Study Center's fiscally sponsored projects

San Francisco Study Center’s first sponsored project in 1975 taught us that a fiscal sponsor can be both mentor and partner in building capacity in community startups of all kinds. Our interests are broad, and the process of finding out if we are a good fit with your project is uncomplicated: Describe your project clearly, document why it’s needed, and tell us what local agencies, institutions, potential clients or constituents support your idea. We may be able to help you realize it as we have with our following current projects. Some have been with us for many years, others only for months — a reflection of the community’s changing needs.

In addition to our privately funded fiscal sponsor projects, we are an intermediary for dozens of city-funded programs, largely in health, behavioral health, housing and community development.

Some current projects

“A Sound Life”

“A Sound Life,” a feature-length documentary film, follows Richard Beggs’ 40-year plus career creating motion picture soundtracks, which grew from his interest in painting, and listening to and recording music. Intended for a general audience and film students, the movie includes behind-the-scenes footage and candid interviews with Beggs’ sound design colleagues, directors and other award-winning film professionals. The film will be completed in 2021. Poster Chester Olnes   DONATE

AIDS Community Research Consortium (ACRC)

ACRC, the sole food bank in San Mateo County, provides food and nutritional good and services to people and their families infected/affected with HIV/AIDS and HCV co-infections. Weekly distribution of 4 to 6 bags of groceries — meat and poultry, milk, eggs, cheese, fresh fruits and vegetables, grains, pasta, legumes, breads and pastries — includes curbside pick-up and home delivery for clients too ill to travel or without transportation. ACRC is funded primarily by the San Mateo County Department of Public Health and benefits from foods donated by Second Harvest Food Bank of Silicon Valley and Nob Hill Foods in Redwood City.  DONATE

American Indian Cultural District

American Indian Cultural District, founded in 2020, is the first established Cultural District of its size in the United States dedicated to recognizing, honoring and celebrating the American Indian legacy, culture, people and contributions. AICD is located on unceded Ramaytush Ohlone land in what is now known as the Mission neighborhood in San Francisco, an area that holds a unique concentration of historical events, cultural resources, and American Indian-based organizations, programming, services, and gathering spaces that are historically and currently important to the Bay Area’s American Indian community. DONATE

Amigos Internationales for Multilingualism

Amigos Internationales for Multilingualism is a grassroots group of parents, educators and advocates who aim to start a Spanish-French-English immersive language program in the San Francisco Unified School District so our city’s children can study, work or live anywhere in North America. Spanish is the most widely taught foreign language in the United States in K-12, and French is the second, according to the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages. We are in talks with SFUSD officials, civic leaders and businesspeople to bring our vision to life. Pictured are parent LaTanya Johnson and her daughter Ziani Brown. Photo courtesy Amigos Internationales   DONATE

AND Architecture+Community Design

AND Architecture+Community Design provides architectural design, planning and engagement services for community-based nonprofits, lower-income, and underserved communities by starting with the neighborhood and organizational priorities and needs first. All projects begin a process that engages those who are involved or affected by the project as co-designers. We advocate and educate for spatial equality that supports justice and human dignity.   DONATE

Belle Haven Community Development Fund

Belle Haven Community Development Fund is the only local community fund striving to broker resources for the underserved Belle Haven neighborhood of Menlo Park, Calif. It administers neighborhood mini-grants funded by the city of Menlo Park for home improvement, community events, and class and camp scholarships for elementary and middle school youth. Through other fundraising efforts, BHCDF provides Belle Haven youth, 14 through 24, with summer employment opportunities in Menlo Park and East Palo Alto.  DONATE

Bill Sorro Housing Program

Bill Sorro Housing Program helps highly vulnerable members of the community find stable housing and advocates to prevent their displacement. Inspired by activist Bill Sorro, BiSHoP supports low-income individuals, families, immigrants, veterans, seniors, people with disabilities, LGBTQ and others with services that include outreach for affordable housing, application assistance, tenant counseling, housing case management, drop-in clinics, and housing education and workshops.   DONATE

