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The latest news and announcements from Mayor London N. Breed

Mayor London Breed Announces Major Contributions to Give2SF Fund, Priority Areas for Supporting San Franciscans

Give2SF COVID-19 Response and Recovery Fund will provide San Franciscans with food security, access to housing, and security for workers and small businesses

The Hellman Foundation is contributing $1 million; Ann and Gordon Getty are contributing $1 million to the Fund

San Francisco, CA — Mayor London N. Breed today announced the City has identified three priority areas for the immediate use of the Give2SF COVID-19 Response and Recovery Fund: food security; access to housing; and security for workers and small businesses. The Hellman Foundation will contribute $1 million, and Ann and Gordon Getty will contribute $1 million to the Give2SF Fund. Mayor Breed announced additional contributions to the Give2SF Fund from Crankstart Foundation, Stupski Foundation, Tom and Theresa Preston-Werner, Cruise co‑founders Kyle Vogt and Dan Kan, and Mark Pincus. Salesforce and Wells Fargo previously announced contributions to the Fund.

“There are so many San Franciscans who are struggling to make rent, put food on the table, and keep their small business open,” said Mayor Breed. “That’s why we created the Give2SF Fund, which is collecting support for our small businesses and individuals who are dealing with the challenges of COVID-19. We are grateful for the generous contributions of private donors and philanthropic organizations who are supporting our efforts to take care of our residents during this incredibly difficult time.”

Mayor Breed established the Give2SF Fund as part of the Second Supplement to Mayoral Proclamation Declaring the Existence of a Local Emergency issued on March 13, 2020.

Contributions to the Give2SF Fund

  • Salesforce - $1.5 million
  • Ann and Gordon Getty - $1 million
  • Hellman Foundation - $1 million
  • Crankstart Foundation - $500,000
  • Stupski Foundation - $500,000
  • Tom and Theresa Preston-Werner - $250,000
  • Wells Fargo - $150,000
  • Cruise co-founders, Kyle Vogt and Dan Kan - $100,000 (with additional support following from employees’ contributions and matches)
  • Mark Pincus - $100,000

In addition to the funds listed above, the online portal, Give2SF.org, has received nearly $250,000 in monetary donations from over 1,000 individuals to date.

The following Give2SF priority areas were selected based on analysis of the most pressing needs, the swiftest available methods to deliver impactful support, and with an equity lens to address disparities faced by certain communities.

Food Security

Using funds from Give2SF, the City will provide grocery store gift cards to eligible San Francisco residents for online or in-person purchase of food items. A number of special populations are particularly at risk of experiencing food insecurity during the current coronavirus crisis, including undocumented and mixed status households; low‑income households with a pregnant woman or infant; and older adults and persons who have underlying health conditions who are quarantined and/or who have lost in-home support.

Access to Housing

Contributions to the Give2SF Fund will allow the City to provide flexible short-term financial relief to individuals and families who are experiencing a housing crisis or are at imminent risk of a housing crisis related to COVID-19. Specifically, the City will focus funding support on low‑income households and households that are directly impacted by COVID-19 as a result of job loss, a reduction of hours, closure of a place of employment, or other similarly caused loss of income or financial need that resulted from the pandemic.

Direct financial assistance will include, but is not limited to, rent, including deposit and arrears; mortgage payments; and utilities, including deposit and arrears.

Security for Workers and Small Businesses

With donations to Give2SF, the City will make financial relief accessible for vulnerable workers and families at risk of heightened financial insecurity due to COVID-19. City relief will supplement existing resources for housing and food security in the event state or federal resources are not available, and will ensure that vulnerable populations can have their basic financial needs met.

A number of special populations are particularly at risk of experiencing financial insecurity during the current crisis, including older adults and people with underlying health conditions, low-income families with children, undocumented and mixed-status households, and independent contractors.

“As a doctor and mother, I feel a particular urgency to provide solutions,” said Dr. Tricia Hellman Gibbs, MD, Board Chair, Hellman Foundation. “As a member of a multigenerational Bay Area family here since the Gold Rush, I care and worry about our beloved California. I encourage those of us who are in a position to support our neighbors to do so. My family has always felt it our responsibility to help take care of our communities, and today more than ever, we hope this effort on the part of the Hellman Foundation and others will help reach the most vulnerable among us right now, particularly those who are unhoused, working hourly wage jobs, or heroically helping the sick in our health care systems. Pandemics don’t stop at county lines or the Bay Bridge. Now is the time for us to come together and recognize that a collective, regional, and long-term commitment is the best way to address this crisis.”

The City Administrator’s Office, the Controller’s Office, the Department of Emergency Management and the Office of the Mayor are working collaboratively to determine the allocation of the Give2SF Fund. Anyone interested in making a monetary contribution to the City and County of San Francisco can do so at www.give2sf.org. Money can be donated via check or wire to the Office of the Controller or through the Give2SF website via credit card. It is preferable that large donations be made by check or wire so no credit card merchant fees are incurred.

In addition to monetary donations, the City is requesting sealed personal protective equipment (PPE) for frontline health workers, cleaning supplies, and technology equipment for essential employees to telecommute. For information on donations of in-kind goods and services, please email: give2sf@sfgov.org.

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