Congratulations to our 2025 Grant Recipients!

La Ofrenda Festival

Digital Nest

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.

For our Competitive Grant cycle, we received 78 grant applicants, requesting more than $350,000. With limited resources in this category of the Foundation’s charitable giving, it was a challenging task.

• Gilroy Future Farmers of America – iPads for students and enhanced security $2,148.27
• Rod Kelley Parent Club – P.E. equipment for Rod Kelley students $2,233.00
• Bay Area Community Health – Diabetes-related materials $2,300
• Community Solutions – Backpacks for middle and high school students $2,500
• Jacob’s Heart Children’s Cancer Support Services – Art supplies and meals $2,500
• Catholic Charities of Santa Clara County – Support for young women’s health $3,500
• Hope Services – Dance classes for adults with developmental disabilities $4,059.12
• PitStop Outreach – Packaged meals for unhoused residents $5,000
• Quinteto Latino – Partner with Youth Alliance Gilroy to uplift Latino youths’ voices $5,000
• South County Cal-SOAP – Student incentives and marketing materials $5,000
• Unity Care – Move-in supplies for young adults aging out of foster care $5,000
• Child Advocates of Silicon Valley – Enrichment activities for foster youths $ 5,000
• Gilroy High School Culinary Program – Supplies for Culinary Program classes $5,000
• Parents Helping Parents – Program for Spanish-speaking parents of children with special needs $5,000
• 6th Street Studios & Art Center – Free art instruction for at-risk youths $5,000
• Nueva Vida Community – Education tools for “Para Pequenos” program $5,000

PitStop Outreach – $1,500

Gilroy Senior Advisory Board Fund:

City of Gilroy Senior Programs – $445

Ernie & Del Filice Family Fund

St. Mary School – $484

Christine and Paul Wheeler Family Fund

DreamPower Horsemanship Foundation – $538

Frank Della Maggiora Fund

Canada de los Osos – $544

Gilroy Dog Park

City of Gilroy – $607

Chuck & Rosemary Anderson Family Fund

Operation Freedom Paws – $613

Jay Minzer & Peter Ciccarelli Memorial Fund

Rebekah Children’s Services, Culinary Program – $696

Janice Krahenbuhl Memorial Fund

Rucker School – $783

Don & Karen Christopher Fund

South County Compassion Center – $812

Al & Bunny Filice Family Fund

Gilroy Historical Society – $915

Lai Family Canada de los Osos

Canada de los Osos – $988

Elan Family Investments Youth Fund

City of Gilroy – Youth Recreation – $1,057

R.J. Dyer Family Fund

Informed Choices – $1,143

Sorenson Lake Fund

Gavilan College Scholarship Program – $1,000

Gary Filice Memorial Fund

City of Gilroy – Youth Recreation – $1,424

St. Mary School Development Foundation Fund

St. Mary School – $1,404

Santos Family Fund

St. Joseph’s Family Center – $1,443

Ayer Family Fund

First Tee Silicon Valley – $1,535

Peter and Genevieve Blaettler Family Fund

St. Mary School – $1,601

Rudy Melone Fund for Music & the Arts

Gavilan College Music and Arts Program – $2,109

Kai and Libby Lai Family Fund

Gavilan College Scholarship Program – $3,000

Sean Michael Merriman Operation Freedom Paws

Operation Freedom Paws – $3,449

Sean Michael Merriman Youth Rec. Fund

City of Gilroy – Youth Recreation – $11,121

Froom Family Fund

Santa Maria Historical Society – $5,045

Ray and Frances Lindeleaf Family Fund

Gilroy Historical Society – $5,867

Sean Michael Merriman SJ Family Center Fund

St. Joseph’s Family Center – $13,399

Gilroy Center for the Arts Endowment Fund

Gilroy Arts Alliance – $19,487

Don Christopher Fund for CHS

Christopher High School – $97,998

                                              

