San Francisco Foundation

Black History Month often makes us think about influential figures from the past that have helped shape American and San Francisco history. [...] February isn't just a time to reflect on the past. Some of San Francisco's most notable African Americans are still with us. Fred Blackwell, SFF CEO, is listed among five San Franciscans shaping Black history in the Bay Area today. Read the full list in Axios San Francisco: https://ow.ly/NE4t50V8ArM

As we close out Black History Month and welcome Women’s History Month this March, we are lifting up Koshland Fellows like Diane Gray (2006-2011 Koshland Program Fellow) who helped revitalize the Bayview District in San Francisco, a historically marginalized neighborhood that has faced challenges like poverty and crime. The “Inspiring Hope and Beautification of Community” program revitalized the area through initiatives focused on beautification, arts, and culture. Learn about Diane Gray and more women leaders from the Koshland Program’s legacy and impact in communities across the Bay Area. https://ow.ly/YPuw50V6oJ8 #WomensHistoryMonth

Do you know early-career professionals who are new to philanthropy, of diverse cultural backgrounds, and who have the passion and potential to create significant social change in the Bay Area? Let them know that San Francisco Foundation is accepting applications for the 2025–2027 Multicultural Fellowship Program! The Multicultural Fellowship offers an unparalleled opportunity to work within the San Francisco Foundation and explore the philanthropic and nonprofit sectors in the Bay Area through a racial equity and economic inclusion framework. Deadline to apply is 11:59 pm PST on Friday, March 7, 2025. Learn more and apply: https://ow.ly/jW3050V5w8H Pictured: Our 2023-2025 fellows cohort!

We love to lift up our SFF colleagues who we proudly work alongside everyday! In celebration of Black History Month, we asked our team: How do the achievements of the Civil Rights Movement shape racial justice and community solidarity today? What lessons can we learn from that history? Brianna Rogers, Initiative Officer of ReWork the Bay shares her thoughts. "The Civil Rights Movement was led by those most impacted—from sharecroppers to students to domestic workers—who organized, demanded systemic change, and built power collectively. It wasn’t just about changing hearts and minds—it was about changing laws, policies, and structures.” ??????? #BlackHistoryMonth #BHM

Success stories of the Dream Keeper Initiative program to be revived and rebranded as announced by incumbent Daniel Lurie last week at the SF’s Black History Month celebration. “Contrary to the narrative that is being put out right now, one community’s gain does not mean another community’s setback,” Blackwell said. “The way that we get to the kind of society and community that I think we aspire to sometimes means that we have to invest in the communities that have been left behind — and then sometimes kept behind — because we don’t win until we all win.” Read full article via KQED: https://lnkd.in/gbT644Kq

San Francisco Foundation is accepting applications for the 2025–2027 Multicultural Fellowship Program! Eligible fellows are early-career professionals who are new to philanthropy, of diverse cultural backgrounds, and who have the passion and potential to create significant social change in the Bay Area. The Multicultural Fellowship offers an unparalleled opportunity to work within the San Francisco Foundation and explore the philanthropic and nonprofit sectors in the Bay Area through a racial equity and economic inclusion framework. Deadline to apply is 11:59 pm PST on Friday, March 7, 2025. Learn more and apply: https://ow.ly/IWVW50V2gJ5 Pictured: Our 2023-2025 fellows cohort!

We love to spotlight our SFF colleagues who we proudly work alongside everyday! In celebration of Black History Month, we asked our team: How do the achievements of the Civil Rights Movement shape racial justice and community solidarity today? What lessons can we learn from that history? Esailama G. Artry-Diouf, PhD, Senior Program Officer for our Place Pathway shares her thoughts. “The first thoughts that come to my mind as I reflect on Black History Month is Martin Luther King's 1967 Where Do We Go from Here: Chaos or Community? and where we are right now in our current sociopolitical climate, is what Toni Morrison said, ‘This is precisely the time when artists go to work. There is no time for despair. No place for self-pity. No need for silence. No room for fear. We speak, we write, we do language. That is how civilizations heal.’” ??????? #BlackHistoryMonth #BHM

Abdi Soltani, Executive Director of ACLU of Northern California and SFF Trustee, shares his perspective on Donald Trump's executive order purporting to revoke birthright citizenship: "This right is personal for me. I was born in Los Angeles to parents who were Iranian citizens. I returned with my parents to Iran soon after my birth, where I lived until the Iranian revolution. We immigrated to the U.S. when I was nine years old. Even as a young child, I knew I was a U.S. citizen, for which I have always been grateful." Read more: https://ow.ly/3oFv50UZNYT

Our power lies in the roots of the oak tree, the fog of the Golden Gate Bridge, and in the streets from Richmond and Marin right down to San Jo. We have always used our power to step up when times get rough, to meet the moment with our eyes wide open. The Bay Area is magic. And our love for this place runs deep. That’s why for Valentine’s Day, SFF partnered with Youth Speaks to create this: our Love Letter to the Bay. Youth Speaks was founded in 1996 — with a seed grant from SFF. Since then, they’ve worked with hundreds of thousands of youth in dozens of cities across the country. Watch our Love Letter to the Bay: https://ow.ly/1W3050UYYRW

San Francisco’s nonprofit sector, the largest per capita of any California county, is in crisis mode with federal dollars at risk. On Jan. 27, [...] thousands of U.S. nonprofit leaders [...] were horrified to learn that the federal Office of Management and Budget had ordered a halt on payments for virtually every grant. Judith Bell, Chief Impact Officer for the San Francisco Foundation, said her organization has fielded an increase in requests for cash from its rapid-response fund and plans to start disbursing money soon. But she warned that if another nationwide federal spending pause goes into effect, foundations like hers won’t come close to filling the gaps. “Philanthropy cannot substitute for government. It’s a fool’s errand to think that we could,” Bell said. Compared to the trillions of dollars the federal government spends, philanthropy, she said, is “like a tiny drop in the ocean.” Read more from The San Francisco Standard: https://ow.ly/Bml750UXfxR