When Government Support Shrinks

In today's world of shrinking Federal and State government support, communities are working to find way to support their infrastructure and maintain, if not improve, the quality of life for their residents. This is not something that can be achieved overnight and many of these communities are learning by a slow process of trial and error and in often things get worse before improvement can be seen. Volunteer organizations take time to establish and stabilize themselves so that they can begin to show productive results.

One Objective - Many Activities

The objective of the MCCF has remained unchanged over the years - to enrich the quality of life of those who live here. The Fund has five focus areas where it is actively involved:

       - Education
       - The Environment
       - Health Care
       - Social Services and
       - Theatre and the arts

The community support extends to cover all ages, interest and people in need.

How It's Done

Applications for grants are received throughout the year and reviewed every 6 months. MCCF members inspect the facility and grants are disbursed according to the Fund guidelines and the need and value to the community. The Board of Directors, made up of leading Silicon Valley citizens, oversees the operations of the Fund.

Recent grants include:

Mission City Community Fund Has Been Around For A Long Time

Mission City Community Fund (MCCF) is one organization that is established, stable and has been showing results for years. Even in 1986 funding for essential community programs was hard to find. That's when a group of Santa Clara citizens decided that the only way to keep their community healthy and ensure that the quality of life residents enjoyed was maintained, formed the MCCF. Over the years it has grown is size and reach and it now serves the citizens of Silicon Valley in a variety of ways.

•	Senior citizens are assisted with their transportation needs, medical services and housing through MCCF grants which enables them to lead happier and fuller lives.
•	Contributions to the Santa Clara Public Library and Community Literacy Project help both children and adults improve their literacy levels.
•	Support of school district sponsored projects offers additional educational and extracurricular opportunities for children.
•	Needy and deserving children are provided shoes, books and other necessities through a partnership with community Rotary Clubs.
•	The holiday season cheer is spread though the Soroptimist Club's provision of providing free gift shopping to low income families.
•	Grants provided to a range of social organizations and police department help people dealing with domestic violence, rape, abuse, homelessness and other tragedies.

Silicon Valley Is A Special Place

Santa Clara and other Silicon Valley communities are aspirational localities where people are proud of where they live and others envy them. Ensuring that the quality of life that citizens enjoy is not just maintained but improved is not an easy task. It's also not something that the government can do alone. Community participation and support of social development is essential. That is what the Mission City Community Fund is dedicated to. Its track record over the last 14 years speaks to its success. And with plans to raise its level of involvement and funding in the future, MCCF is poised to cement its place as the leading non-profit in the region.

MCCF is a 501(c)3 tax exempt non-profit. To learn more about its mission, activities and funding and to obtain details of the funding criteria and download the Grant Application Form, visit the MCCF website at www.missioncityfund.org.

To make a donation and help the Fund in meeting its goal of improving the quality of life of Silicon Valley residents, go to the Donation page of the website.