Give Where You Live

2025 Grant Recipients
Congratulations to our 2025 Grant Recipients!
2025 Julie Hayes Performing Arts $10,000 Competitive Grant
La Ofrenda Festival
2025 Richard Hayes Industrial Arts $10,000 Competitive Grant
Digital Nest
2025 Gilroy Foundation Competitive Grant Winners: $64,240.39
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
2025 Gilroy Foundation’s Youth Board: $1,500
PitStop Outreach – $1,500
2025 Designated Grant Total: $179,975
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
2025 Donor-Advised Grant Total: $214,359
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
2025 Nonprofit Investment Partners Disbursals: $64,424
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 **
2025 Total Scholarships: $511,200
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