As many local nonprofits grapple with slashed funding from Santa Clara County – including Mountain View-based Community Services Agency – money awarded to some local agencies by the Los Altos Mountain View Community Foundation (LAMVCF) comes at a time of need.
The LAMVCF, a local, self-proclaimed “philanthropic hub” for local philanthropy founded in 1991, awarded approximately $150,000 to 18 local nonprofits. The nonprofits, which help communities across Los Altos, Los Altos Hills and Mountain View, tackle a wide breadth of issues, including education, food access, housing, mental health and other programs.
Tom Myers, CSA executive director, told the Town Crier Thursday that the funds come at an important time.
“We have been told by not just the county, but by several funders, to be expecting budget cuts,” he said in a phone call. “And today, we finally got some significant news from the county, significant meaning that there are definitely going to be cuts coming in county funding for all programs throughout the county, and so we are definitely in need of donation.”
The Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors announced in February that it projects a $470 million deficit for the upcoming fiscal year, caused by federal budget cuts and funding changes imposed by federal budget bill H.R.1.
Approved July 4, 2025, the bill cuts money to safety-net programs like CalFresh and Medi-Cal while also posing fiscal challenges for public hospital systems like Santa Clara Valley Healthcare.
Paired with “state funding decisions, labor agreements, benefit costs, and other economic factors could deepen that shortfall,” according to a county press release; budget cuts were expected.
“We don’t have specifics at this point. We do know that certain programs are under consideration for funding cuts, and some of those programs include our homelessness prevention programs – so rental assistance, utility assistance and things like that,” Myers said. “We also know that funding cuts are going to be coming to other ancillary programs too, things like our programs that we do around outreach and education. We’re ready to go into a time where donations from groups like the Los Altos Mountain View Community Foundation are significant.”
Approximately $10,000 was awarded each to CSA, Mentor Tutor Connection, Hope’s Corner, Inc., Science is Elementary, Mountain View Community Land Trust, Living Classroom, the Day Worker Center of Mountain View, Grassroots Ecology and Canopy.
Approximately $7,500 was awarded each to The United Effort Organization, Counseling and Support Services for Youth, Momentum for Health, Hope Services and Hidden Villa.
And $5,000 each was awarded to Community School of Music and Arts, Friends of Deer Hollow Farm, Silicon Valley Bicycle Exchange and the Los Altos Library Endowment.
