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Facebook Nonprofit Donations: Tech Giant Showers Local Companies With $200,000

Facebook Starts 2013 On A High Note
Palo Alto Daily News, Calif.
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FILE - In this Oct. 10, 2011 file photo, a magnifying glass is posed over a monitor displaying a Facebook page in Munich. Facebook is proposing to end its practice of letting users vote on changes to its privacy policies, though it will continue to let users comment on proposed updates. The world's biggest social media company said in a blog post Wednesday, Nov. 21, 2012, that its voting mechanism, which is triggered only if enough people comment on proposed changes, has become a system that emphasizes quantity of responses over quality of discussion. Users tend to leave one or two-word comments objecting to changes instead of more in-depth responses. (AP Photo/dapd, Joerg Koch, File)

Facebook kicked off the new year by showering 42 nonprofits in Menlo Park and East Palo Alto with a total of $200,000 in grants, according to company officials.

The financial largess is part of a deal the social media company struck with the city of Menlo Park last year in exchange for permission to almost double the number of employees on its main campus at the intersection of Bayfront Expressway and Willow Road.

Although Facebook originally promised to create a $500,000 foundation, Susan Gonzales, the company's head of community engagement, said Monday that it kicked in an extra $100,000 for a total community donation of $600,000.

"We were pleased by the response," Gonzales said, adding that more than 100 community groups applied for the funding. "We decided in order to address a lot of the requests we'd add $100,000 to help celebrate the launch of the fund."

Menlo Park Council Member Kirstin Keith, who is on the Facebook Local Community Fund board and participated in the grant allocation discussions along with East Palo Alto Council Member Laura Martinez and several Facebook employees, said it was "fantastic" to be able to give out the money.

"These are really needy organizations who will helpfully change people's lives," Keith said.

The grants, which range from $2,500 to $5,000, will help support everything from youth programs to food distribution to small business aid to school clothes for homeless kids. Organizations were notified about the grants last week, Gonzales said.

Felicia Matthews of A Better Way Foundation in East Palo Alto said the $5,000 grant will make a world of difference for the three-year-old nonprofit and the at-risk kids it serves. The organization hopes to use the money to create an after-school technology program, she said.

"This gives us an opportunity to see what we can do," Matthews said.

Last month, Facebook's 28-year-old founder Mark Zuckerberg announced he was donating $500 million in stock to the Silicon Valley Community Foundation to support health and education causes.

Keith said Menlo Park is fortunate to have Facebook. "I look around and I don't see other corporations doing this," she said. "It's pretty amazing."

The next round of funding will be distributed in June, according to Gonzales. Interested nonprofits are asked to email info@venturesfoundation.org for additional information about the Facebook Local Community Fund and the grant program.

Email Bonnie Eslinger at beslinger@dailynewsgroup.com; follow her at twitter.com/bonnieeslinger.

Facebook's new foundation gave a total of $200,000 to 42 nonprofits in Menlo Park and East Palo Alto

A Better Way

Baby Basics

Bayshore Christian Ministries

Belle Haven Community Foundation

Boys & Girls Clubs of the Peninsula

College Spring

Community Legal Services in East Palo Alto

Community Overcoming Relationship Abuse

East Palo Alto YMCA

Ecumenical Hunger Program

East Palo Alto Tennis & Tutoring

East Palo Alto Kids Foundation

Eternal Life Church

Fit Kids Foundation

Foundation for a College Education

Free at Last

Georges's A-Games

Girls to Women

HIP Housing

Job Train

KARA

Kiwanis Club Foundation

Latino Community Foundation

Mouse Squad

My New Red Shoes

New Creation Home Ministries

Nuestra Casa

Peninsula Conflict Resolution Center

Peninsula Family Service

Peninsula Volunteers

Rebuilding Together

Renaissance Entrepreneurship Center

Riekes Center for Human Enhancement

Roadrunners

Rosalie Rendu

Rosener House Adult Day Care

Saint Francis Conference of St Vincent de Paul

Sojourn to the Past

St. Francis/Khan Academy Youth Club

Star Vista

Teen Talk Sexuality Education

Youth Community Service

Source: Facebook ___

(c)2013 the Palo Alto Daily News (Menlo Park, Calif.)

