Castellano Family Foundation

Sunsetting of the Castellano Family Foundation:
Yesterday our President, Carmela Castellano-Garcia, announced the sunsetting of the Castellano Family Foundation. Stay tuned for more information on the steps we have put in place to ensure greater ongoing investment in the Latinx non-profit community of Silicon Valley.
It has truly been an honor to support the community for the past two decades. It is our hope that our family’s journey can inspire others to leave an even greater legacy of giving to Latinx non-profits in our region and beyond.
Please see today’s article by Sal Pizarro of the San Jose Mercury News posted below.

Lottery-fueled Castellano Family Foundation ending operations Founded with part of a $141 million lottery jackpot, the San Jose foundation worked to amplify the voice of Latino nonprofits in the arts and education.

The wellness programs were not a one-size-fits-all, so each organization had the freedom to be flexible and create programs that were relevant to their own staff and people. Another one of our grantees, Youth Alliance, created and adapted programs based on what their staff wanted to see. Youth Alliance’s mission is to provide innovative and culturally relevant services that strengthen and enrich youth, families, and the community.

Family events were the most requested, and so, they were implemented. The organization was well-aware of the additional trauma the community was experiencing, and that some of their staff had been directly impacted. The programming included family friendly events, such as a virtual paint night, challenges, workshops, hikes, exercise, and nutrition classes. The organization wanted to provide support for their staff in order to help them reach greater mental health. They also wanted to recognize that they are more than a work site, and that they, too, care about the people.

In addition, the wellness program allowed the staff at Youth Alliance to get to know each other in non-work-related settings. Through this grant, our friends at Youth Alliance shared that the importance of valuing team members was crucial - so much so that they intend to include a wellnedd component in future grants!

This really goes to show that your organization is only as good as your people!

Happy New Year! From our family to your's, we hope you had an amazing and safe holiday! We also hope you were able to take the time to recharge and take care of yourself. In 2021, we launched the SALUD Wellness Grant Program, which gave funding to 10 grantees to implement a wellness program for their staff.

The wellness grants proved to be beneficial to organizations of all types and sizes, as well as to their staffs. They were designed and implemented with the intention of supporting staff in ways that were creative and responded to their voices and needs. As a result of these grants, organizations reported becoming stronger and strengthening their mission impact. The consensus among the grantees is that a healthy team performs better, is more productive, and can better protect itself from the overwhelming stresses of serving communities in crisis.

Don't forget to take care of yourself in 2023!

The implementation of the grant varied from organization to organization. SIREN, a CFF grantee and a SALUD Wellness grantee, developed a program that included a variety of activities and health challenges that all staff were encouraged to participate in.

There were staff retreats, a 10K walking challenge, mindfulness training, and the obtaining of some gear for staff to use on a day-to-day basis. The goal of the program was to provide staff with a vehicle to incorporate mindfulness and self-care, and to support having a good life-work balance. The goals of the program were accomplished, and the organization hopes to continue utilizing it going forward. The staff also expressed that they enjoyed the program and are requesting for more!

We love that the staff at SIREN were able to take part in these challenges!

The Salud Staff Wellness Grants Program is a cross-sector collaboration by three distinct foundations to improve the health, wellness and wellbeing of Latinx community-based nonprofit staff – a majority of whom are Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) individuals whose lived experience is based in communities of color and the movement for social justice, thereby increasing their vulnerability to chronic stress and secondary trauma due to systemic health inequities.

The SALUD Wellness grants had a deep impact on the participating organizations, providing them with an opportunity to reflect, engage, and appreciate their staff in ways that were both appropriate and relevant. COVID took a toll on the staff of these organizations; most were able to recognize that they had all gone into overdrive mode in order to try and support the community in a moment of crisis. And this came at the sacrifice of their wellbeing.

Our grantees implemented a wide range of wellness and strategies in their programs. ConXión to Community decided to address the physical health of their staff through exercises and food!

On Tuesday and Thursday mornings, 'Chair Yoga' was conducted in their assembly room. During this time, the instructor would guide staff through a modified version of yoga and incorporated resistance training with bands and hand held weights. According to the organization's Senior Vice President and COO, Lori Ramos, Chaves, ""This is a popular activity as it accomodates different ability levels"".

In addition, on the first Friday of each month, ConXión to Community organizes 'Staff Appreciation Healthy Lunches'. During this time, staff gather for a healthy lunch and spend time playing different games together. After a fun afternoon, staff are free to leave at 3:00 PM during these days. The staff appreciate the healthy lunch, the comrader, and being able to leave early!

The exercises and games sound so fun and who doesn't love eating good food together?

Photo Credit: ConXión to Community Facebook Post (https://www.facebook.com/ConXionTC/photos/4425843287475930)

In 2021, the Castellano Family Foundation created a new grant program called the SALUD Staff Wellness Grant Program. This grant program provides grant funding to pilot and implement innovative and/or customized staff wellness programs at community-based organizations (CBO’s) in order to improve the health, wellness, and overall well-being of Latinx non-profit staff.

Ten grantees received funding from us to develop and implement a wellnes program and they were given the flexibility to tailor the program accordingly to the needs of their staff:

• Parent Institute for Quality Education (PIQE)
• Community Agency for Resources, Advocacy, and Services (CARAS)
• Youth Alliance
• Sunrise Middle School
• Services, Immigrant Rights, and Education Network (SIREN)
• ConXión to Community
• Movimiento de Arte y Cultura Latino Americana (MACLA)
• Grail Family Services
• Teatro Visión
• Somos Mayfair

Want to learn more about SALUD Wellness? Stay tuned for the next few weeks, where we will be highlighting what our grantees' have done and the program's impact!"

It is time for philanthropy and the public sector to practice what they preach by collaborating to advance racial equity and social justice.

Systematic change does not happen in a vacuum. It will take a Herculean effort by all sectors of the community, especially those that control a disproportionate share of power and resources.

With more inclusive governance, funding and outreach, we can expand social capital, deepen trust, and build pathways for more sustained funding for leaders of color.

Every philanthropist certainly should incorporate these inclusive measures. Community foundations like ours are uniquely positioned to start a wave among the philanthropically minded in our community.

That’s our goal with the LatinXCEL Fund:https://www.siliconvalleycf.org/sites/default/files/documents/latinxcel-fund-2021.pdf