Silicon Valley Social Venture Fund

Grant decisions are made by partner-led committees rather than a standalone investment staff. Every donor-partner — regardless of contribution level — serves on a grant committee, participates in nonprofit due diligence and site visits, and votes on funding allocations during structured grant cycles. This model distributes investment authority across the full partnership.

A typical DAF allows donors to recommend grants with limited engagement. SV2 requires hands-on participation: partners sit on grant committees, conduct site visits, and vote collectively on allocations. The organization also provides multi-year capacity-building support to portfolio organizations, including strategic planning, board development, and measurement frameworks — extending well beyond a check.

Historically, SV2 operated exclusively through venture philanthropy grants. In September 2023, the organization expanded to allow partners to allocate a portion of their donor-advised funds into direct mission-aligned investments and recoverable grants, per the firm's official communications. This move adds a full-spectrum capital capability alongside the core grant-making model.

SV2 focuses on early-stage and growth-stage nonprofits. Grantees typically have demonstrated proof of concept and are positioned to scale — analogous to Series A through growth equity in venture capital. The partnership provides multi-year unrestricted funding and strategic support, not one-time project grants.

SV2 does not publish an explicit exclusion list, but its grant-making concentrates on education, health equity, environmental sustainability, and economic mobility. The partnership generally avoids arts and culture, animal welfare, and pure research grants — though the investment committees retain full discretion over portfolio construction.

SV2 was founded by Laura Arrillaga-Andreessen, the daughter of real estate developer John Arrillaga and wife of venture capitalist Marc Andreessen. The organization operates as an independent 501(c)(3) public charity, not a private family foundation. Arrillaga-Andreessen serves as Board Chair, and the partnership includes donor families from across the technology ecosystem.

SV2 applies a venture-style measurement framework to nonprofit portfolios. Each grant includes defined milestones, organizational capacity metrics, and social-outcome indicators negotiated between the grant committee and the nonprofit's leadership. Partners receive regular portfolio updates modeled on investor reporting, and the organization publishes impact summaries that track long-term outcomes for portfolio organizations.