John and Sue Sobrato  Ann Sobrato  The Sobrato Family accepts the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Arts Council Silicon Valley's Arts & Business Awards in 2005 

  
 

SOBRATO FAMILY & BUSINESS OVERVIEW

For over 50 years, the Sobrato family has played a dynamic role in the emergence and growth of Silicon Valley through real estate development. The Sobrato tradition began in 1955 with Ann Sobrato who developed one of the first “tilt-up” style buildings in Santa Clara County. Her son, John A. Sobrato, followed in her footsteps by founding Midtown Realty in Palo Alto. In the early 1960’s, they teamed up to begin building for the emerging electronic industry.

In the 1970’s, with explosive growth in the Valley, John A. Sobrato founded Sobrato Development Companies. His son, John Michael Sobrato, joined the company in the 1980’s thereby creating another family partnership. Today, the family business owns and manages 100 office or R&D buildings throughout Silicon Valley encompassing approximately 9.5 million square feet and 30 apartment projects totaling just under 8,000 units. Additionally, they own over 400 acres of land in strategic areas throughout Santa Clara and Alameda counties.

FOUNDATION CREATION

In the mid-1990’s, Ann Sobrato, John A. Sobrato and his wife Sue, along with their three children (John Michael, Sheri and Lisa Sobrato) jointly formalized their commitment to share their success with the communities where their family development business has thrived for the last 50 years.

To support their work, the family has created two separate entities to fulfill their family’s philanthropic objectives: a private independent foundation called the Sobrato Family Foundation that was formed in 1996, and a public charity legally named the Sobrato Foundation that was formed in 2004 (a supporting foundation of the Silicon Valley Community Foundation).

Each entity is governed by its own Board of Directors although the two entities share grantmaking, program and administrative resources and operate by the same set of values and guiding principles.

GUIDING PRINCIPLES
The Foundation's work is guided by the following principles:

  • We approach our work with appreciation and gratitude
  • We respect hard work and commitment
  • We honor integrity and genuineness
  • We actively engage in causes that we are passionate about
  • We enjoy celebrating life together

GOALS
The Foundation's work is aimed at achieving the following goals:

  • To strive for excellence and efficiency in conducting our community grantmaking and lending
  • To develop long-term, trusting relationships in the community
  • To achieve maximum impact by responding to nonprofit agencies greatest needs
  • To be recognized as a philanthropic leader in Silicon Valley
  • To pass the legacy of giving to future generations of the Sobrato family

BUILDING THE FOUNDATION

From 1996-2006, the Board and staff have been committed to building and growing an effective and efficient organization that will support and sustain the philanthropic legacy of the Sobrato family for the long-term future.

In the Foundation’s early years, the Board focused on operating one program that awarded small cash project or program support grants to a small pool of nonprofits annually. When professional staff was hired for the first time in 2000, the Board engaged in a thoughtful strategic planning process. The result transformed the entire operations programs and processes given its new direction to exclusively provide general operating capital to meet agencies’ greatest needs – salaries, rent and utilities, building rehabilitation and acquisition.

Since that time, the Foundation’s asset base has grown as a result of two major donations:

1)    An estate bequest from Ann Sobrato (1915-2000) – Ann, mother of John A. Sobrato and family matriarch, was well regarded as an entrepreneurial, real estate businesswoman along with being a civic leader, volunteer and generous philanthropist. It is Ann’s legacy upon which the second, third and fourth generations of the Sobrato family are inspired by today as they conduct their Foundation work.

2)    Building Donations – since 2000, the Sobrato family has donated 9 buildings and 124 acres of land valued at $312 million for community benefit. Beneficiaries include the Sobrato Family Foundation, the Sobrato Foundation and family donor advised funds, the Morgan Hill School District, Technology Enterprise Network, Santa Clara University and Resource Area for Teachers.

The impact of these two significant donations has resulted in a four-fold expansion of the Foundation's charitable program portfolio since its inception in 1996. Additionally, the Foundation’s asset base that was originally seeded with less than $500,000 has grown to a combined total of approximately $254 million between the Sobrato Family Foundation and the Sobrato Foundation as of March 2007 making it one of the fastest growing Foundation’s locally.

  

 

 

  
 

home      about us      program     leadership    investment history     grant guidelines    current grantees
office space guidelines    current tenants   meeting space guidelines    housing guidelines      loan recipients    SDC

  
 

 

  

Sobrato Family Foundation
Sobrato Center for Nonprofits, 600 Valley Way, Suite B
Milpitas, CA 95035
Phone: (408) 946-0100  Fax: (408) 516-8007
Email: Grants@Sobrato.org

 

 

  
 

Copyright©2002 Sobrato Family Foundation.
All Rights Reserved.