Gil Alvarado: Using All Our Resources to Benefit the Community

About this episode

Gil Alvarado discusses how the Prebys Foundation utilizes its resources to support community well-being and economic opportunity in San Diego.

Gil Alvarado is the Chief Financial and Investment Officer (CFIO) of the Prebys Foundation, where he helps steward a $1.2 billion portfolio with an eye toward both strong returns and strong community benefit. A national thought partner in mission-aligned investing, Gil brings an entrepreneurial mindset to philanthropy—designing funds, partnerships, and investment strategies that help fuel innovation, expand opportunity, and strengthen San Diego’s long-term resilience. This Episode: How can a foundation use the full breadth of its resources to support a thriving region? Grant and Gil unpack how the foundation’s investment strategy works in tandem with its grantmaking to advance health, creativity, and economic opportunity in San Diego. Gil explains how the $50 million Prebys Venture Fund backs early-stage life science and tech companies; why investments in affordable housing, small-business lending, and civic revitalization expand what’s possible for the region; and how patient capital (long-term investment) lets a foundation take the long view on challenges like climate resilience and the blue economy. This episode offers an accessible look at how financial strategy, mission, and…

People in this episode

Host: Grant Oliphant

Guest: Gil Alvarado

Topics covered

• impact investing
• philanthropy
• community benefit
• economic opportunity
• affordable housing
• venture funding

Keywords

• impact investing
• Prebys Foundation
• community resilience
• venture fund
• affordable housing
• small-business lending
• patient capital
• climate resilience

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Prebys Foundation, Prebys Venture Fund

Places: San Diego, California

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