Lisa Sobrato Sonsini Receives Pivotal's 2026 ECHO Award for Transforming Opportunities for Foster Youth

Longtime board leader and philanthropist honored for helping thousands of young people in and from foster care pursue education, careers, and brighter futures over the past 25 years.

October 8th, 2026 Press Release

SAN JOSE, Calif.– October 12, 2026 – Pivotal, a Silicon Valley nonprofit dedicated to meeting the educational and career needs of young people in and from foster care, has named community leader and philanthropist Lisa Sobrato Sonsini as the recipient of its 2026 Elise Cutini Hope & Opportunity (ECHO) Award.

The ECHO Award recognizes members of the Pivotal community whose commitment has created lasting hope and opportunity for young people in and from foster care. Sonsini is being honored for more than 25 years of board leadership, philanthropy, advocacy, and...

Louise de Putron Donates $1 Million to Pivotal

June 30th, 2025

Press Release

Louise de Putron Donates $1 Million to Pivotal to Transform Lives of Foster Youth through Scholarships and Mental Health Support

San Jose, CA, United States – July 1, 2025 - Pivotal, a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering foster youth with educational and career support, is proud to announce a transformative $1,000,000 donation from businesswoman and philanthropist Louise de Putron. This generous gift will support Pivotal’s existing coaching and scholarship programs over the next three years and establish a new mental health fund to support the mental and emotional wellness of young people from...

September 11th, 2022

Pivotal Launches "On the Move" Initiative to Expand Education and Career Support for Young People from Foster Care

JMT-7233 — Team members and coaches from Pivotal, PlanITROI/Digital Dreams Project, and Acer

May 24th, 2022

PlanITROI and its Digital Dreams Project Partner with Acer to Donate 100 Laptops to Pivotal for Foster Youth

NEWS PROVIDED BY

Acer

May 23, 2022, 11:00 ET

Acer Aspire 1 laptops were awarded to all of Pivotal's graduating seniors at an event held last week; additional laptops were provided for Pivotal's Emergency Assistance Fund

SAN JOSE, Calif., May 23, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- PlanITROI and its Digital Dreams Project joined with Acer to donate 100 Aspire 1 laptops to Pivotal, Silicon Valley's only nonprofit focused exclusively on the education and career needs of foster youth. At a celebration...

March 30th, 2021

Pivotal Receives $250,000 from Jack Dorsey's #StartSmall

Pivotal, the only nonprofit in Silicon Valley focused exclusively on meeting the educational and career needs of foster youth, has received a $250,000 donation from #StartSmall, Jack Dorsey’s philanthropic initiative.

The donation will support Pivotal’s mission to change the trajectory of the lives of foster youth by helping them reach academic and employment goals. Through one-on-one coaching, college scholarships and academic tutoring, paid summer internships, and professional...

February 26th, 2020

Upwork Foundation Awards Pivotal $50,000 Grant to Support Foster Youth in Silicon Valley

SAN JOSE, Calif. – February 25, 2020 - Pivotal, a nonprofit headquartered in San Jose, California, announced today it is the proud recipient of a $50,000 grant from The Upwork Foundation. The goal of the foundation's inaugural funding initiative is to help those who are at risk of being left behind by the Fourth Industrial Revolution. The award supports Pivotal’s Path to Self-Sufficiency for Foster Youth Program, which provides academic and employment coaching to over 300 high...

December 12th, 2018

20-year old Silicon Valley non-profit looks to the future with new brand and campaign.

SAN JOSE, Calif. – November 13, 2018 – Silicon Valley Children’s Fund and TeenForce announced today their new brand, Pivotal. With the new name and brand, comes a new vision for success. Pivotal – a name chosen to highlight its role in the lives of the foster youth it serves - has its eyes set on meeting the educational and employment needs of at least 80% of the foster youth in Silicon Valley by 2023.

Its ‘This is Pivotal’ online campaign, which was launched on the same day as the new brand, is designed to raise public awareness for foster youth, and give a nod to the sense of urgency with which its dedicated staff works to provides services to young people during the most critical – or pivotal – time in their lives.

May 2nd, 2017

Silicon Valley Children's Fund and TeenForce to merge

Two leading non-profits unite to address the education and employment crisis facing foster youth

Silicon Valley Children’s Fund (SVCF) and TeenForce announced today that they will merge to form a powerful organization committed to providing ten years of education and employment support to all foster youth ages 14-24 in Silicon Valley. The merger comes at a critical time. Only 3% of foster youth graduate from college and 75% have little to no work experience by age 18. Without the right supports in place, 40% of foster youth will experience homelessness within 18 months of emancipating from foster care.

“Every decision we make is driven by the needs of our foster youth. When the students we serve tell us that education alone isn’t enough, we look for innovative ways to bridge the gap to employment. That’s why this merger between SVCF and TeenForce makes so much sense,” said Elise Cutini, CEO of SVCF.