Silicon Valley Allied for the Common Good (SVACG), formerly known as Silicon Valley Sponsoring Committee, is a nonprofit community organization sponsored by the Industrial Areas Foundation, serving in the Bay Area. (COPA is a fellow IAF organization currently serving Monterey, Santa Cruz and San Benito Counties in our diocese.)  SVACG currently has 21 Santa Clara County members, including civic associations, faith-based organizations, and nonprofits. The mission of SVACG is to train and empower community members to share the stories of how their living situations are providing serious challenges with people who have power to make changes.  Relationships are developed directly with such local power brokers as County Council members, State legislative representatives, local mayors, etc.  The end result is that power is shared, and positive results happen.     

SVACG, through its members working in partnership, strive to develop both leadership capacity and strategies to solve broad-based Silicon Valley issues identified by the local community members.  SVACG conducts community conversations to listen and hear what community issues are needing attention, and then the members work together with local power-brokers to find solutions. The members develop strong relationships with each other and with the local leaders in power positions in their communities. SVACG’s goal is to effect positive change in Silicon Valley on a larger scale than individual organizations could do alone.  Their work is done respecting the dignity of every human being and with the hope of developing good relationships with people who have the power to make change.

SVACG had its Founding Convention at the Santa Clara Convention Center on November 3, 2024, after sixyears of work to create a strong community organization for Santa Clara County.  More than 785 people attended the convention.  SVACG receives funding from its members and from granting agencies such as the Catholic Campaign for Human Development, Silicon Valley Community Foundation, the Grove Foundation, and the Episcopal Diocese of El Camino Real.  Episcopal church members in the Bay Area include All Saints, Palo Alto and St. Jude’s Episcopal Church, Cupertino.  Santa Maria Urban Ministry in San Jose is also a member.  Other denominations and faiths represented include Presbyterian, Lutheran, Methodist, Jewish and Roman Catholic congregations throughout Santa Clara County.

SVACG’s primary work in 2025 will be holding community conversations within the various regions of Santa Clara County.  Anna Eng, a Senior Lead Organizer from the Industrial Areas Foundation (IAF), led an initial training program on how to hold a successful House Meeting on  January 26, 2024 at Christ the Good Shephard Lutheran church in San Jose.  Representatives from All Saints, St. Jude’s and Santa Maria Urban Ministry attended to learn about these community conversations and how to get involved.  The choices for action for SVACG are taken from these community House Meetings, where people share the issues which are affecting their families, friends, co-workers, etc.

Issues that are expected to rise to the forefront include affordable housing, access to medical care, ways to address the needs of the unhoused, the current immigration issues, and other community concerns.  Please contact Bill Steigelmann, wsteigelmann@yahoo.com of the Social Justice Committee for more information about SVACG. 

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