Cisco Foundation
Social innovators multiply our impact
The Cisco Foundation was established in 1997 by a gift from Cisco. Cisco and the Cisco Foundation partner with nonprofits, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and community-based organizations to carry out many of our Corporate Social Responsibility programs.
Vision and mission
The Cisco Foundation collaborates with nonprofit and non-governmental organizations around the world to develop technology-based solutions in our investment areas. We focus this work on underserved communities and look for solutions that harness the power of the Internet and communications technology.
- Investment areas: We focus our support where we can make the biggest impact—crisis response, education, and economic empowerment.
- Support for nonprofits: We make strategic grants to programs with long-lasting impact on a local, national, and global scale.
- Engaged employees: We empower employees to give more by matching their donations and making cash donations when they volunteer.
Strategy for social investment
A distinct legal entity, the Cisco Foundation makes cash grants by invitation to nonprofit and non-governmental organizations according to criteria and guidelines aligned with Cisco Foundation's strategic priorities.
- Global Impact Cash Grants: Designed to multiply the impact of eligible organizations around the globe with national or multinational operations.
- Bay Area Community Impact Grants: Support Bay Area programs within a 50-mile radius of our San Jose, California, headquarters.
Innovation and change
At Cisco, we truly partner with our grantees. We work with you to build capacity around measuring outcomes. Measuring the impact of a program or partner is essential to sustaining and improving programs. We have helped small nonprofits become global providers of innovative social services, and we provide our expertise to help them manage the investment.
Foundation Leadership
Executive Director: Charu Adesnik
Board of Trustees:
- Larry Carter, Board Member Emeritus, Cisco Foundation
- Mary de Wysocki, Senior Vice President and Chief Sustainability Officer, Cisco
- Guy Diedrich, Senior Vice President, Country Digitization, Cisco
- Saidah Grayson Dill, Vice President, Legal, and Deputy General Counsel, Cisco
- Rob Johnson, Senior Vice President, Global Tax and Customs Administration, Cisco
- Naveen Menon, Vice President, Global 5G/Edge Offers, Cisco
- John Morgridge, Board Chair, Cisco Foundation
- John Rivers, Vice President, Global Services Sales, Cisco
- Alba San Martin, Senior Director, Latin America Partner Organization, Cisco
- Agostino Santoni, Vice President, EMEAR South, Cisco
- Brian Tippens, Senior Vice President and Chief Social Impact Officer, Cisco
IRS Form Return of Private Foundation (990PF)
Download the Cisco Systems Foundation's IRS 990PF reports in PDF format: