Educational Institutions & Student Supports

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John and Sue believe that access to high-quality education expands possibilities and builds the foundation for a lifetime of opportunity — especially for English Language Learners and children from lower-income families. This conviction has fueled their decades of investment, and their special focus on Catholic education. For them, Catholic schools offer not only academic excellence but also the nurturing of values: community, service, integrity, and faith. Their support includes millions in scholarship endowments, investments in teacher training and leadership development, and the creation of state-of-the-art campus spaces that inspire both learning and belonging.

Whether seeding Santa Clara University’s cutting-edge STEM campus, reimagining the University of San Francisco’s War Memorial Gym complex, or creating vibrant new student centers and learning commons at Bellarmine and St. Francis high schools, John and Sue have left a lasting mark on the physical landscapes of Catholic education. They are equally committed to advancing innovative models of learning. John was an early champion of Cristo Rey San Jose Jesuit High School, which pairs rigorous academics with meaningful work experience, allowing low-income students to earn tuition support while gaining valuable skills. He and Sue continue to champion Cristo Rey graduates into SCU and USF through dedicated scholarships. And through Santa Clara’s ExCEL program — based on Notre Dame’s acclaimed ACE initiative, which they also support — they are strengthening the Catholic school leadership and teacher pipeline nationwide.

Key Partners

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Santa Clara University

$125M in funding for several projects, including The John and Susan Sobrato Discovery and Innovation Building at SCU—a 270,000 square foot complex which places all science, technology, engineering and math students under one roof with state-of-the-art labs and classrooms. John and Sue also helped fund The Sobrato Residential Complex housing 270 students. And together with their son John Michael, donated $20M for the Sobrato Technology Center, library and university commons. And, in memory of their late daughter-in-law and SCU alumna Abby, John and Sue and their son John Michael underwrote the Abby Sobrato Mall, a pedestrian walkway providing picturesque views of Mission Santa Clara de Asís.

Cristo Rey Scholarships

$27M has been designated by John and Sue for the Sobrato Scholars Endowed Funds, providing scholarships for incoming Cristo Rey High School students, at both the University of San Francisco, and Santa Clara University. “We have long held that education is the gateway to opportunity, says John. “We hope this gift will make a great education accessible to more talented young people ready to contribute to society in their own unique and important ways.”

The Foundation for Hispanic Education

$20M in support for TFHE over the years, whose mission is providing quality education and support for underserved learners, particularly Latino students. Funds have supported capital projects for its three charter schools. John and Sue gladly partnered with their grandson John Matthew to help underwrite the construction of Sobrato East Hall on the Latino College Preparatory Academy campus (pictured above).

Cristo Rey San Jose Jesuit High School

$20M over the past decade for general operations and construction of new Cristo Rey buildings in East San José, as part of The John A. & Sue Sobrato Campus. John was a co-founder of the school, whose innovative model helps primarily first-generation students gain pathways to college and career through professional experiences and internships with local service, government, non-profit organizations and technology companies.

University of San Francisco

$15M for the renovation and expansion of USF’s War Memorial Gym at the Sobrato Center, home to USF men’s and women’s basketball teams as well as their women’s volleyball team. The gym also houses the Athletic Department offices and athletic training rooms for the university’s 15 sports programs and the newly opened Athletics Hall of Fame.

Bellarmine High School

$10M for the Sobrato Student Center for Humanities & the Arts—the cultural heart of the high school, organized around a 440-seat performance space outfitted with a maker workshop and ‘Black Box’ theater.

St. Francis High School

$3M for The Sobrato Family Learning Commons, completed in 2012. The Commons is a two-story, 29,300-square-foot facility that serves as a central hub for the high school’s student activities and academic resources.

University of Notre Dame

Nearly $3M in support of Notre Dame’s Alliance for Catholic Education [ACE] program, preparing individuals for leadership roles in Catholic education. With these funds, hundreds of “Sobrato Family Scholars” have benefited from the Remick Leadership Program. (ACE provided inspiration for SCU’s ExCEL program, supported by SFF with $1M in seed funding in 2015. SCU ExCEL participants pictured above.)

Archbishop Mitty High School

John and Sue Sobrato’s donation of $2M helped create the Sobrato Center for Science and Student Life at Archbishop Mitty High School in San Jose, which opened in 2017. The Center provides state-of-the-art spaces that foster hands-on learning and community connections for students.