to continue programs so vital to its residents. In 1980 he gathered a group of concerned citizens who were also concerned about funding cuts. Fenton O'Connell, a local cattleman and philanthropist, helped with a donation of $25,000 and challenged the community to match this amount. The community rallied and the Foundation had a great start. It is run by a Board of 15 local residents who meet monthly.

In 1995, the Board created the position of Executive Director and opened an office after years of relying on volunteers and borrowed space. There is a group of 30 Advisors to the Board that assist in areas from fundraising to grantmaking. The Foundation has a general endowment fund where donations are invested; however, we offer families and individuals the ability to start their own named funds."

3. What are the the most significant events which have impacted the

foundation in the last five years?

"In 1998, the Foundation had an endowment of $280,000, made up of our General Fund and five small separate family funds.

Then, Dale and Ruth Connell came to us and asked our assistance in helping them to improve the elementary music program in the school district. The made us a donation of $50,000. At the time, the Packard Foundation was doing some grant-matching in the area of the arts in Santa Clara County, so the Connell Fund went from $50,000 to $100,000 immediately.

With that surge of energy, the Board set their sights on a $1 million endowment - possibly by the millennium! It was a slow but steady road, and in November 2004, the endowment rose to just over $1 million from gifts and investments, and we now had 29 separate funds.

The past year and a half have been very exciting, with the addition of 10 more separate funds, and our assets as of July 2006 were just over $3.6 million.

Then, Dale and Ruth come to us again, wanting to see even more improvement in music for elementary students in Gilroy - this time, they wanted to focus on voice training. With a gift of $1,000,000, we established the Connell Family GUSD Music Fund. The Connells have asked the school district to use the annual gift of $50,000 to $60,000 from this fund to focus on kindergarten through fifth grade choir and voice training."

4. Can you list the organization's short- and long-term goals?

"In the next few years, the Foundation is focusing on implementation of the Connell's gift, along with the completion of the Gilroy Center for the Arts Fund. This Fund now stands at $800,000, but has a goal of $3 million by the time the center is completed.

The Board has spent the past several months developing a Strategic Plan for the next 5 to 10 years. Their goal is to build our community savings account to $10 million by the end of 2011."

5. Share two specific examples of community benefit?

"The Foundation gives grants and serves the community in the areas of Health, Recreation, Education, Arts & Culture and Civic Services. Over the past 26 years, the Foundation has given grants of more than $600,000 to local nonprofits from the investment return of the endowment and proceeds from our annual fundraiser, A Day in the Country.

In addition, we act as the "fiscal sponsor" for other nonprofits. For example, St. Joseph's Family Center received a large bequest, and we are holding it for them, helping it grow through our investment vehicles, until their Board finalizes their plan for it's use."

6. What are some ways community members can get involved?

"In 1988, the Board of Directors wanted the community to be more aware of the Foundation and it's value to Gilroy. They decided to have an annual event that the community could attend, and in their participation, would help with our growth and grantmaking. The first "A Day in the Country", an afternoon of wine tasting, silent and live auctions, and a gourmet al fresco picnic generated a net $20,000 to add to our grantmaking that year.

We also have a wine and wine cooler booth at the Garlic Festival each year. This past year, with the help of our new Sangria product, our net profit was over $13,000.

Last year, we started a 'Membership Campaign' in honor of our 25th year. Membership levels start at $100 and go to $1,000 a year. And, of course, all membership donations go into our General Fund.

Of course, our most important way to help community members get involved, is to assist them with their philanthropic goals. If a family or individual wants to "give back" to this great community, we can help with that. Rather than start their own private foundation, with its costs and regulations, they can open a "donor advised fund" with us. They start by either writing us a tax-deductible check or signing over stocks or real estate to us, then they decide annually where their 5 percent gift from that donation will go. We do all the paperwork and reporting. And, as their fund grows through additional gifts and/or investment return, that 5 percent grant each year also continues to grow.

Although separate named funds have a minimum deposit of $10,000, hundreds of donations have been received over the years in the form of memorial and "in honor of" gifts - ranging from $25 to $1,000. These gifts are placed in our General Fund, which serves all focus areas in the annual grantmaking program."

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