For Generations to Come: Chinese American Philanthropy in the Bay Area Page 10

I figure it's in the essence of the Buddhist, I would say Chinese or Taiwanese culture is, the

whole religion is all about giving. I was born and raised in a Buddhist family, and so I would
say it became natural. It doesn't matter if people make a lot of money or not, and money is
only one form of the giving, and is about your heart and you giving your time, and efforts,
so the whole religion is about giving. It becomes second nature.

Preferred Causes

The choice of causes, activities, programs, and organizations supported by the Chinese American community
in the Bay Area is as varied as the community itself. However, a few issues receive especially high levels of attention,
including education, leadership development, health care, social services, and a variety of Bay Area-focused arts,
civic, and recreation activities. The guiding values of giving back and social justice are manifest in the choices.

Education. Education is a nearly universal theme among Chinese American donors in the Bay Area who participated
in this study, understandably so in light of their belief in its importance to their personal achievements. Nearly
everyone who participated has at least an undergraduate degree, an undertaking which they considered pivotal
to their eventual success. Supporting the schools which they attended, whether by contributing spendable funds,
endowing scholarships, or serving on boards or committees, acknowledges that good fortune and helps provide
similar opportunities for future students.

One of the reasons I decided that I wanted to

concentrate my financial involvement and others
with the [University], is because I was a graduate
there. My wife and I both graduated from there.
More importantly, you see that in today's economic
environment, the public university is under
tremendous financial challenges, and in the
[University] system, their state funding has
dropped, so they need to rely much more
heavily on private giving.

The belief in the power of education leads many to contribute to
education at all levels, especially in ways that create opportunities
for those who might not otherwise be able to attend.

I have a scholarship for people who have shown the

ability and work ethic and good grades, but they need
help to kick it over to the other side. That's kind of my
focus, if I get an opportunity, to give someone a break
that really puts them in another direction.

Requests from friends and family. An exception to the personal relevance focus was made by most participants
for requests made by family and friends to give to a cause that they support. While most are happy to give to causes
when asked, they consider it to be supporting the friend or family member rather than the cause itself (unless it is a
cause the donor would be supporting anyway).

In terms of the ad hoc request, if friends or family or colleagues ask for support, depending

on the effort and the relationships, I'll give amounts, but it's not a core donation, if that makes
sense. So where I'm going to throw my major dollars and my major time is going to be things
that I personally believe in.

Friends that I respect from a social giving point of view, I would support. When they bring up
matters that they are interested in, I have no problem giving them support.

Religion. Buddhist and Christian traditions were both noted for their support of efforts to help the poor and needy
without reservation. While religion may provide cultural support for giving, most participants indicated it did not have
a direct influence on their giving. However, many Christian participants indicated that their faith strongly influenced
their giving.

I'm a Christian, I believe in God, and at the end of the day, my belief is that all money is His,

and so you should give freely because you were put in a situation. There is an expectation for
you to be generous with your giving

Leslie Tang Schilling

Leslie Tang Schilling, founder and
manager of Union Square Ventures
believes that "education is the beginning
and end of all problems." She is
committed to improving the quality
of education for children in California
and China.

Fostered by her parents in developing
her vision and principles of commitment,
Ms. Shilling sees philanthropy "as an
investment in people so they can better
their circumstances and lives to help
improve themselves and other and
society in general."

Understanding the difference her giving
will make in the lives of others and
having confidence in the ability of the
organization to be efficient and effective
are very important parts of her vision for
choosing projects and partners.

SILICON VALLEY COMMUNITY FOUNDATION