California LGBT Tobacco Education Partnership

California LGBT Tobacco Education Partnership uses education and advocacy to counteract the negative effects of tobacco use on the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and allied communities. Partnership members work with California’s elected officials to resist tobacco industry donations, advocate for reduced availability of tobacco products in pharmacies, encourage smoke-free LGBT events and more. CiggyButtz, pictured here, attends many of the Partnership’s outreach efforts. Photo courtesy of the Partnership   DONATE

Calle 24 Latino Cultural District

Calle 24 Latino Cultural District Located in the heart of the Mission, the district’s boundaries run from Mission Street to Potrero Avenue and 22nd street to Cesar Chavez. Calle 24, birthplace of Latin Rock and the San Francisco mural movement, hosts Carnaval, Dia De Los Muertos, Baile en La Calle, The Cesar Chavez Parade and Festival, and Fiesta de las Américas. Its all-volunteer members include merchants and residents of different ethnic backgrounds, genders, lifestyles, and economic levels. Established by the Board of Supervisors in 2014 as the first of the city’s cultural districts, Calle 24 preserves the neighborhood’s vision as a living cultural district, not just a colorful tourist destination.

CAMK2 Therapeutics Network

CAMK2 Therapeutics Network is an international patient-led, research-backed network that supports families whose loved ones have neurodevelopmental disorders caused by CAMK2 genetic mutations. Currently there is no treatment to alleviate symptoms, which can include developmental delay, seizures, motor coordination abnormalities, severe agitation and severe behavioral abnormalities. The Network, affiliated with the ENCORE CAMK2 Center of Expertise at Erasmus Medical Center in Rotterdam, Netherlands, supports research to develop pharmacologic treatment for symptoms and gene therapies for cure. DONATE

Castro Community Meeting Room

Castro Community Meeting Room is a private meeting space in the Castro where nonprofit neighborhood and community groups can hold meetings and other smaller events. The space, with a capacity of 40-50 people, is in a convenient, safe, culturally competent and welcoming location that is affordable and accessible for those with mobility issues. It’s used primarily by groups with regularly scheduled meetings and is less suited for one-time use.   DONATE

Empowering Youth with Disabilities Project

EYD Project  Adults with disabilities mentor San Francisco public middle and high school students with disabilities. EDY Project’s mission is to improve students’ academic skills and their social skills as they interact with others, both those with and without disabilities. Pictured from left, mentors Thanh My Diep and Iona Lawhorn, and EYD project director Ivana Kirola. Photo Courtesy Empowering Youth with Disabilities   DONATE

Ethnic Media Services

Ethnic Media Services  works to enhance ethnic news outlets’ capacity to inform their audiences nationwide about broad, timely public issues to build a more inclusive participatory democracy. For ethnic media sector reporters, it convenes weekly online briefings with experts, newsmakers, and community organizers; organizes professional trainings; and provides fellowships, among other activities. It coordinates public service ad campaigns to ensure a more equitable investment of ad revenues in the ethnic media sector, including outlets missed by mainstream agencies. EMS produces, translates, and syndicates multilingual original news stories, and develops communication projects with underserved groups to expand their public voice. DONATE

Graphic Arts Workshop

Graphic Arts Workshop is a cooperative that has provided Bay Area artists with affordable access to printmaking facilities for more than 70 years. Located in San Francisco’s Dogpatch neighborhood and operated by volunteer members, it is a diverse community of artists unified by their commitment to, and love of, the art of printmaking. GAW offers members a place to work using professional equipment and to collaborate with other artists, and produces shows and workshops throughout the year. DONATE

Lapis Island Records

Lapis Island Records is a composer- and artist-led independent record label featuring the music of Peter Scott Lewis and the finest instrumental musicians and vocalists. Based in San Francisco, Lapis Island label is widely distributed by The Orchard/Sony Music for digital products (worldwide), and Alliance Entertainment and City Hall Records for physical products. Outlets include Amazon, Barnes & Noble, ArkivMusic, Apple Music, Spotify, eMusic, Rhapsody, HD Tracks, YouTube, Pandora, Play Music and many others.   DONATE

