Nivisha Mehta, Silicon Valley Philanthropy Day Chair, joined by Silicon Valley Community Foundation’s Emmett Carson and ZER01’s Joel Slayton, presents the Outstanding Foundation Grant Maker Award to Trabian Shorters and Judith Kleinberg of the Knight Foundation

Knight Foundation recently won the Silicon Valley Community Foundation’s “Outstanding Foundation Grant Maker Award” from the Association of Fundraising Professionals Silicon Valley Chapter.

Knight Program Director Judith Kleinberg accepted the award during a luncheon on Silicon Valley’s Philanthropy Day. The community event pays tribute to local leaders that “exemplify philanthropic excellence.”

Knight Foundation’s grantmaking in San Jose/Silicon Valley focuses on arts and culture and creating a sense of place and vitality for the community. It also leverages the power of technology and supports digital and media literacy training to help residents in becoming more informed and engaged in important issues.

The Palo Alto Online covered the event, quoting Kleinberg, who thanked her predecessors and said that “she sees herself as a team member.”

The following are examples of Knight supported projects in the San Jose/Silicon Valley community:

• Symphony San Jose: producing Random Acts of Culture that bring artists out of the performance halls and into everyday lives.
• Silicon Valley Community Foundation: launching two regional initiatives, Census 2010 which led to the development of an online cellphone and media campaign to reach historically undercounted Latino and Asian young adults, which ultimately increased participation by over 12%, and Envision Bay Area, a Knight Community Information Challenge winning grant program, that uses new media and technology to help leaders and residents make informed decisions about how growth will affect life in their communities.
• Somos Mayfair: supporting a San Jose neighborhood-based organization focused on cultural activism, social services and community organizing for its largely immigrant and Latino families.
• Cinequest: launching a youth digital video story-telling program focusing on challenges they see in their own communities, with presentations to community leaders to inspire and motivate them to address the challenges depicted in the videos.
• Zero1: supporting the agency in its focus on transforming Silicon Valley into a global epicenter for the intersection of art, technology and digital culture. As a result of the grant, Zero1’s 2010 Biennial attracted 47,000 attendees to the 4-day event with over 100 projects, nine exhibitions, 46 commissioned works and 20 public workshops. Zero1 went on to win an ArtPlace award and has now become a year-round organization.
• Opera San Jose: helping the opera reach new audiences by offering a free night of opera to selected residents who had never been before.

More information about Knight Foundation’s grantmaking in San Jose/Silicon Valley is available online.

This year marked the 24th annual celebration of Silicon Valley Philanthropy Day. The event was attended by 700 guests and community leaders who celebrated the contributions and accomplishments of each of the honorees.

The full list of 2011 Honorees in all categories is available on the Association of Fundraising Professionals Website. Photos from Silicon Valley Philanthropy Day are also available on Flickr.