San Francisco, CA—Mayor Edwin M. Lee, the Office of Economic and Workforce Development (OEWD), Mayor’s Office of Housing and Community Development, the San Francisco Arts Commission, and the Northern California Community Loan Fund with key partners today announced $2.7 million in grant awards to 13 neighborhood-serving nonprofit facilities. The awards provide key funding to nonprofit projects that will create 26,000 square feet of new, permanent nonprofit space and 36,000 square feet of leased space for childcare, employment training, legal services, arts classes, counseling and leadership development in low-income and historically under-resourced communities citywide.
“Our nonprofit organizations provide essential services that are unique to their clients, so it is critical that they stay within their communities,” said Mayor Lee. “We are proud that this groundbreaking program prevents displacement and allows them to remain in their local offices. Nonprofits carry out programs that reflect the values of San Francisco, so when they are supported, our City is stronger.”
Overall, Mayor Lee’s Nonprofit Sustainability Initiative includes a total investment of $6 million over two years. The Initiative is a community-driven response to key challenges facing the nonprofit sector: real estate, financial constraints, and adaptability.
“Four years ago, OEWD worked with our city and nonprofit partners to address nonprofit displacement and at Mayor Lee’s direction we launched the Nonprofit Sustainability Initiative in 2015. These grants are creating new, permanent nonprofit space and prioritizing stability for groups working in low-income and historically under-resourced communities. San Francisco’s nonprofits are tremendously capable and resourceful and this assistance will allow them to dedicate more of their energy and their resources to their missions,” said Todd Rufo, director of the Office of the Economic and Workforce Development.
Five nonprofits will receive funding to acquire and open new, permanent nonprofit-owned space. Eight will receive assistance to secure leases averaging eight years and mitigate the costs associated with relocating or renewing a lease.
The 13 grant awards in this round of funding are:
Five awards to nonprofit that will acquire and open new, permanent nonprofit-owned space: Bayview Impact Center / Salvation Army, Wu Yee Children’s Services and Bayview Hunters Point Community Legal; Community Youth Center of San Francisco; Family Connections; San Francisco Conservation Corps; Self Help for the Elderly
Eight awards to nonprofits that will be supported in renewing leases, relocating or overcoming barriers to expansion: ABADÁ-Capoeira San Francisco; The Healing WELL; HOMEY (Homies Organizing the Mission to Empower Youth); Public Glass; San Francisco Conservation Corps; San Francisco Village; Senior and Disability Action; Young Women’s Freedom Center
Three examples of nonprofits that have secured space with help from this round of awards are:
- Community Youth Center (CYC) San Francisco has reached capacity at its two rented locations in the Richmond District, where it provides culturally competent and linguistically appropriate services for high-need youth and their families. With support from this award, CYC will acquire and renovate a 6,200 square foot building at 952 Clement Street. It will provide them with the stability of ownership and allow them to expand their services in the Richmond and Sunset districts, where nearly 30% of residents living at or below the poverty level are Asian. The proposed space will become an ADA-accessible administrative headquarters, workforce development center and community hub.
- Senior and Disability Action (SDA) educates and mobilizes seniors and people with disabilities to fight for individual rights and social justice. In addition to preventing or delaying 50-70 evictions annually, SDA’s Healthcare Action Team uses theater, song, storytelling and other popular education and participatory research models to raise awareness of the growing need for quality services and housing for its community. SDA received the award to renew a 5-year lease at their current location, which they share with Community Living Campaign.
- Public Glass is a Bayview-based arts organization committed to providing access to the resources needed to make explorations in glass a possibility for everyone. Public Glass works with many neighborhood partners including schools and college prep centers. The organization’s lease renewal was contingent on tenant improvements necessitated by new fire safety and compliance requirements, with help from the Nonprofit Sustainability Initiative funding they can complete the improvements. They were also able to secure a five-year lease with a five-year option.
“The geographic distribution and community-focused missions of the awardees in the first round of the Nonprofit Sustainability Initiative reflect the need for space and services throughout San Francisco,” said Joanne Lee, Director of Consulting Services and Program Development for the Northern California Community Loan Fund. “Stabilizing real estate is one of the most effective ways we can address cost pressures facing neighborhood-serving nonprofits.”
In order to expedite the technical and financial assistance for organizations in need, the City selected the Northern California Community Loan Fund (NCCLF) through a competitive process. NCCLF issued a request for proposals and worked with OEWD to conduct extensive citywide outreach, including two in-person workshops attended by more than 75 potential applicants. Twenty-four one-on-one consultation calls were held with organizations interested in applying for space acquisition grants.
“With this grant, we will be fulfilling a goal of increasing the number youth we will be able to serve by creating a new safe and nurturing space for programs and services that will enable them to gain access to resources, educational and career opportunities, and the life skills needed to lead healthy and productive lives,” said Community Youth Center Executive Director Sarah Wan.
About the Office of Economic and Workforce Development (OEWD)
The Office of Economic and Workforce Development’s (OEWD) mission is simple – to create shared prosperity in San Francisco. OEWD provides city-wide leadership for workforce development, business attraction and retention, neighborhood commercial revitalization, international business and development planning. www.oewd.org
About the Northern California Community Loan Fund
The Northern California Community Loan Fund (NCCLF) is a nonprofit organization committed to California’s low-income communities. For 30 years, NCCLF has partnered with socially conscious impact investors and mission-driven organizations to support low-income communities’ need for housing, education, healthcare, food, jobs and economic opportunity. The organization provides loans and working capital, as well as consulting and technical assistance, so that mission-driven organizations can achieve their vision of financially secure and culturally vibrant communities. www.ncclf.org/sfsustainability
About the Mayor’s Office of Housing and Community Development
The mission of the Community Development division at MOHCD is to partner with the community to strengthen the social, physical and economic infrastructure of San Francisco’s low-income neighborhoods and communities in need. http://www.sfmohcd.org
About the San Francisco Arts Commission
The San Francisco Arts Commission is the City agency that champions the arts as essential to daily life by investing in a vibrant arts community, enlivening the urban environment and shaping innovative cultural policy. Its programs include: Civic Art Collection, Civic Design Review, Community Investments, Public Art, SFAC Galleries and Street Artist Licensing. www.sfartscommission.org
Sara joined the team in 2018. She brings with her 20 years of experience in community development, philanthropy, and organizational management. She completed her bachelors at George Washington University and her masters at UC Berkeley. Her career focus has been on evaluating how community groups run from year-to-year and strengthening daily processes to increase institutional success. Sara loves travel and global development issues, particularly a non-profit she founded 10 years ago focusing on students’ access to school in Cambodia. Sara is raising her family here in San Francisco.
Maya is a public relations and communications professional with more than a decade of experience; her expertise includes consumer products and technology PR, as well as event management and content development. She has been a pro-bono consultant with the Taproot Foundation since 2012, and has participated in three service grants to date. Maya attended the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) and graduated with a BA in mass communications and a minor in political science.