Congratulations to our 2026 Grant Recipients!

MANOS Folklorico Gilroy

Gilroy High School Culinary Arts Program

The Competitive Grants Committee would like to acknowledge the following Funds for providing the funding for the Competitive Grant Program:

Gilroy Foundation General Fund, Sam & Judy Bozzo Family Fund,Children’s Artistic Enrichment Fund, Val and Elsie Filice Agriculture Fund, Goldsmith Family Trust Fund, Growing Up Gilroy Fund, Neilson Family Fund, Fenton O’Connell Trust Fund, Sacco Family Fund, Sacco Family Music Fund, Shirley M. Silva Memorial Fund, South Valley Hospital Fund, Theater Angels Art League Fund, Jim Trelut Memorial Fund, Wood Family Fund, Community Needs Funds: Art, Agriculture, Education, Health and Technology.

• Gilroy Unified School District – Cafecito with the Counselors – $1,400
• South County Youth Task Force – Community resource fair at San Ysidro Park – $2,500
• Gilroy High School – Ceramics Potter’s Wheel – $2,628.12
• Child Advocates of Silicon Valley – Enrichment activities for foster youths – $5,000
• Gilroy Little League – Safety equipment for Challenger baseball players – $5,000
• Healthier Kids Foundation – Screens for dental needs for Gilroy children – $5,000
• Jacob’s Heart Children’s Cancer Support Services – Transportation for cancer treatment – $5,000
• Nueva Vida Community – Mindful Minds program for Gilroy students and families – $5,000
• One Step Closer Therapeutic Horsemanship – Therapy for military veterans – $5,000
• Operation Freedom Paws – Therapy dog training program – $5,000
• PitStop Outreach – Packaged meals for unhoused residents – $5,000
• Rebekah Children’s Services – Gilroy Trailblazers summer 2026 camp – $5,000
• Rucker School Fifth Grade – Field trip to California Academy of Sciences – $5,000
• Parents Helping Parents – Program for Spanish-speaking parents of children with special needs $5,000
• South County Cal-SOAP – Pre-college programs for GUSD students – $5,000
• YMCA of Silicon Valley – Project Cornerstone – Youth development program – $5,000

