Last week Northern California Grantmakers announced the results of the Bay Area survey on nonprofit displacement. According to the report, the majority of respondents (82%) are concerned about sustaining their work in the face of rising office space costs in the region.
This study, the first of its kind in the region, demonstrates the extent of the issue throughout the six Bay Area counties.
Other findings of the study include (cross posted from Northern California Grantmakers)
- Steady increases in commercial real estate rental rates have pushed office prices to 122% above where they were five years ago
- Bay Area markets are now the toughest in the nation
- Nonprofits serving communities of color and low income communities show an especially high level of concern.
- Nearly two out of every three nonprofits say they will have to make a decision about moving within the next five years.
Joanne Lee, Community Vision’s Director of Consulting Services and Program Development, was interviewed by KTSF – Chinese Television where she discussed nonprofit displacement in San Francisco. Community Vision is managing the $4.5 million San Francisco Nonprofit Displacement Mitigation Program, which provides financial assistance, technical assistance, and seed grants to nonprofits facing Displacement in the city. In the past fifteen months, Community Vision has provided technical assistance services to over 50 nonprofits at risk of displacement and administered over $2 million in financial assistance grant awards to 36 organizations.
Click here to access the interview.
Interview Translation:
70% of the 500 NGOs interviewed by the City are concerned about rent increase. 30% of the NGOs have moved in the last 5 years because of the higher rents.
Among those have not moved, 2/3 said they are considering moving. In Chinatown, because new businesses are limited by the City, most NGOs are protected from displacement. Some also have bought the properties earlier.
In the past 15 months, our program helped 50 NGOs.”
