Zulema Garibo is among the nearly 700 students who have been awarded a college grant from the nonprofit Pursuit of Excellence, which received a grant from the Palo Alto Weekly Holiday Fund in 2022. Courtesy Carol Mullin.

'An incredible gift': Anonymous donor gives $350,000 to Holiday Fund
Palo Alto Weekly and Almanac charity drives benefit for second year in a row

by Palo Alto Weekly staff / Palo Alto Weekly

AAfter making the largest-ever donation to the Palo Alto Weekly Holiday Fund and Almanac Holiday Fund in 2021 — $350,000 — an anonymous Silicon Valley philanthropist this week repeated the act of generosity.

The philanthropist has given $250,000 to the Weekly's and $100,000 to the Almanac's charitable programs, which benefit local nonprofits providing vital services to children, families and other individuals in need.

The donor made the contributions through the Silicon Valley Community Foundation and has asked to remain anonymous.

"We were holding our collective breath as to whether this incredible gift would repeat this year after being shocked to receive it last year," said Bill Johnson, chairman of Embarcadero Media, which organizes the annual giving drives and is the parent company of the Weekly and the Almanac.

"To say we are humbled by this donor's generosity and belief in the concept of community giving through our Holiday Fund is a huge understatement," Johnson said. "Thanks to these and other donations large and small, we are on our way to another record-breaking year of giving."

Last year, the holiday giving drives of the Weekly, the Almanac and their sister site, the Mountain View Voice , raised and granted more than $1.1 million, an all-time record. Key programs at 94 nonprofit agencies benefited.

Embarcadero Media and the Silicon Valley Community Foundation absorb all of the costs of administering the program so that every dollar that is donated is distributed without any overhead or expenses deducted.

In addition to individual gifts from community members, the Holiday Fund program has enjoyed ongoing support from the Packard and Hewlett foundations, the Peery and Arrillaga foundations and several other family foundations. Proceeds from the annual Palo Alto Weekly Moonlight Run, which is held in the fall and has become one of Palo Alto's largest community events, benefit the Holiday Fund.