Visit the Palo Alto Daily News (Menlo Park, Calif.) at www.paloaltodailynews.com

Distributed by MCT Information Services

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Before You Go

SF's Top 12 Stories Of 2012
The No Wieners Club(01 of12)
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Since the moment sometime in the mid-1960s when San Francisco suddenly became "San Francisco," the city has been synonymous with using the body as a form of personal expression. But when a group of guys started both literally and figuratively hanging out in the Castro's single most visible public space on a near daily basis, many of neighborhood's residents called for a citywide ban on public nudity. The question, both ludicrously inane and deathly serious, ran right to the heart of the city's very identity: where do the rights of the individual nudist end and the public's collective wish not to see old-man testicles begin?Ultimately, the forces of what some labeled "conservatism" won out. Now, if someone wants to go out in public, they better be sure their genitals are covered. (Excepting, of course, situations where it's officially "appropriate" to go sans underwear, like festivals and street fairs. This is still San Francisco, after all.)- Aaron Sankin
Frothing Orange And Black(02 of12)
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Oh, San Francisco Giants. Oh, you. While the team's 2012 World Series sweep wasn't quite as exciting as its 2010 first-time-in-56-years win, that didn’t stop this city from descending into screaming, cheering, Muni-bus destroying, frothing black-and-orange madness. And in true Giants torture-style, the boys delivered plenty of excitement.First there was the historic NL Division Series, starring a Buster Posey grand slam. Then there was the NL Championship series, with an unexpected save by Barry Zito. And finally, adding insult to injury, there was the World Series: an epic, embarrassing, Motor City soul-crushing sweep. Next came the (seemingly inevitable) street riot that quickly got out of hand, followed by a family-friendly parade, to which Sergio Romo donned a shirt that read "I just look illegal." As if that wasn't enough, Buster Posey won the National League MVP weeks later, cementing a nod from Grantland dubbing San Francisco "the sports city of the year." - Robin Wilkey (credit:Getty Images)
Happy Birthday(03 of12)
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Our beloved bridge turned 75 this year, and though crowds didn't rush the Golden Gate as they did on the 50th (nearly causing the span to flatten it in the process), the celebration was no less spectacular. Events included special exhibits, performances by local bands and dance troupes, a vintage boat parade and an 18-minute firework spectacular that humbled every other firework show in the history of fireworks. (Watch it here!) We can only imagine what 2037 will look like...- Robin Wilkey (credit:AP)
Oakster-Damned(04 of12)
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Obama's aggressive crackdown on California's medical marijuana industry continued to slaughter jobs and small businesses across the state.The most notable casualty occurred in April, when federal agents raided Oaksterdam University, Oakland's legendary cannabis training school (and ground zero for the city's pro-pot movement).But there might be hope on the horizon -- with voters legalizing recreational use of the plant in Washington and Colorado, California appears poised to follow suit. And politicians are voicing support. Last week, California Lieutenant Governor Gavin Newsom told the New York Times that current anti-marijuana laws "just don't make sense anymore."- Carly Schwartz (credit:AP)
A Light Shines On Market (05 of12)
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For decades, every time San Francisco's economy has started to heat up, the "g-word" has come up: Will gentrification wash over the blighted section of mid-Market Street, reviving the city's grand promenade once and for all? Each and every time, that wave has always rolled back before true revitalization could ever occur. But now, during Dot Com Boom 2.0: Social Media Edition, things have been different, damnit. Commercial real estate in SoMa has become a scarce commodity. City leaders are luring arts organizations and restaurants into the neighborhood and giving tech companies like Twitter, Zendesk and Dolby hearty tax breaks to take over spaces that previously housed strip clubs, head shops, or most often, nothing at all.While some have worried the gentrification of mid-Market could cut off homeless and SRO hotel residents from the area's concentration of services, others are excited about a vibrant commercial corridor finally connecting the Civic Center and the Financial District.BART's construction may have killed much of Market Street's once-lively culture, but smartphone apps that give people something to do while waiting for BART may ironically be the thing that brings it back to life.- Aaron Sankin (credit:Alamy)
The Sheriff And His Wife(06 of12)
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Need A Lyft?(07 of12)
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They may have started as a minor amusement/eyeroll in the background of your commute home, but those pink mustache cars have quickly transformed San Francisco's entire transportation economy.2012 was the year of the rideshare app, with more and more everyday citizens turning their cars into cabs for a markedly cheaper (or more expensive) price than a traditional taxi.While companies like Sidecar and Lyft have come under fire for disrupting an entire industry and dodging state regulations, their unprecedented popularity -- coupled with Mayor Lee's support for the city's "sharing economy" -- makes us believe they're here to stay.- Carly Schwartz (credit:Facebook)
Sail Away, Sail Away, Sail Away(08 of12)
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Love it or hate it, the America's Cup is coming to San Francisco next year, and 2012 was the start of the action with a warm-up race in the bay. With significant backing from Larry Ellison, San Francisco's waterfront was transformed into an America's Cup village fully equipped to handle the biggest yachting race in the world. The excitement was not without a few anxious moments, including team dropouts, a capsized catamaran, an on-camera crash and a loose boat that was wrangled by a local sailor who later demanded a $200,000 reward. And come December, the America's Cup king was even accused of espionage. (No, seriously.) But the spectators came and the race went on, helping to make a few days in October San Francisco's best weekend ever. - Robin Wilkey (credit:AP)
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