By Los Altos-area resident Jeff Skoll, former president of eBay, announced last week he is donating $2.5 million to Community Foundation Silicon Valley to create a fund specifically to help local non-profit groups weather the current economic downturn.

Skoll also contributed $20 million to the Skoll Community Fund, Community Foundation Silicon Valley’s largest supporting foundation, bringing its assets to $100 million.

On the heels of Skoll’s gifts, foundation president Peter Hero announced at the Oct. 23 annual meeting that Los Altos Hills resident Steve Kirsch will be “making a commitment to the fund to help local nonprofits as well.”

“My hope is that others will join me in this effort,” Skoll said. “Whether others make gifts to this fund, to the United Way, to other umbrella groups or directly to the charities they support, I am hoping that people will try during this difficult time to give more than they might have planned.”

Local non-profits have been doubly impacted by the bad economy and the challenges of fund raising following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

The Skoll Community Fund is on the Internet at: www.skollfund.org.