The Castellano Family Foundation (CFF) was a Santa Clara County-based non-profit organization founded by Alcario ("Al") and Carmen Castellano in 2002. In 2001, Al Castellano won the California Lottery's biggest prize money at the time, and at Carmen's urging, subsequently dedicated a large portion of the winnings to establish the CFF. Prior to winning the lottery, Al and Carmen were active volunteers, community advocates, and donors to projects and organizations dedicated to the Latinx communities of Silicon Valley and the greater Bay Area. Records of Carmen and Al's pre-lottery-win volunteer and advocacy work can be found within this collection in folders dated before 2001. The lottery win ensured that the Castellano family could engage in greater philanthropic efforts in order to benefit their community. During its 21 years of existence, the CFF provided over $10 million in support to grantees in the areas of art, education, and leadership development, largely focused on Santa Clara County and the surrounding areas.

Carmen Castellano was instrumental in ensuring that diversity, equity, and inclusion were at the forefront of the foundation's philanthropy, often calling out potential grantees when their boards lacked diversity. Latinx people make up 25% of the population of Silicon Valley, yet this community continues to be underrepresented within local philanthropy. The CFF's "nonprofit grantees address entrenched socioeconomic inequities, expand opportunity, and sustain and celebrate the culture and traditions of the Latinx community. From providing scholarship and leadership development programs for Latinx youth to supporting Latinx artists and arts organizations, their impact on the local Latinx community is profound, enriching day-to-day life and fostering long-term, structural change." (Source: https://castellano-ff.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/2023-CFF-Event-TakeAway_8.5x11_Linked.pdf)

In 2018, the CFF created an outreach campaign designed to “surface the voices and experiences of Silicon Valley Latinx leaders and nonprofits. More than 65 local Latinx-led, Latinx-focused grantee organizations participated in convenings and one-on-one listening sessions, contributing their unique perspectives, lived experience, and expertise to the resulting “Blueprint for Change” report.” In 2021, following the creation of the Blueprint for Change (BfC) report, the CFF partnered with the Silicon Valley Community Foundation (SVCF) on the LatinXCEL Fund, which uses the BfC report to inform leadership investment, organizational development, collaboration, and funding to local Latinx organizations. Additionally, as part of the sunsetting of the CFF, the Castellano family opened an endowment fund with the Silicon Valley Community Foundation, cementing their continued support of the Latinx population of Silicon Valley. The records of these endeavors are contained in the CFF Papers and described below.

In 2012, Al and Carmen's children, Carmela Castellano-Garcia, Armando Castellano, and Maria West joined the CFF as trustees. Other Castellano family members also stepped in to work at the foundation, including their son-in-law Jeff West, and granddaughter Christina West-Bieg. The CFF employed Angie Briones from 2012 to 2022 in the role of Director of Grantmaking and Strategic Initiatives, and Sandra González Murillo as Assistant. Organizations that were given grants, sponsorships, and donations by the CFF include Cashion Cultural Legacy/Los Lupeños de San José; the Chicana Latina Foundation; the Hispanic Foundation of Silicon Valley; Movimiento de Arte y Cultura Latino Americana (MACLA); People Acting in Community Together (PACT); the School of Arts and Culture at the Mexican Heritage Plaza; and Somos Mayfair, among many others. The full list of grantees is detailed within this Finding Aid.