Cultivating homegrown talent to serve as the next generation of executive directors for community nonprofits in Silicon Valley is challenging, due the high cost of living and lack of resources to run extensive leadership development programs. At the same time, it’s important for agencies critical to the region’s well-being to retain leadership talent rooted in, and reflective of, the communities they serve.

Silicon Valley Next is a new collaborative approach funded by the Heising-Simons Foundation, the Knight Foundation, and the Sobrato Family Foundation to develop the next generation of nonprofit leaders in the South Bay Area.

Run by grantee partner Consulting Within Reach, the program includes a year-long leadership cohort model providing training, executive coaching, funding, and networking to prepare emerging nonprofit leaders. The initial cohort is comprised of 12 emerging leaders nominated by executive directors of agencies critical to the community. The fellows serve in their current organization and have been identified as individuals who could plausibly ascend to a top leadership role in within the next five years.