The Y & H Soda Foundation is committed to the principle that everyone has a basic human right to adequate food, shelter, and safety.

A person or family cannot fully participate and prosper in society unless their basic needs have first been met; strong and accessible safety net services are a necessary precondition for poverty alleviation.  

We created our Safety Net Innovation Fund to support innovative, collaborative approaches to safety net service delivery and poverty prevention. The goal of the Fund is to re-envision the traditional model of a "net" that catches people when they fall into a “springboard” that both catches people and also propels them upwards toward self-sufficiency. We recognize that the philanthropic community has an important role to play in partnering with other sectors in addressing the root causes of poverty and therefore commit to using both our financial and human capital to strengthening the social safety net in the East Bay.

Note: We define safety net issues as hunger/food security, shelter/housing, domestic and family violence, and economic security.