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The Catholic Community Foundation of Santa Clara County
The Catholic Community Foundation of Santa Clara County launched in 2004 as the fundraising and endowment-management arm for the Diocese of San Jose, with...
The Catholic Community Foundation of Santa Clara County
The Catholic Community Foundation of Santa Clara County launched in 2004 as the fundraising and endowment-management arm for the Diocese of San Jose, with founding board chair Lon Normandin providing early philanthropic momentum. Longtime CEO Mary Quilici Aumack shaped the foundation into an independent charitable vehicle that holds and invests assets on behalf of parishes, schools, and Catholic ministries — an architecture that separates the diocese's operational budget from its long-term capital. The foundation accepts complex gifts including cryptocurrency, private stock, and real estate, converting them into pooled endowment capital. The foundation uses an outsourced CIO model, allocating across a fund-of-funds structure that spans public equities, fixed income, private capital, and real assets. The Investment Committee — which includes former Santa Clara University Investment Director Tony Nguyen — selects external managers rather than making direct investments. The endowment is divided into multiple pools, including an Endowment Growth Pool and a Balanced Pool that let different parish and school clients choose risk profiles matched to their spending policies. Geographically, the foundation is tethered entirely to Santa Clara County, serving Catholic institutions from Gilroy to Palo Alto. The foundation deploys roughly $10 million annually in grants and distributions, drawn from approximately $141 million in total assets. It supports parish outreach programs, Catholic school scholarships, and the preservation of historic church properties — including the Cathedral Basilica of Saint Joseph Endowment in downtown San Jose. In 2025, the foundation transitions leadership: founder Mary Quilici Aumack retires, and Camie VanKeuren steps in as CEO in August. Board member Jennifer Cunneen is active in the Rotary Club of San Jose, while investment advisor Frank Ghali participates in YPO. The foundation's structural differentiator is its pooled-endowment model. Rather than forcing each parish or school to manage its own investment committee and spending policy, CCF centralizes governance, manager selection, and distribution — offering small Catholic institutions the kind of institutional-quality investment infrastructure they could never build alone. The diocese benefits from the independence: the foundation holds assets in trust for designated beneficiaries, legally separate from diocesan operating funds, which creates a buffer against any future financial distress at the chancery level.
General information
Firm type
Foundation
Year founded
2004
Location
Region
North America
Country
United States
City
San Jose
Corporate office
San Jose, CA
Principals
Mary Quilici Aumack
Founder and CEO (retiring 2025)
Camie VanKeuren
Incoming CEO (effective August 2025)
Tony Nguyen
Investment Committee Member
Lon Normandin
Founding Board Chair
Sector focus
Frequently asked questions
Who runs investment decisions at the Catholic Community Foundation of Santa Clara County?
The foundation's volunteer Investment Committee oversees asset-allocation and manager-selection decisions. Tony Nguyen, a committee member, previously served as Investment Director for Santa Clara University and brings endowment-management expertise to the group. The foundation uses an outsourced CIO structure, relying on external investment advisors rather than an in-house investment team. Final fiduciary responsibility rests with the board of directors.
Does the foundation make direct investments or use external managers?
The foundation operates entirely through external managers — a fund-of-funds approach that selects third-party funds across asset classes rather than picking individual securities or making direct private-company investments. The structure is designed to give small parish and school endowments access to institutional-quality diversification without requiring each to build its own investment infrastructure. No direct venture capital, private equity co-investments, or real estate equity positions are held at the foundation level.
How is the foundation legally separate from the Diocese of San Jose?
CCF is a California nonprofit public benefit corporation, not a diocesan department. Assets held by the foundation are governed by a independent board and subject to the fiduciary duties and investment restrictions of California law for charitable organizations. The foundation manages endowments for the benefit of specific named parishes, schools, and ministries — those funds are legally restricted and not available for general diocesan operations, even in a financial crisis.
What types of gifts does the foundation accept, beyond cash?
CCF accepts cryptocurrency, privately held stock, real estate, and complex planned-giving vehicles like charitable remainder trusts — converting illiquid and non-traditional gifts into pooled endowment capital. It also manages designated endowments for specific purposes, such as the Cathedral Basilica of Saint Joseph Preservation Endowment and the Bishop Patrick J. McGrath Endowment for Ministry.
What is the foundation's annual grantmaking capacity?
Based on an estimated $141 million asset base, CCF generates roughly $7–$10 million annually in spendable distributions, depending on market performance and each pool's spending policy. Grants flow to Catholic parishes, schools, and community-outreach programs across Santa Clara County. The foundation does not currently make grants outside the diocese or to non-Catholic organizations.
Who runs the foundation after Mary Quilici Aumack retires?
Camie VanKeuren becomes CEO in August 2025, succeeding founding CEO Mary Quilici Aumack. VanKeuren's background includes leadership roles at the organization prior to the promotion. The transition is a planned succession; Aumack had led the foundation since its 2004 founding.
Does the foundation maintain an internal operating company or related investment vehicle?
No. CCF has no affiliated asset management firm, operating company, or related-party investment vehicle. It is purely a grantmaking foundation that pools and invests charitable assets. There is no separate real estate holding company, venture arm, or program-related investment fund.
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