David & Patty Chantler Family Fund

Operation Freedom Paws – 489

Bhandal Family Fund

Leadership Gilroy – $499

Dorn Family Fund

Christopher High School Band – $804

Michael and Dia Hoshida Family Fund

Cal-SOAP – $500

Michael Oshan and Susan Meyers Fund

Community Solutions – $535

Jack & Atsuko Obata Family Fund

Operation Freedom Paws – $556

Sherri Stuart Family Fund

Afghan Support Network – 576

Tim and Janice Filice Family Fund

Gilroy Assistance League – $500

South County Tail Waggers – $1,174

Sanford Family Fund

To be determined – $686

Bill Anderson Memorial Fund

DreamPower Horsemanship – $733

Drewitz Family Fund

Gilroy High School Choir – $739

The Brothers Fund

Tunnels to Tower Foundation – $749

The Becker Family Fund

World Food Program USA – Ukrainian Relief – $803

Ron & Donna Pray Family Fund

Operation Freedom Paws – $804

Steve & Teresa Costa Family Fund

Operation Freedom Paws – $827

Sisters’ Family Fund

No designation this year

Habing Family Fund

To be determined – $964

Baksa Family Fund

ISPF – AAUW for Gilroy local scholarship – $1,000

Jeff and Jennifer Speno Family Fund

Mission San Juan Bautista Preservation Fund – $1,140

Steve & Jan Peat Family Fund

Operation Freedom Paws – $1,000

Kraemer Family Fund

St. Joseph’s Family Center – $1,167

Daly-Wallace Family Fund

St. Mary School – $1,191

Jerry Anthony Perino Memorial Fund

Gilroy High School – $668

St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital – $668

Sarah Villar Memorial Grant Fund

To be determined – $1,263

CamBrink Family Fund

Food What?! – $1,397

Morsilli Family Fund

Ladies of Charity – $1,544

Patty Filice Family Fund

St. Joseph’s Family Center – $1,753

Susan J. Seledon Endowment Fund

Catholic Charities – $2,000

Community Solutions – $2,000

South County Cal-SOAP – $2,000

Gavilan College Education Foundation – $5,000

Gavilan College, Higher Aspirations Program – $5,000

Gilroy Arts Alliance – $1,000

Gilroy Exchange Club – $4,000

Gilroy Historical Society – $500

CHS/GHS Choir – $1,000

GUSD Middle School Instrumental Music Program – $2,000

GUSD – Christopher High School – $500

GUSD – Gilroy High School – $500

Hope Services – $1,000

MANOS – $1,000

Mt. Madonna YMCA Senior Nutrition Program Gilroy – $5,000

Nueva Vida Community – $2,000

Operation Freedom Paws – $1,000

Poppy Jasper International Film Festival – $2,000

Rebekah Children’s Services – $1,000

Salvation Army – $3,000

St. Joseph’s Family Center – $10,000

South County Tailwaggers – $1,000

South Valley Symphony – $3,000

Veterans of Foreign Wars Post #6309 – $1,000

Ann Barham Fund

Love Has a Home – $690

International Fund for Animal Welfare – $1,000

Robert Barham Fund

To be determined – $1,847

The Filice Family Fund

St. Mary School – $1,761

David Cline Angel’s Fund

Brain Support Network – $1,712

TEACH Fund

To be determined – $1,984

Margarita Ibarra Memorial Fund

The Edward Boss Prado Foundation – $2,118

Katie McKinley Memorial Fund

Serve With These Hands – $2,653

The Bress Family Fund

Gilroy High School Ceramics Program – $3,000

Ashford Family Fund

Scholarships – $3,257

Heinzen Family Fund

St. Mary School – $3,605

Jeff and Pam Martin Family Fund

St. Joseph’s Family Center – $1,164

Community Solutions – $1,164

Kneaded Culinary Academy – $1,164

John & Dolores Kent Family Fund

Christopher High School Athletics Program – $4,229

Lai Family Fund

Canada de los Osos Ecological Reserve – $4,625

John & Lee Blaettler Family Fund

Pivotal Now – $5,000

Gilroy Veterans Hall – $9,368

The Hope Project Fund

Informed Choices – $5,000

Chemo Crew – $5,000

Scholarship – $3,000

Connell Family GUSD Music Fund

Starting Arts Music Program at GUSD – $64,737

South Valley Symphony Permanent Fund

South Valley Symphony – $782

Jimmy Hirasaki Fund

Japanese Community Group – $6,920

South Valley Symphony Fund

South Valley Symphony – $9,230

Gilroy Historical Society

Gilroy Historical Society – Gilroy Museum – $13,999

GUSD Educational Fund

GUSD Scholarship Program – $30,520

Go Kids

Go Kids – $2,973

 

** St. Joseph’s Family Center will not be taking a payout this year **

** Operation Freedom Paws will not be taking a payout this year **

** Gavilan College Education Foundation Fund will not be taking a payout this year **

** Community Solutions will not be taking a payout this year **

** Leadership Gilroy will not be taking a payout this year **

Esther Costales Forman Scholarship – $250

(2) DNJ Nursing Scholarship – $500

Robert J. Galaviz Memorial Scholarship – $500

Kevin A. “Mike” Gilroy Memorial Scholarship – $500

Erin Kinkel Scholarship – $500

(2) Jacob Vasquez Memorial Scholarship – $500

Gilroy Assistance League Scholarship – $500

Marigold Legacy Scholarship – $500

(3) Ashford Family Scholarship – $600

(2) Ashford Family Arts Scholarship – $600

Alice Sakahara Memorial Scholarship – $750

Alice Sakahara Memorial Scholarship – $500

Alice Sakahara Memorial Scholarship – $1,000

(3) SakaBozzo Scholarship – $1,000

(3) Rudy Melone Scholarship – $1,500

(3) Rudy Melone Scholarship – $750

(3) Rudy Melone Scholarship – $500

(3) Rudy Melone Scholarship – $250

(2) Richard Nicholls Scholarship – $250

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

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

Gilroy Foundation Technical Education 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

St. Louise Regional Hospital Scholarship – $1,000

Sorenson Lake Scholarship – $1,000

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

Tony Vigna Memorial Scholarship – $1,200

“We Are All Connected” Scholarship – Amount varies

(10) Sean Michael Merriman Scholarship – $1,000

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

(2) Kimberly Ordaz Memorial Scholarship – $1,250

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

Valerie Roberts Memorial Scholarship – $2,000

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

Richard and Jody Corona Memorial Scholarship – $2,000

One Life Prints Trade School Scholarship – $2,000

Avis and Jan Kelley Memorial Scholarship – $3,000

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

Donna and George Archer Scholarship – $3,000

(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

Don Christopher Scholarship – $20,000

(15) Uvas Creek Scholarships – $20,000

Julio Mata Family Scholarship – $50,000