San Francisco Foundation is a

San Francisco Bay Area The San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, is a List of regions of California, region of California surrounding and including San Francisco Bay, and anchored by the cities of Oakland, San Francisco, and San Jose, California, S ...

philanthropy Philanthropy is a form of altruism that consists of "private initiatives for the Public good (economics), public good, focusing on quality of life". Philanthropy contrasts with business initiatives, which are private initiatives for private goo ...

organization. It is one of the largest

community foundations Community foundations (CFs) are instruments of civil society designed to pool donations into a coordinated investment and grant making facility dedicated primarily to the social improvement of a given place. Community foundations are a global pheno ...

in the United States. Its mission is to mobilize community leaders, nonprofits, government agencies, and donors to advance

racial equity Social equity is concerned with justice and fairness of social policy based on the principle of substantive equality. Since the 1960s, the concept of social equity has been used in a variety of institutional contexts, including education and pu ...

, diversity, and

economic inclusion Financial inclusion is the availability and equality of opportunities to access financial services. It refers to processes by which individuals and businesses can access appropriate, affordable, and timely financial products and services—which ...

. It focuses on social justice, community building, access to affordable housing, political action, policy change, workers' rights, employment opportunity, and civic leadership. Its current CEO is Fred Blackwell Jr.

History

On January 16, 1948, the San Francisco Foundation officially launched with a luncheon at the Sir Francis Drake Hotel just off of San Francisco's Union Square. The foundation was created 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 served as the foundation's first chairman. The foundation was established to provide the community with "a contemporary agency sensitive to current social needs, and one which will help build a future which will magnify the opportunities of generations yet to be born," according to the foundation's inaugural press release.

Grantmaking, programs, and funds

San Francisco Foundation manages and administers grants, programs, and funds that help to support its agenda 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. As of the end of fiscal year 2021, the foundation's total assets under management were $1.9 billion, with a total of $178 million in contributions and bequests. Its total grants issued were $166 million.

Collaboratives

San Francisco Foundation works with various partners in several affiliated organizations that advance the foundation's agenda: ReWork the Bay, Great Communities Collaborative, HOPE SF, Keep Oakland Housed, Partnership for the Bay's Future, and Oakland Codes.

Awards and scholarships

San Francisco Foundation issues awards and scholarships to youth and artists to promote leadership, support disadvantaged community members, and foster artistic growth: the Koshland Young Leader Awards, SFF/Nomadic Press Literary Award, Murphy Award and the Cadogan Scholarships, and the Rella Lossy Award. "Nominations open for Foundation Awards." (1974, Apr 07). ''Oakland Post'' (1968-1981). ProQuest document ID: 371667820

References

External links

San Francisco Foundation
official website {{Authority control Community foundations based in the United States Non-profit organizations based in San Francisco