Scaling What Works: From Community Solutions to System Change

Policy is one of the most powerful tools for turning local success into lasting, system-wide change. It allows The Sobrato Organization (TSO) to take what’s working in communities and embed those solutions into the systems that shape daily life – expanding impact far beyond any single program.

“Direct service work is essential – but it can only go so far. Policy is how we take what’s working in communities and get it into the bloodstream of systems, so more families can benefit from the same opportunities.”
— Robert Medina, Director of Policy and Advocacy, Sobrato Philanthropies

TSO’s journey into policy and advocacy reflects a deliberate evolution – from testing and learning in educational equity to scaling that approach across its broader strategy. Early efforts focused on piloting solutions, measuring impact, and refining what works. Over time, policy became the mechanism for extending those insights and helping translate proven approaches into lasting change and supporting communities in realizing their long-term vision.

Advancing Thriving Communities

This work sits at the heart of TSO’s Thriving Communities strategy, spanning economic mobility, educational equity, housing security, and climate leadership. Across each area, the goal is consistent: dismantle systemic barriers and expand pathways to stability and opportunity.

In housing, that means looking beyond individual developments to the policies that determine whether working families can afford to stay in Silicon Valley.

“TSO has an all-hands-on-deck approach to supporting working families in Silicon Valley, especially when it comes to housing. Not only do we work to produce and preserve existing affordable housing, but we also work to address the root cause of our affordability crisis in California – housing scarcity. The undersupply of homes for working-class families in our community is a policy choice rooted in redlining and segregation. It will take equally impactful policies to reverse this history.”
— Adam Briones, Director of Housing Security Initiative, Sobrato Philanthropies

As TSO’s sustainability efforts accelerate, the organization is also exploring a climate-focused policy strategy, which is aimed at shaping the broader conditions that enable climate solutions to scale.

“Policy and advocacy play a critical enabling role in TSO’s sustainability vision. They help create the market conditions, incentives, and partnerships needed to scale climate solutions beyond our own portfolio – so our impact extends not just through what we build, but through how we help shape a more resilient and equitable system.”
— Alex Spilger, Vice President, Real Estate Sustainability, Sobrato Real Estate

Partnerships as Force Multipliers

This work depends on strong partnerships. The challenges TSO seeks to address are deep, intergenerational, and systemic – no single organization can solve them alone.

Early work in educational equity made this clear: even the most effective classroom models require supportive policy and strong partnerships to reach more students.

“Sobrato has completely changed the landscape of how we support our multilingual learners in the state, and I think it's really exciting.”
—Education leader

A recent evaluation of Sobrato's policy and advocacy strategy to champion multilingual learners in California public schools (2020–2025) highlights what’s possible when community-rooted solutions and policy align: grantees helped inform dozens of statewide policies impacting 1.1 million multilingual learners, unlocked millions in public investment, and expanded the field by bringing in new partners, including new donors, committed to a shared vision. 

These outcomes reinforce a core insight: lasting change requires both strong models and the ecosystem to support them. By working with educators, advocates, families, and cross-sector partners, TSO helps translate on-the-ground innovation into policy change at scale.

Today, that same approach applies across all focus areas – identifying “bright spots” grounded in lived experience and using policy to expand their reach.

Navigating a Complex and Changing Landscape

Systems change is long-term work. Progress is rarely linear, and communities are facing immediate pressures in a rapidly shifting policy environment.

TSO navigates this by balancing urgency with long-term vision – meeting immediate needs while continuing to invest in structural change. By combining direct service, community insight, and policy advocacy, the organization is working not only to respond to the moment, but to shape a more equitable future for all.

“For policy to truly work for communities, it must start with people – their lived experiences, their priorities, and their vision for the future. That’s what guides how we make decisions, choose partners, and show up in this work.”
— Robert Medina

In a sector often defined by short funding cycles, The Sobrato Organization has committed to a 10-year strategic runway – providing the continuity required for meaningful, sustained, and systemic impact.