The Nonprofit Sustainability Initiative complements San Francisco’s funding of nonprofit services and resources for low-income residents and aims to maintain and expand these vital services by deploying financial assistance, professional services, assessment tools and other resources to address key challenges facing the sector, including the high costs of real estate.

Since the first grants were awarded in May 2017, organizations supporting youth, seniors, immigrants, domestic violence survivors, artists and people with disabilities have received funding for lease stabilization, space acquisition and strategic restructuring. Nine of the twelve acquisition grants have been awarded to Black, Latinx, Asian and Filipina-led organizations. All have been awarded to organizations substantially serving San Francisco’s communities of color. Since 2017, the NSI has provided grants to support the acquisition of over 157,000 square feet of nonprofit-owned space and the stabilization of over 273,000 square feet of nonprofit-occupied space.

We are accepting Acquisition Grant applications to support 25% of the purchase price of nonprofit commercial space in San Francisco, up to $1 million. In the current round, $2.5 million is available for organizations deeply-rooted in San Francisco’s low-income communities.

For questions about the Nonprofit Sustainability Initiative and individual grant programs, please contact Community Vision’s grantmaking team at grantmaking@communityvisionca.org. 

Funded by the San Francisco Office of Economic and Workforce Development (OEWD), Community Vision administers these programs in partnership with OEWD, the Mayor’s Office of Housing and Community Development, and the San Francisco Arts Commission.

Application Process

STEP 1: IS YOUR NONPROFIT ELIGIBLE? 

Important eligibility requirements include:

• Must have a 501(c)3 tax exemption or be fiscally-sponsored by a tax-exempt nonprofit organization;
• Must be located in San Francisco County;
• Must have a two-year track record of providing services to low-income San Francisco residents;
• Must have site control (fully-executed lease, letter of intent, or purchase and sale agreement, or recorded grant deed); and
• Must be newly, nonprofit-owned space.

For additional eligibility requirements, please read the Acquisition Grant Program Guidelines and Frequently Asked Questions(FAQs).

STEP 2: GATHER NECESSARY DOCUMENTS

As part of the application process you will be required to answer several narrative questions and upload several documents. Click here to access a checklist of required information.

STEP 3: REGISTER FOR AN APPLICATION INFORMATION WEBINAR. 

Click here to sign up for a free webinar.

STEP 4: VISIT THE FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQ) FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION. 

You can access the Frequently Asked Questions by clicking here.

STEP 5: SCHEDULE A CONSULTATION CALL 

Consultation calls are required and will take place between Monday, June 21, 2021 and Friday, July 2, 2021. Consultation calls must be scheduled by Wednesday, June 30, 2021. Click here to schedule your consultation call.

STEP 6: APPLY. 

Applications are due by 12 pm PST on Friday, July 16, 2021. 

• Application period opens: Tuesday, June 8, 2021
• Application information webinars:
  • Thursday, June 17, 2021: 6 pm PST. Register here.
  • Friday, June 25, 2021: 11 am PST. Register here.
• Application deadlines: Acquisition Grant applications are due by 12 pm PST on Friday, July 16, 2021.
• Consultation calls: Consultation calls are required and will take place Monday, June 21, 2021-Friday, July 2, 2021. The deadline to schedule a call is Wednesday, June 30, 2021. Click here to schedule your consultation call.
• Target date for award notification: Week of September 27, 2021
• Grant Period: October 2021-July 2022

Acquisition Grants

Acquisition Grants provide critical financial support to assist nonprofits in becoming owners of their facilities, and to expand the total amount of nonprofit-owned commercial space in San Francisco. Up to $2.5 million will be available in the current round of funding. Note that consultation calls will take place between Monday, June 21, 2021 and Friday, July 2, 2021. Consultation calls are required and must be scheduled by Wednesday, June 30, 2021. Click here to schedule your consultation call.

Prior to applying, read the Program Guidelines, Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ), and checklist of required information.

Applications are due by 12 pm PST on Friday, July 16, 2021. 

Technical Assistance Program

Technical Assistance services can include: financial planning, space planning, identifying/evaluating potential sites, assistance with lease negotiations, developing construction budgets and project timelines, analyzing potential funding sources, and assistance preparing budgets and projections for funding or financing applications. Technical assistance is offered through the following services:

• Organizational Consulting: Community Vision will provide up to 40 hours of support on your real estate project. Apply for a full consult.
• Mini-Consults: Community Vision will provide up to 5 hours of analysis and assistance. Schedule a Rapid Response Consultation Call to start.
• Rapid Response Consultation Calls: Community Vision will provide up to 2 hours of referrals, feedback, and thought partnership. Schedule a call now.
• On-Demand Nonprofit Resource Page: Over 25 free downloadable templates and guides on nonprofit real estate and financial management best practices.

Join us to learn more about the programs and application process.

Thursday, June 17, 2021
6 pm PST
Webinar

Friday, June 25, 2021
11 am PST
Webinar

Community Vision’s Racial Equity Statement

Community Vision is dedicated to anti-racist practices and to building an anti-racist organization. We recognize that a history of discriminatory financial practices and intentional disinvestment have contributed to a lack of economic progress in low-income communities and communities of color. We provide capital and technical assistance for low-income communities and communities of color to ensure fairness in opportunities, resources, and rights for everyone.

The City of San Francisco’s Office of Economic and Workforce Development’s Racial Equity Statement

The Office of Economic and Workforce Development is committed to advancing racial and economic justice by instituting programs and services that focus on equity-driven growth to make San Francisco a better place to live, work, and do business. This requires proactively implementing strategies that reverse the impacts of racially discriminatory policies that have led to generations of disinvestment and economic inequities that have significantly disrupted the economic growth and prosperity of communities of color. We recognize that these funds are only a small part of the solution and we are committed to aligning our work beyond this investment.

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