with resource deployment meaning the difference between life and death. For instance, those first grants went to personal protection devices that literally stood between health care workers and the disease. That’s partly where SVCF has helped. “Silicon Valley [Community Foundation] has been a fantastic partner with us in getting the funds disbursed to nongovernmental organizations who are working on the front lines in the fight against Ebola,” says Gabrielle Fitzgerald, director of the Ebola Program for The Paul G. Allen Family Foundation. The Paul G. Allen Family Foundation’s holding company, Vulcan Inc., has a diverse portfolio that also includes investment, real estate, aircraft, sports teams and media. The resources it brings to a project are formidable. One day Fitzgerald might consult with a Vulcan aviation expert and then meet with the treasurer about opening a line of credit for an NGO working in Africa. What they need is a team of partners that can execute specific roles swiftly and efficiently. “We are proud to support this work,” says Melanie LeGrande, senior director of corporate responsibility at SVCF. “From the onset of the partnership, it was our goal to make the process as smooth as possible for individuals to contribute to this worthy cause and to ensure funds were distributed to organizations in need in the affected countries.” With the media already cycling through the Ebola story, one might believe the crisis is over, but new cases are still being reported, Fitzgerald says. The stated goal for Tackle Ebola is zero cases, but Fitzgerald has an even bigger goal: to rewrite the crisis playbook for emergency preparednes around data and diagnostics (see “Beyond Ebola” below). “We put a lot of resources to work really fast,” she says. “Now my role is to make sure that our investment has lasting impact and can help in disease prevention preparedness in the future.” The plight of returning veterans is close to the heart of Howard Schultz, CEO and chairman of Starbucks. The Schultz Family Foundation has a long-standing relationship with SVCF and maintains the Onward Veterans fund to support veterans’ causes. So the foundation asked SVCF to participate in a major cultural and entertainment event planned for Veterans the ShoW MuSt go on Day, called The Concert For Valor. Sponsored by HBO, Chase and Starbucks, the concert featured an impressive list of stars, including Bruce Springsteen, Eminem, Carrie Underwood and Metallica. SVCF had another list in mind: the nonprofits that would benefit from the event. “As you can imagine, there are hundreds of organizations, and they wanted to find the best and brightest serving veterans,” says Casey Kellogg, a philanthropy advisor at SVCF. The Schultz Family Foundation and Onward Veterans put together an advisory committee that whittled the list down to 16. Using SVCF’s strategic grantmaking expertise, the philanthropy advisor team, Kellogg and Misti Sangani, interim vice president of donor experience and engagement, recommended options for structuring the grants. SVCF also built the donation page for The Concert For Valor’s website. Additionally, a portion of profits from Schultz’s book, For Love of Country: What Our Veterans Can Teach Us About Citizenship, Heroism, and Sacrifice, released a few days before the concert, also went into the fund at SVCF. By all accounts, the concert was a major success. The New York Times reported that direct donations to charities spiked tenfold during the concert. SVCF followed the lead of its partner and the concert sponsors when it came to fundraising, which was actually not the top area of focus. “Starbucks, HBO and Chase wanted to honor the sacrifices of veterans and their families and uplift them upon their return,” says Dory Gannes, senior development officer at SVCF. “Fundraising was not necessarily the focal point, but the amount the fund has raised from other gifts and the generosity of Howard and Sheri Schultz is substantial and will make a significant impact on the veteran space.” That impact is one example among many. Philanthropic partnerships are as varied as the causes they fight for and are often the catalyst of remarkable achievements. Call it shared passion or chemistry, but the magic often comes from the matchup. Want to join these worthy causes? Find out more at thegirlproject.com, tackleebola.org and theconcertforvalor. com. The Concert For Valor in 2014 shined a spotlight on veterans’ causes. Beyond ebola Tackle Ebola’s approach to an outbreak has had immediate effects. But Gabrielle Fitzgerald, director of the Ebola Program for The Paul G. Allen Family Foundation, who also has worked on global health initiatives focusing on HIV, malaria and polio, wants the program to set a template for future crisis response, too. Like many infectious diseases, Ebola is spread through the transmission of bodily fluids. Last November, the foundation made a $1.9 million grant to construct water kiosks and hand-washing stations in West Africa. They are also pushing epidemiology into the digital age by sending 10,000 specially programmed smartphones to improve data collection and connectivity in Sierra Leone, Guinea and Liberia. Other programs that can potentially aid future public health outbreaks include improved orphan care, air delivery of medical and protective gear, and the development of a Medevac program for international aid workers who have contracted, or have a high-risk exposure to, Ebola. Carolyn kaster/aP images si l i c o nval l ey c f.o rg n spr i ng 2015 n 9