Community Solutions – $1,000

Al & Bunny Filice Family Fund

Gilroy Historical Society – $998

Ayer Family Fund

First Tee Silicon Valley – $1,674

Christine and Paul Wheeler Family Fund

DreamPower Horsemanship Foundation – $587

Chuck & Rosemary Anderson Family Fund

Operation Freedom Paws – $669

Don Christopher Fund for CHS

Christopher High School – $106,886

Don & Karen Christopher Fund

South County Community Services – $886

Elan Family Investments Youth Fund

City of Gilroy – Youth Recreation – $1,152

Ernie & Del Filice Family Fund

St. Mary School – $528

Frank Della Maggiora Fund

Canada de los Osos Reserve – $593

Froom Family Fund

Santa Maria Historical Society – $5,502

Gary Filice Memorial Fund

City of Gilroy – Youth Recreation – $1,580

Gilroy Center for the Arts Endowment Fund

Gilroy Arts Alliance – $21,255

Gilroy Dog Park

City of Gilroy – $663

Gilroy Senior Advisory Board Fund

City of Gilroy Senior Programs – $485

Janice and Charles Krahenbuhl Memorial Fund for Student and Teacher Supplies

Rucker Elementary School Parent Club – $887

Jay Minzer & Peter Ciccarelli Memorial Fund

Rebekah Children’s Services, Culinary Program – $760

Kai and Libby Lai Family Fund

Gavilan College Scholarship Program – $3,609

Lai Family Canada de los Osos

Canada de los Osos – $1,076

Peter and Genevieve Blaettler Family Fund

St. Mary School – $1,747

Ray and Frances Lindeleaf Family Fund

Gilroy Historical Society – $6,399

Rudy Melone Fund for Music & the Arts

Gavilan College Music and Arts Program – $2,300

R.J. Dyer Family Fund

Informed Choices – $1,497

St. Mary School Development Foundation Fund

St. Mary School – $1,538

Santos Family Fund

South County Community Services – $1,574

Susie Seledon Literacy Fund

Early Literacy Program – ongoing

Sean Michael Merriman Operation Freedom Paws

Operation Freedom Paws – $3,762

Sean Michael Merriman SJ Family Center Fund

South County Community Services – $14,614

Sean Michael Merriman Youth Rec. Fund

City of Gilroy – Youth Recreation – $3,389

Ann Barham Fund

International Fund for Animal Welfare – $1,549

Ashford Family Fund

Making Gay History, Inc. – $76,415 

Baksa Family Fund

American Association of University Women, Gilroy CA Branch – $1,000

Becker Family Fund

World Food Program – Ukrainian Relief – $876

Bhandal Family Fund

Leadership Gilroy – $544

Bill Anderson Memorial Fund

Rucker Middle School – $760

CamBrink Family Fund

Camp GoBeyond/IBD Summer Camp Foundation – $1,500

Connell Family Music Fund

Starting Arts Music Program – $70,851

Daly-Wallace Family Fund

St. Mary School – $1,299

David & Patty Chantler Family Fund

Town Cats – $533

David Cline Angel’s Fund 

TBD

Dorn Family Fund

Christopher High School Band Boosters – $878

Drewitz Family Fund

Gilroy High School Choir – $806

Filice Family Fund

South County Tail Waggers – $1,900

Habing Family Fund

Susie Seledon Literacy Fund – $1,102

Heinzen Families Fund

Christopher High School Robotics – $1,500

Gilroy High School Athletics Girls Flag Football – $2,500

The Hope Project Fund

Scholarship – $2,551

Gilroy Garlic Festival – $5,000

Informed Choices – $3,350

Chemo Crew – $3,350

Jeff and Jennifer Speno Family Fund

Mission San Juan Bautista Preservation Fund – $1,244

Jeff and Pam Martin Family Fund

Gilroy High School Culinary Program – $3,808

Jerry Anthony Perino Memorial Fund

Gilroy High School FFA – $757

St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital – $700

John and Lee Blaettler Family Fund

Gilroy Historical Society – $5,000

DreamPower Horsemanship – $2,755

Pivotal Connections – $7,450

Katie McKinley Memorial Fund

Accessibility resources for students with disabilities at: 

