Our Foundation

Just four years after the creation of successful online advertising company Vantage Media, the multi-million dollar sale of the business left an opportunity to set aside a large endowment to support the DiPaola Family's charitable ventures. Their passions and deep commitment to philanthropy were combined and brought to life an active civic involvement with non-profit organizations and gifts to fund innovative programs that benefit a wide range of charitable causes.

The DiPaola Foundation was founded with the belief that it is important to give back early; support the community now rather than waiting until later in life to begin giving. With a keen eye for innovation, the DiPaola Foundation hopes to do more than simply support non-profits. The foundation seeks to invest in new ideas that make can make an impact on the world.

To date, the DiPaola Foundation has granted millions of dollars to organizations across nearly every sector, with a focus on education, the environment and community services.

Trustees

Mark DiPaola

In 2001, Mark founded Vantage Media, a pioneer in cost-per-acquisition search engine marketing. By focusing on the burgeoning online education market, Mark grew Vantage into one of the largest and most successful operations of its kind, ranking #31 in the Inc. 500, and #1 on the Deloitte & Touche Fast 50. In 2007, Mark sold Vantage to a group of private equity firms.

In 2010, he founded CheckPoints, now called inMarket, with his brother Todd. Today, inMarket is a leader in digital advertising for the physical world, with over 50 million monthly users monthly, and advertisers which include nearly every major CPG brand.

Mark was named an Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Finalist, and received the Award for Excellence in Achievement by a Young Alumnus from his alma mater, UC Berkeley. He delivered the Haas School of Business commencement address in 2015.

Mark is on the Advisory Board for The Boys and Girls Club of Santa Monica and is actively involved in helping youth pursue entrepreneurial and business skills.

Todd Dipaola

Todd Dipaola is a co-founder and President of InMarket LLC. After an early career spanning both venture finance and philanthropy, Mr. Dipaola co-founded performance marketing agency Vantage Media and served as its CFO. He architected Vantage’s core search optimization technology allowing the company to manage millions of keywords in realtime and scale across verticals. Under his tenure, Vantage became #31 in the Inc 500 list and was named the fastest growing technology company in Los

Angeles by Deloitte and Touche's Fast 50. At age 27, upon negotiating a private equity exit transaction valued at over $150 million, Mr. DiPaola spearheaded the creation of the DiPaola Foundation, which has been featured in Entrepreneur Magazine, to work on environmental and systemic issues. In addition to angel investing and new online ventures, he serves on several boards including the Los Angeles Social Venture Partners.

Todd is the current Chair of California Common Cause, the leading advocate for democracy issues. Common Cause successfully passed and is now defending redistricting reform to eliminate gerrymandering in California. Todd graduated as a Regents Scholar from UC Berkeley in Molecular and Cell Biology and received a minor from the Goldman School of Public Policy.

Neil Dipaola

Neil Dipaola is based in Santa Barbara, CA, where he founded Mesa Lane Partners. Mesa Lane Partners has been involved in the development of a number of public-private urban infill developments and student housing projects focused around the University of California, and was recently awarded the Governor's Environmental and Economic Leadership Award by

California Governor, Jerry Brown, and the Cal EPA for its work to develop prototype net-zero energy buildings. Prior to these ventures, Neil led development and planning operations at The Conceptual Motion Company. Neil also worked as a Project Manager for the Towbes Group, and as a land strategist at Malibu-based Schmitz & Associates.

Neil’s philanthropic spirit and involvement in the Santa Barbara community runs deeps with active roles in numerous nonprofit organizations. Neil is a member of the Partnership Council for the Community Environmental Council. He also serves on the Board of Directors at the Environmental Defense Center as well as Transition House in Santa Barbara. Neil is a founding partner of Social Venture Partners, Santa Barbara Chapter, a network of entrepreneurs who leverage charitable contributions and strategic partnerships to create a new model of 'venture philanthropy.' Neil is a frequent guest lecturer for the Environmental Studies Program at the University of California, Santa Barbara as well as the Donald Bren School of Environmental Science and Management. Neil graduated with High Honors from the University of California, Santa Barbara with dual degrees in Environmental Science and Public Policy & Ethics, is a US Green Building Council LEED Accredited Professional, and a real estate broker.

Mission and Values

Our Mission

Our mission is to promote healthy, sustainable communities by investing in innovative educational programs; protecting and enhancing our natural environment; and providing housing and supportive programs for disadvantaged families

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Our Values

Our values will guide us towards achieving the philanthropic goals we want to achieve.

We believe in the strategic strength and moral necessity of diversity in the investments we make are of great importance.
We must always be humble in our actions and words. We seek the advice of outside sources who will enhance our understanding and knowledge of certain issues.
We measure both the impact of our investments as well as the greater goals that we seek to achieve because outcomes are vital.
We collaborate with nonprofit and philanthropic organizations that have compatible goals.

Our Vision

We envision healthy and diverse communities where education and a concern for the natural environment will provide an opportunity for individuals to learn and grow into responsible, caring and engaged citizens.