The San Francisco Foundation is a nonprofit organization located in the San Francisco Bay Area. It is one of the biggest community foundations in the United States. The foundation's goal is to bring together community leaders, nonprofit groups, government agencies, and donors to promote racial fairness, diversity, and equal economic opportunities. It works on issues like social justice, helping communities grow stronger, providing affordable housing, working on laws and policies, improving workers' rights, creating job opportunities, and encouraging leadership in the community. The current CEO is Fred Blackwell Jr.
History
On January 16, 1948, the San Francisco Foundation officially began with a luncheon at the Sir Francis Drake Hotel near San Francisco's Union Square. The foundation was helped create by Marjorie de Young Elkus of the Columbia Foundation, Leslie Ganyard of the Rosenberg Foundation, and Daniel E. Koshland Sr. of Levi Strauss & Co, who became the foundation's first chairman. The foundation was created to provide the community with "a modern organization that understands current social needs and helps create a better future with more opportunities for future generations," as stated in the foundation's first press release.
Grantmaking, programs, and funds
The San Francisco Foundation manages and oversees grants, programs, and funds that support its goals of racial equity, diversity, and economic inclusion. These programs and funds include the Bay Area Leads Fund; Koshland Civic Unity Program; Multicultural Fellowship Program; Womxn of Color, Womxn of Power Program; Rapid Response Fund for Movement Building; FAITHS (Foundation Alliance with Interfaith to Heal Society); Artistic Hubs Cohort; and Bay Area Community Impact Fund.
At the end of the 2021 fiscal year, the foundation had $1.9 billion in assets. It received $178 million in gifts and donations left in wills. The foundation gave out $166 million in grants during this time.
Collaboratives
The San Francisco Foundation partners with many groups to help achieve its goals. These groups include ReWork the Bay, Great Communities Collaborative, HOPE SF, Keep Oakland Housed, Partnership for the Bay's Future, and Oakland Codes.
Awards and scholarships
The San Francisco Foundation gives out awards and scholarships to young people and artists to help develop leadership skills, support people who need more help, and encourage artistic growth. These include the Koshland Young Leader Awards, SFF/Nomadic Press Literary Award, Murphy Award, Cadogan Scholarships, and the Rella Lossy Award.