Governance

The Great Communities Collaborative is overseen by a Funders Network, comprised of community, local, and national foundations that provide long-term vision, strategic direction, and priority-setting for GCC. The Funders Network also works to broaden the role of foundations in systems change around transportation, transit-oriented development, housing, and community development funding. 

Current Funders

• The California Endowment
• The Grove Foundation
• Lisa and Douglas Goldman Fund
• JP Morgan Chase
• The David and Lucile Packard Foundation
• San Francisco Foundation (Co-Chair)
• Silicon Valley Community Foundation (Co-Chair)
• The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation
• Strong Prosperous and Resilient Communities Challenge (SPARCC)*

*SPARCC is a national three-year, $90 million initiative. GCC’s SPARCC work is a collaborative effort between GCC, the 6 Wins for Social Equity Network (6 Wins), and the Bay Area Regional Health Inequities Initiative (BARHII).

Staff

Ricardo G. Huerta Niño, Senior Initiative Officer

As the Senior Initiative Officer, Ricardo leads the GCC in strategy development and partnership to move the region toward a more equitable and sustainable Bay Area where low-income and communities of color can stay in place and thrive. He works together with funders, non-profits, and public sector partners to identify, implement, and leverage policy and financing strategies in the region. In addition, Ricardo leads GCC’s fundraising and development strategy, manages convenings and funder network meetings, and works to build greater alignment across partners. Before coming to GCC, Ricardo was working as a consultant to nonprofits, local governments, regional agencies, and philanthropic foundations. His most recent work was as a consultant for city planning and community engagement focused on racial equity, housing, transportation, workforce development, and pandemic response efforts. Ricardo served as Policy Director for Collective Impact in the Mayor’s Office in Oakland, leading multi-sector collaborative projects focused on education and youth development. His earlier experience includes working in philanthropy as a program officer and consultant focused on a range of issues including immigrant and refugee rights, environmental justice, leadership development, and criminal justice reform.

Bianca Juarros, Associate Initiative Officer

Miguel Albarran Fernandez, Initiative Associate

Miguel is GCC’s Initiative Associate and the newest member of the team. He has a background in community organizing. He started organizing as an undergraduate at UC Santa Barbara, where his studies and involvement on and off campus fomented his commitment to social change. Most recently, that commitment led him to work as Lead Labor Rights Organizer for the Day Labor Program and La Colectiva in San Francisco. There, he led leadership development programs for low-income workers, crafted labor rights trainings for members, and actively supported campaigns that aimed to advance the rights of domestic workers and day laborers. Grounded in his lived experience as an immigrant from a working-class family, he is excited to bring his passion and commitment to social change to SFF and the field of philanthropy. In his free time, Miguel enjoys exploring hikes and learning the craft of songwriting.

Impact

To assess the impact of our work, GCC has worked closely with evaluators over the years.  We’re currently working with Mesu Strategies and using a learning and assessment approach to support our work and our partners. Review the first summary of results here:

GCC 2019 Network Member Survey Results

Previously, ICF International helped assess our success in our first ten years. To learn more, please download and read summaries of ICF’s work:

GCC Evaluation 2014 Interim Report: Moving Forward to Implementation
GCC Evaluation 2015 Interim Report: Advancing Equitable Growth