Partner Highlight: Holly Levow
In this continuing series, we are highlighting Partners and the skills they bring to the SVP Portland Partnership.
Holly Levow is originally from Silverton, Oregon before moving to California where she received a BS, JD, and MBA from Santa Clara University. She used to spend her days at Bay Area high technology start-up companies “wearing many hats.”
Holly and her husband Zach were already in the SVP network before moving to Portland, serving as Partners at SV2, the Silicon Valley SVP affiliate. They joined SVP Portland in February of 2014, and since then Holly has been the Lead Partner with our long-time Community Partner Latino Network.
Holly founded a Portland boutique named Foundation, which combines her passions for fashion and philanthropy. Each quarter, they select a nonprofit whose mission speaks to them, and they donate 100% of the profits earned to the organization. (SVP Portland was one such recipient in 2018.) Holly is also the co-founder of Equitas Entertainment Partners, a mission-driven film production company focused on rebalancing the gender pay inequity in the entertainment industry, fostering a diverse work environment, and creating social impact.
Q: What has inspired you to be an engaged philanthropist?
A: Having children has definitely inspired me to be an engaged philanthropist! As a mother, it’s very important for me to not only model the behavior I would like my children to follow, but to also try to create an even better world for them to thrive in.
Q: What do you value about SVP, and why did you join?
A: I greatly value that it truly feels like a partnership with our Community Partners. We not only provide dollars, but valuable expertise to help the organizations grow and ultimately affect even more change in the community. Having experienced being on the receiving end of venture funding during my time working in startup companies in Silicon Valley, the idea of using a similar model in the philanthropic world resonated with me and I wanted to get involved.
Q: Are there ways that SVP has changed you?
A: SVP has definitely changed me for the better. With SVP Portland's focus on early childhood education and closing the opportunity gap for priority populations*, I'm constantly getting educated on and learning how to advocate for our most vulnerable children and their basic right to access quality education.
Once I had a chance to understand the issues and challenges faced by so many of the children in our community, it was easy to see how these inequalities are perpetuated throughout their education. This knowledge motivates me to do my part to change the system and champion those that are modeling good solutions. SVP has given me the space and opportunity to learn about, be sensitive to, and work with differing perspectives and lived experiences. This has allowed me to grow as an individual and community member.
Personal growth and amplified impact are two things I'm constantly striving for -- and SVP provides the perfect opportunity for both. Whether it's through experience working with our Community Partners or training provided for SVP Partners, there is always an opportunity to learn and grow.
Q: What do you like to do in your free time?
A: In my free time, I like to spend time traveling with my family and exploring new cultures, and (hopefully) opening my mind to new ways of thinking.
Q: What are you most proud of as a Partner?
A: I've had the privilege of working beside our Community Partner, Latino Network, for the past seven years as Lead Partner and am so very excited for their tremendous growth. They continue to adapt and elevate their approach to serve and lift up their Latinx community members. I hope to continue to support Latino Network's growth in the community with some big initiatives they have planned for the near future.
*Priority populations: children experiencing poverty, children of color, and children whose home language is not English are the most underserved populations.