San Francisco Brown Bombers seek deeper partnership, funding from SFPD’s community engagement office

Rainan Ross, president of the San Francisco Brown Bombers, told the Police Commission on June 18 that the Bayview-based nonprofit has served city youth since 1999 and asked the department’s Office of Community Engagement to consider deeper funding and partnership.

Ross described the group’s programming, which began with football and cheerleading for children ages roughly 5–15 and expanded to mentorship, academic supports and additional sports. The organization said it serves more than 5,000 youth since inception, runs a six-month annual program with more than 50 volunteers annually, and provides medical screenings for participants.

“By the numbers, 2025 marks our 26th year of service,” Ross said. He asked for support to offset rising program costs and said the Brown Bombers hold volunteer hours with an estimated replacement value equivalent to hundreds of thousands of dollars annually.

Commissioners and Chief Yap praised the nonprofit’s work and several said they were interested in exploring cross-agency collaboration. Commissioner Benedicto and others noted the department’s new Office of Community Engagement and encouraged conversations about potential funding and operational partnerships.

Ross highlighted that the group serves youth across the city, that programming includes first-come-first-served participation with no tryouts, and that many adult volunteers are former participants. Ross provided a web address for donations and volunteer information and asked the commission to consider the group when planning community engagement funding.