Academy of Art University in San Francisco – $1,447

Savannah College of Art and Design, Savannah, GA – $1,447 

Kent Family Fund

Community Solutions – $2,411

South County Community Services – $2,411

Kraemer Family Fund

South County Community Services – $1,273

Lai Family Fund

Canada de los Osos Ecological Reserve – $5,046

Margarita Ibarra Memorial Fund

Edward Boss Prado Foundation – $2,326

Michael and Dia Hoshida Family Fund

South County Cal-SOAP – $500

Michael Oshan and Susan Meyers Fund

Community Solutions – $602

Morsili Family Fund

Ladies of Charity – $1,835

Obata Family Fund

Operation Freedom Paws – $607

Patty Filice Family Fund

South County Community Services – $1,912

Peat Family Fund

Gilroy Police Department Therapy Dog Program – $1,212

Robert Barham Fund 

Christopher High School Band Boosters – $1,514

Christopher High School Robotics Club – $500

Ron & Donna Pray Family Fund

Operation Freedom Paws – $877

Sanford Family Fund

TBD

Sharon Albert/Doug Reynolds Fund

Gilroy Arts Alliance – $1,005

Sherri Stuart Family Fund

Maintenance for Moms – $628

Sisters’ Family Fund

Operation Freedom Paws – $1,616

Steve & Teresa Costa Family Fund

Operation Freedom Paws – $902

TEACH Fund

South Valley Basketball Academy – $500

South Valley Middle School Home & School Club – $500

Las Animas Elementary Home & School Club – $500

Christopher High School Athletic Booster Club – $768

The Bress Family Fund

Gilroy High School Ceramics Program – $2,500

The Brothers Fund

Community Solutions – $829

Tim and Janice Filice Family Fund

Gavilan College Education Foundation – $1,800

Susan J. Seledon Endowment Fund

Christopher High School Band Boosters – $2,000

Community Solutions – $2,000

Gavilan College Educational Foundation – $5,000

Gavilan College Higher Aspirations – $5,000

Gilroy Arts Alliance – $2,000

Gilroy High School Culinary Program – $5,000

Gilroy Historical Society Annual Heritage program – $1,000

GUSD middle school instrumental music program – $3,000

MANOS Folklorico Gilroy – $5,000

Poppy Jasper International Film Festival – $2,000

South Valley Symphony – $4,000

St. Mary School – $2,000

6th Street Studios & Art Center – $1,000

VFW, Gilroy Post 6309 – $5,000

Gilroy Historical Society

Gilroy Historical Society – Gilroy Museum – $15,270

Go Kids Fund

Go Kids – $3,243

GUSD Educational Fund

GUSD Scholarship Program – $35,042

Jimmy Hirasaki Fund

Gilroy Japanese Community – $7,549

South Valley Symphony Fund

South Valley Symphony – $10,069

South Valley Symphony Permanent Fund

South Valley Symphony – $853

The following organizations will not be taking a distribution this year: Community Solutions, Gavilan College Educational Foundation, Leadership Gilroy, Mission San Juan Bautista Preservation, Operation Freedom Paws, & South County Community Services. 

Esther Costales Forman Scholarship – $250

Kevin A. “Mike Gilroy Memorial Scholarship – $500

(2) DNJ Nursing Scholarship – $500

Anthony Quartuccio, Jr. South Valley Symphony Scholarship – $500

Leadership Gilroy Scholarship – $500

Jacob Vasquez Memorial Scholarship – $500

Marigold Legacy Scholarship – $750

Valerie Roberts Memorial Scholarship – $750

Alice Sakahara Memorial Scholarship – $750

(2) Alice Sakahara Memorial Scholarship – $250

(5) SakaBozzo Scholarship – $1,000

Robert J. Galaviz Memorial Scholarship – $1,000

(2) Gilroy Assistance League Scholarship – $1,000

(3) Rudy Melone Scholarship – $1,400

(3) Rudy Melone Scholarship – $800

(4) Rudy Melone Scholarship – $500

Richard Nicholls Scholarship – $400

(3) Kai and Libby Lai Family Scholarship – $1,000

(2) Erin Kinkel Scholarship – $1,000

(4) Gelman Family Educational Scholarship – $1,000

(2) MG Constructors & Engineers Scholarship – $1,000

(2) Terri Ortiz Family Scholarship – $1,000

Tom S. and Hedy Obata Memorial Scholarship – $1,000

Sontag Family Scholarship – $1,000

Richard and Jody Corona Memorial Scholarship – $1,000

St. Louise Regional Hospital Scholarship – $1,000

Sorenson Lake Scholarship – $1,000

(2) Sarah Villar Memorial Scholarship – $1,000

(2) “We Are All Connected” Scholarship – $1,000

Sean Michael Merriman Scholarship – $1,000

(8) Don and Karen Christopher Community College Scholarship – $1,000

Kimberly Ordaz Memorial Scholarship – $1,250

Tony Vigna Memorial Scholarship – $1,500

(3) Natalia Salcido Legacy Foundation Scholarships – $2,000

Travis & Megan Graham Family Foundation Scholarship – $2,000

One Life Prints Trade School Scholarship – $2,000

Pat DeLeon Memorial Scholarship – $2,000

Avis and Jan Kelley Memorial Scholarship – $3,000

David & Valerie Vanni Agriculture Education Scholarship – $3,000

(2) Donna and George Archer Scholarship – $1,000

Donna and George Archer Scholarship – $4,000

(2) Dr. Joseph Kraut, Jr. Memorial Medical School Scholarship – $5,000

Ken Christopher Scholarship – $5,000

(4) Don & Karen Christopher Scholarship – $5,000

Bill Christopher Scholar Athlete Scholarship – $10,000

(2) Don and Karen Christopher Scholarship – $10,000

(13) Uvas Creek Scholarships – $20,000

Julio Mata Family Scholarship – $50,000