On Dec. 2, 2025, Silicon Valley Community Foundation announced it has awarded $590,000 in emergency grants to three local nonprofits: Second Harvest of Silicon Valley, Meals on Wheels for San Mateo County, and Valley Health Foundation. The funding comes from the foundation’s new Community Lifeline Fund and is intended to help meet basic needs amid federal cuts affecting food assistance and healthcare access.
The grants aim to address surging demand for services as upcoming reductions to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and changes to Medicaid eligibility are expected to impact thousands of families in Santa Clara and San Mateo counties. According to the foundation, federal funding cuts outlined in H.R. 1 could cause 10,000 families in these counties to lose nearly $200 per month in SNAP benefits beginning in January. Additionally, changes approved by Congress could result in as many as 3.4 million Californians losing their healthcare coverage.
“While we launched the Lifeline Fund in response to federal funding cuts, the recent government shutdown created an urgent crisis for families suddenly at risk of losing access to food. Because the fund was already in place, we were able to quickly deploy initial grants to help nonprofits respond to the SNAP crisis and ensure families could continue to put meals on the table,” Nicole Taylor, president and CEO of Silicon Valley Community Foundation said.
Leslie Bacho, CEO of Second Harvest of Silicon Valley said: “Right now, 1 in 6 of our neighbors in Silicon Valley relies on Second Harvest of Silicon Valley for food. Families are still recovering from the financial strain caused by the recent federal shutdown and ongoing SNAP disruptions — all on top of the crushing cost of living in our region. Silicon Valley Community Foundation’s Lifeline Fund arrived at a pivotal moment. This investment will support our work to provide nutritious food to hundreds of thousands of people each month while also supporting our frontline partners who make this work possible. We are deeply grateful for this commitment to strengthening our community’s safety net.”
Jennifer Steele, CEO of Meals on Wheels San Francisco said: “The government shutdown had an immediate impact on older adults in San Mateo County. Thanks to the Silicon Valley Community Foundation’s Community Lifeline Fund, we were able to act swiftly to deliver nutritious meals to homebound seniors who had nowhere else to turn. This partnership underscores what can happen when our community comes together to protect our most vulnerable neighbors.”
Michael Elliott, President and Executive Director of Valley Health Foundation said: “California’s Medi-Cal agency predicts that 20% or 3 million of the state’s Medi-Cal population could lose coverage. In Santa Clara County, that would amount to almost 90,000 individuals losing insurance. Maintaining health coverage is critical to the well-being of community members – and also to the financial sustainability of clinics, hospitals and other safety-net care providers. This first grant to VHF through SVCF’s Community Lifeline Fund will help us ensure healthcare access is preserved for our most vulnerable neighbors.”
According to SVCF, additional grants from its Community Lifeline Fund will be made as more funds are raised and community needs are assessed.
