Tell us about yourselves, Sergio and Amelia!
We both come from working class backgrounds that taught us the importance of contributing to the common good and helping people in need. That upbringing shaped our deep commitment to social justice. We met in LA and moved up to the Bay Area a few decades ago — and we became rooted here as we formed deep, community-centric bonds. Over those decades, we have worked to create spaces that center community voices, and we have supported immigrant-serving nonprofits and frontline organizations by serving on boards and working in management roles.
How has your giving evolved over time?
Over the past decade, we have become progressively more intentional and strategic in terms of how we approach giving, both by establishing a Donor Advised Fund and through collaborating with others to increase the impact we can make. One highlight includes the opportunity to join a small group of donors to form the Leadership Circle of the Latino Community Foundation, the nation’s largest Latino-serving funder for frontline community organizations engaged in advancing civic participation and economic opportunity. As East Bay residents, we have focused our giving on organizations such as Fruitvale-based Centro Legal de la Raza and Unity Council that are serving and protecting the rights of the most vulnerable members of our community.
Today, we all recognize we are living in precarious times: too many individuals and families face threats to their health, safety, access to services, and basic civil liberties. Looming deficits for city, county, and school budgets, combined with reductions in federal funding, are forcing painful cuts to frontline organizations. We commit to leaning in given so many pressing needs.
What does it mean to you to be a part of a community foundation?
We are grateful to be part of the donor community at the San Francisco Foundation, where we can engage with others to share insights and strengthen our impact. Participating in SFF’s donor engagement is central to our approach because collaborative strategies better meet the evolving needs of Bay Area frontline organizations. Our giving will remain focused on nonprofits that provide critical services — including legal assistance — to the most vulnerable immigrant families in our community.
We enjoyed meeting a passionate cross-section of SFF donors this spring at the Bay Area Giving Summit, and we’re eager to build further connections with other SFF donors, because by working together we can amplify our ability to meet today’s challenges, and those still to come. We have been giving to our local community for 40 years and now it feels more important than ever to be actively contributing and building relationships with other donors. As part of the SFF donor family, we have a renewed commitment aligned with the foundation’s mission: to continue to push for structural changes to strive toward racial equity and economic inclusion for all in the Bay Area.
