Palo Alto Weekly Launches $700,000 Holiday Fund
The 2026 campaign seeks to raise $700,000 for Peninsula nonprofits, with matching grants doubling every community contribution.
Updated on Nov. 13, 2026 in Philanthropy
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Palo Alto Weekly has launched its 2026 Holiday Fund campaign with a $700,000 fundraising goal to support local nonprofits serving youth, families and others in need on the Peninsula. Every community contribution will be doubled through matching grants from the Packard and Hewlett foundations and several family foundations.
Why it matters
The fund distributes grants to local organizations each spring, giving Palo Alto and Peninsula residents a direct way to support community services. Because administrative costs are covered, every dollar donated reaches the nonprofits.
The campaign carries a $700,000 goal, and last year the Weekly, Mountain View Voice and Menlo Park Almanac funds together distributed over $1.2 million in grants. Grants each spring range from $1,000 to $30,000, and 100% of donations are passed on to nonprofits.
The players
Palo Alto Weekly
A local newspaper serving Palo Alto and the surrounding Peninsula communities, which runs the Holiday Fund alongside the Mountain View Voice and Menlo Park Almanac.
Packard Foundation
A private philanthropic foundation based in California that provides matching grants supporting community and conservation initiatives.
Hewlett Foundation
A California-based philanthropic foundation that provides matching grants to nonprofit organizations across the Bay Area and beyond.
The details
Tax-deductible donations can be made online by credit card or mailed to 2345 Yale St., Palo Alto 94306, in one's own name, in honor or memory of someone, or anonymously. More than 100 nonprofits apply each year, and their applications are reviewed by a committee of current and retired Palo Alto Weekly employees led by Bill Johnson.
Timeline
Campaign kicks off this week, on November 13, 2026.
Holiday Fund campaign runs through mid-January 2027.
Grants are distributed each spring to selected organizations.
Market Landscape
The Holiday Fund has operated for 33 years, and its 2026 campaign aims to make this year a record-breaking one for grantmaking. Its matching-grant structure from the Packard and Hewlett foundations positions it alongside major Bay Area philanthropic funders.
Readers can donate online by credit card or by mail to 2345 Yale St., Palo Alto 94306, and every gift is tax-deductible. Because the matching grants double each contribution, a donation made now carries twice its face value toward local nonprofits.
The takeaway
Donations to the Holiday Fund are doubled by matching grants, so a gift made during the campaign reaches local nonprofits at twice its value. Giving before the mid-January 2027 close maximizes the impact on Peninsula organizations.
What happens next
Grants from the 2026 campaign will be distributed to selected nonprofits in spring 2027, and the campaign closes in mid-January 2027.
Further reading
Explore more local giving stories in Philanthropy coverage.
More information
Give through the Palo Alto Weekly Holiday Fund online donation page.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Palo Alto Online.
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