One of the leading philanthropic organizations supporting arts and culture in San Jose recently invested the $6.9 million necessary to energize the “La Placita” cultural district.

Metro Silicon Valley Columnist Gary Singh described the project as “a massively overdue community development,” spearheaded by The School of Arts and Culture at Mexican Heritage Plaza to highlight the character of East San Jose.

Program director Allan Madoc said he knows the funding will go a long way, as the Knight Foundation’s goal remains advancing cultural vibrancy, economic mobility and resilience. La Placita sits along the Alum Rock Avenue corridor.

“I see East San Jose as a parallel market to Downtown,” Maddoc told San Jose Inside.

“It’s not purely an art play, to be quite frank. Obviously art is one of our pillars but we look at the overall strategy and The School of Arts and Culture — and La Placita covers a lot of what we’re trying to advance — particularly around cultural vibrancy.”

The School of Arts and Culture director Jessica Paz-Cedillos previously said the cultural district was a passion project of the late cultural entrepreneur Chris Esparza. School leaders planned for years to transform the 28,000-square-foot strip mall into a community hub, including a black box theater and a cafe, plus more health care services and nutrition programs.

“There’s a component to actually grow the School of Arts and Culture as well,” Madoc said. “It’s not just a pure capital, building or work play — it’s a people play as well.”

As the foundation’s largest West Coast investment, he acknowledged the donation goes a long way in promoting the East San Jose revitalization plan championed by local elected officials and business leaders.

Madoc said another example of the foundation’s focus on economic vibrancy includes a $2 million donation earlier this year to Plug and Play — a company “fostering innovation and economic growth in San Jose.”

The grant is part of a private-philanthropic partnership supporting the development of a collaborative AI ecosystem known as the San Jose AI Center of Excellence. He said they are supportive of Mayor Matt Mahan’s mission to make San Jose the AI center of Silicon Valley.

Madoc wouldn’t spill the beans on the next San Jose project destined for Knight Foundation funding, but he said they have a “pretty clear thematic” in terms of the institution’s direction in downtown and East San Jose.

“The most important thing is around economic mobility, resilience, and more specifically, around the future work,” he said.

“If you look at San Jose as a collective, particularly for Downtown, we are not in a position as a viable alternative to San Francisco or to the Peninsula. So we should actually make sure to act very intentionally.”