Where Everyone Belongs: A Blueprint for Thriving Communities

Sobrato Philanthropies has evolved our previously named Silicon Valley Program (SVP) to a new Thriving Communities strategy to broaden our focus and clarify our objectives. Our grantmaking guidelines and process remain the same.

For Camille Llanes-Fontanilla, Senior Vice President of Community Impact and Systems Change, the idea of “thriving communities” is both deeply personal and boldly aspirational. In her words, it is about ensuring that “all of us—and our children—get to live in a community where we have access to basic needs, along with pathways to education that lead to good-paying jobs so families can remain stable and rooted where they live.”

This is the vision of Thriving Communities, and this is what the team and I are inspired to work on when we show up every day. — Camille Llanes-Fontanilla

Our Thriving Communities strategy is grounded not only in access, but in dignity—one where every child benefits from high-quality education, every family feels safe and secure in their home, and neighborhoods celebrate the languages, cultures, and diversity that make them strong. Strong, thriving communities should never be defined by zip code, wealth, or background. Instead, they should be places where people can afford to live, build connections with others, and have the confidence to realize their own purpose, potential, and power.

A LEADER SHAPED BY COMMUNITY

Camille’s commitment to this work began long before she stepped into her role. Raised in the very type of neighborhood she now serves—where her grandparents also lived—she witnessed firsthand how barriers tied to income, language, community investment, and immigration status could limit opportunity.

During her 13 years as an executive director in a place-based organization, she tackled challenges spanning early childhood education, workforce development, small business support, infrastructure improvements, and affordable housing. “We were constantly figuring out how to address interconnected issues,” she recalls. “From streetlights to childcare—it was all part of building a stronger neighborhood.”

Today, Camille and her team are shaping and delivering our Thriving Communities strategy, focused on eight of the most vulnerable communities in the Bay Area—places similar to those she once navigated alongside her neighbors. This approach enables shared learning, collaboration, and collective solutions.

The early results are promising. Over the past 18 months, our Thriving Communities grants (including previous SVP grants) have touched more than one million people through services and programs such as education, health, and food access. An investment of nearly $40 million helped provide $303 million in financial benefits for local residents, while partnerships spurred an additional $103 million in community investments—a multiplier effect that underscores the power of collaboration.

REDEFINING BELONGING IN SILICON VALLEY

At the heart of Sobrato Philanthropies’ vision is a reframing of what belonging means in regions often associated with wealth and innovation.

“Silicon Valley is frequently equated with high net worth leaders and the tech sector,” Camille says. “Our work is about ensuring that all neighbors have what they need to live here and also feel that they belong—shining a light on the contributions they make to this region, reaffirming that our greatest strength is our diversity.”

She is quick to point out that thriving regions depend on people at every income level. When teachers, service workers, childcare providers, and first responders cannot afford to live nearby—or must endure hours-long commutes—the entire social fabric weakens.

This perspective is one reason Camille was drawn to the organization’s integrated model, which aligns philanthropy, real estate, and capital to support community stability. She was particularly eager to deepen her understanding of how real estate and capital flows can accelerate place-based change—tools she sees as essential for building communities that endure.

ONE STRATEGY,  MULTIPLE INVESTMENT PATHWAYS

Thriving Communities serves as an umbrella for interconnected strategies designed to support low-wage and housing-insecure families on a path toward economic mobility, educational equity, housing security, and long-term stability.

In a sector often criticized for short funding cycles, Sobrato Philanthropies established a 10-year strategic runway—providing the continuity required for meaningful change.

Current grant and impact investments prioritize:

• Economic mobility – focused on increasing the share of households that can meet their financial needs.
• Educational equity (evolved from our English Language Learner program) – focused on improving the percentage of students earning the Seal of Biliteracy.
• Housing security – focused on tackling the affordable housing crisis with a multi-pronged approach of production, preservation, and policy.

About 80% of our grant funding supports regional efforts, while 20% advances aligned statewide policy work—recognizing that durable change often requires legislative support.

Climate action is not currently a grantmaking area of focus but is critical to delivering The Sobrato Organization’s mission to build a more equitable and sustainable world through business and philanthropic leadership. As a starting point, in 2025 we established our first cross-organization Climate initiative, with a long-term goal to achieve net carbon neutrality in our real estate portfolio, which includes our affordable housing work and office spaces.

NAVIGATING RISK, FUELING HOPE

Looking forward, Thriving Communities must navigate an evolving landscape where policy changes and funding fluctuations can quickly alter the terrain. Yet Camille remains energized by the people at the center of the work.

“In these communities, there are incredible leaders—often mothers—who show up every day determined to create something better for their children. They volunteer, they organize, they build real solutions,” she says. “They inspire me. And now, after 20 years of being in this field, I see many of their children stepping forward to lead, as well.”

Ultimately, Camille believes thriving communities are built when opportunity is shared, contributions are valued, and every neighbor has the chance not only to live—but to flourish.