By preserving, protecting, and producing more affordable housing for all, we can help build healthier, more diverse communities.
CZI | How We Support Our Community
We work to build an equitable, inclusive, and just California full of opportunity, where everyone and every community has the power to shape their future.
Community & Housing Affordability
Our Emergent Approach to Housing Narrative Investments
Read the Brief
“The Bay Area is such a special place, but it’s also facing big challenges. The future of our community depends on our ability to ensure that everyone can live, work, and succeed here.”
Our Work in the Community
Our work is rooted in strong collaborations and partnerships with the community. We work closely with local organizations that are activating community-centered solutions to address housing affordability, homelessness, education, and more; and that are building community power. We also connect organizations and leaders so that they can work together, share knowledge, and identify collaborative responses to issues facing the community.
Community Capacity Building
Capacity building helps organizations build resilience, adaptability, and effectiveness. Equipped with additional knowledge and resources, nonprofits can adjust or scale their work, support and grow their teams, develop and deepen relationships with partners, and plan for the future. Working together with local experts and our grant partners, we co-design and host capacity building programs that connect nonprofit leaders and support organizational and leader development. At the center of this work is community and collaboration — creating space for organizations to connect and align on shared issues and opportunities for partnership and growth together.
“It is a joy for us to educate all children, as we take great pride when our students conquer challenging material and gain the knowledge and new skills needed for their successful future.”
“We’re working to ensure people are healthy, employed, and housed. From showers to shelter, we’re rebuilding lives in East Palo Alto.”
“The community we serve doesn't have to feel that their legal status or income or family situation has anything to do with accessing what they need and what their children need too.”
“Equity in our community is about ensuring access — from transportation and housing to culturally sensitive and linguistically appropriate health services.”
“We’re building permanent housing that gets people off the streets and keeps them housed, while at the same time developing the tools, so our community can make investments based on data and positive outcomes.”
News & Stories
Interested in learning more about our work in the Bay Area? Get the latest information from the links below.
Meet Our Team
Meet Our Team
“Impact is made when you can authentically connect with the communities you want to serve to find solutions and chart a path forward together. Although this can be hard to measure, by cultivating deeper engagement with our partners they can tell us what’s working and what’s not. It’s a lot more powerful to hear from our communities and work towards a shared vision of success.”
Community Team
Ruby Bolaria Shifrin
Vice President, Head of Community
Robert Avruch
Senior Program Officer, Housing Affordability
Amaya Bravo-France
Program Officer, Housing Affordability
Rosa Cabrera
Senior Program Officer, Community
Xiomara Cisneros
Senior Program Officer, Housing Affordability
Elisa Espinoza
Program Officer, Community
Tyrone Fleurizard
Senior DEI Program and Operations Specialist
Cassey Gatchalian
Executive Assistant and Logistics Coordinator, Community
Michelle Kai
Senior Program Officer, Housing Affordability
Jennifer Martinez
Policy Director, Housing Affordability
Jane Packer
Director, Communications, Community
Joseph Prado
Executive Assistant, Community
Alma Pulido
Program Officer, Community Affairs, Community
Thato Ramoabi
DEI Director, Racial Equity Grantmaking
Tatiana Sanchez-Rivera
Manager, Communications, Community
Kevin Schuster
Senior Manager, Housing Affordability
Jessica Schwartz
Program Operations Manager, Community
Curtis Yancy
Director, Local Impact, Community
Get in Touch
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Community Team
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Community Space Request
Interested in using the Community Space for an event or gathering?
Contact the
Community Team
Get in touch
Contact the Community Team
To contact the Community team, please complete this form.
Community Space Request
Interested in using the Community Space for an event or gathering?
Community Space Request
Use the form below to submit an event request.
A member of the CZI team will reach out within two weeks of your request to provide a status update.
To book the Community Space for an event, please email CommunitySpace@chanzuckerberg.com
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