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Board authorizes release of roughly $4.5 million to help nonprofits and arts groups facing displacement
Summary
The San Francisco Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to release reserves to a three‑year program providing technical help and short‑term financial support to nonprofits and arts organizations at risk of rent‑driven displacement, prioritizing those with leases expiring within 18 months.
The San Francisco Board of Supervisors voted unanimously on Tuesday to release board reserves totaling up to $4,515,000 to support nonprofit and arts organizations facing displacement from rising commercial rents.
The measure funds parallel three‑year programs administered by outside intermediaries to provide technical assistance, short‑term rental stipends and limited tenant‑improvement grants. The board set priorities for immediate aid to organizations with leases expiring within the next 18 months.
Why it matters: nonprofit social‑service agencies and small arts groups provide citywide safety‑net services and cultural programming that supervisors said would be difficult to replace if forced out of San Francisco. Supporters said the money is an emergency first step while the city pursues longer‑term structural fixes such as identifying city‑owned spaces, developer incentives and a possible real‑estate acquisition vehicle for nonprofits.
The board directed the mayor’s Office of Housing and Community Development and the San Francisco Arts Commission to run parallel requests for proposals to select one or more intermediaries. Each intermediary will be contracted for a three‑year scope of work and will regrant funds to eligible nonprofits; the RFPs will ask intermediaries to provide technical assistance (lease review, space needs analysis, brokerage and legal help), and direct financial assistance (emergency rental stipends, security deposits, tenant improvements) while capping indirect administrative costs.
Tom DeCaney, Director of the San Francisco Arts Commission, told the board the arts program would prioritize arts organizations with demonstrated financial stability “but for displacement,” and would emphasize cultural equity and outreach to smaller community organizations. Brian Chu, Director of Community Development at the Mayor’s Office of Housing and Community Development, described a two‑round approach: an initial rapid allocation for organizations already prepared to apply and a second round for those needing more time to assemble materials.
Supervisor Jane Kim moved to release the reserve; Supervisor Eric Mar seconded. A roll‑call vote recorded 11 ayes, and the motion passed. The board also requested monthly updates from the selected intermediaries and a formal report on impacts by May 2015.
Less critical details: the board set a target of roughly 35 arts organizations and 35 social‑service organizations per year as the initial scale of assistance, and said program delivery costs should be capped at about 25–30 percent of allocations with 60–65 percent allotted for direct assistance. The contracts will require evaluation and data tracking to report who received assistance and how it was used.
The programs are intended as stopgap and capacity‑building measures, not indefinite subsidies. City staff and advocates emphasized the need to pair this emergency funding with medium‑ and long‑term actions to increase physical capacity for nonprofit space in San Francisco.
