The Sobrato Family Foundation continued its tradition of giving to those who give by announcing the opening of the Sobrato Community Conference Center, located within the Sobrato Center for Nonprofits in Milpitas.
While the foundation announced the conference center would be available for nonprofits in the valley and celebrated the foundation's 10-year anniversary, it topped its own exciting news by giving away $250,000 in grants at the event.
After John Sobrato Sr. and Lisa Sobrato Sonsini spoke to the more than 100 local non-profit executive directors and board members present last Wednesday, Sherry Sobrato asked each executive director to grab one of the balloons decorating the room. She instructed them to look behind their name tags and remove the pin that was placed in them, and at once each director popped their balloon. Grants from $1,000 to $50,000 were placed within the balloons and after the loud popping, the room was then popping with some very happy non-profit directors.
The executive director of Cupertino Community Services received the top grant of $50,000.
Chris Wilder, executive director of the Valley Medical Center Foundation, received $10,000.
"This was a huge surprise," Wilder said. "I'm very
The Sobrato Family built an industrial park in Milpitas 30 years ago located at the end of Valley Way, just east of Interstate 880 at Calaveras Boulevard. About four years ago, the family decided to use the five-building complex as a home for local nonprofits, and as the current tenants left the building, the Sobrato Family allowed nonprofits to move in rent free.
According to the Sobrato Family Foundation, this saves the nonprofits more than $1 million per year.
The family hopes the new conference center will be used by the nonprofits for training, conferences and collaborative meetings.
As part of the new conference center, CompassPoint has a computer lab for its services. CompassPoint trains nonprofits in the latest technology, including programs such as the Microsoft Office suite as well as Adobe programs like InDesign.
Wilder said the conference center as well as the whole park is a great place for nonprofits to network and collaborate.
"I would have definitely taken a space here if I wasn't tied to VMC. Not only because it's rent-free, but because they all get to network together," Wilder said. "They're all surrounded by other nonprofits so if they have a question they can just pop in next door and ask."
The opening of the conference center was attended by nearly 100 Sobrato Family Foundation grantees.
The Sobrato family shared how the foundation began with the family members not knowing how to fundraise, but determined to do it. Then once they had the money, Lisa Sobrato Sonsini said she and her sister opened a phone book and called local nonprofits to offer them grants.
"It was like cold calling, but the other way around," she said.
Fortunately after 10 years, she said, they've improved their procedures and are now being recognized by the Association of Professional Fundraisers as one of the top foundations in the nation.