Lower Nob Hill Neighborhood Alliance

The Lower Nob Hill Neighborhood Alliance, listed on the National Register of Historic Places as the Lower Nob Hill Apartment Hotel District, was historically a working-class community and remains one of the few left in San Francisco. Alliance members are stewards of our neighborhood, located downtown on the south slope of Nob Hill. We give voice to our residents, protect our historic buildings, support our small businesses and celebrate the dense, diverse urban vibe that defines this unique corner of the city. We hold quarterly mixers, partner with the city to promote green spaces through parks and tree plantings, and sponsor and participate in monthly street cleanings. An Alliance-spearheaded working group brings together city agencies and departments and nonprofits to ensure productive services to our neighborhood.  DONATE

MindSite News

MindSite News is a media organization that shines a light on mental health. MindSite News uses the power of journalism to elevate the quality of the conversation around mental health, producing meaningful change in policy and outcomes. MindSite News explores root issues — adverse childhood experiences, criminalization of mental illness, and the ways race affects access to care — that have resulted in the fractured nature of mental health services and poor outcomes. MindSite News’ veteran journalists cover mental health news and policy through multiplatform storytelling via its website, newsletters and content-sharing partnerships.  DONATE

Mission Dolores Neighborhood Association (MDNA)

Mission Dolores Neighborhood Association (MDNA), founded in August 2005, focuses on preserving the historic resources, such as Mission Dolores Chapel, in San Francisco’s oldest residential area, the Mission Dolores Neighborhood, a sub-area of The Mission, and has been instrumental in saving many of them from demolition. In addition to preservation efforts, the Association monitors land use to ensure appropriate restoration, contributes to the quality of design of new buildings by conferring with developers and architects, and supports the city’s efforts to green and beautify the neighborhood, as well as the arts. Photo courtesy MDNA   DONATE

Peace Club

Peace Club  Hosting a health fair, volunteering at a food bank or belting out karaoke, pictured here, gives San Francisco International High School student Peace Club members opportunities to practice English, make new friends, understand different cultures and celebrate diversity. Photo Courtesy Peace Club   DONATE

Project SURVIVE

Project SURVIVE is committed to social justice and to ending all forms of power abuse — in personal relationships, social groups and public institutions — and to promoting a culture of healing and support for survivors. Expect Respect, a program of Project SURVIVE and a collaborative of community-based organizations, trains City College of San Francisco students of all genders as peer educators who lead healthy relationship workshops with S.F. public high school students. Topics include gender-based violence prevention and strategies that young people can use to identify, avoid and leave abusive relationships. DONATE

Prosperity Initiative

Prosperity Initiative  fosters a healthy, happy, sustainable youth-serving nonprofit workforce, ensuring that those who dedicate their lives to making a difference are treated with the respect and dignity they deserve. We engage communities and policy-makers by raising awareness of the challenges these nonprofit workers face and present actionable solutions to address these issues. We focus on youth-serving nonprofit workers’ well-being and self-advocacy, and provide them with the information and resources they need to grow personally and professionally. And we employ targeted strategies to achieve more dignified wages in the field, conduct original research and convene key stakeholders to drive systemic change. DONATE

San Francisco African American Faith-Based Coalition

San Francisco African American Faith-Based Coalition’s 21 member churches work together to eliminate health inequities among the city’s African-American residents. The Coalition delivers prepared meals to thousands of households in the most vulnerable neighborhoods and advocates for policies that bolster food security initiatives and educational resources. It collaborates with local food banks to provide fresh, organic produce and protein items for packaging and distribution to residents, including homeless individuals, low-income seniors, families with children, and disabled persons. A deep-seated faith that great things happen when we all come together is what drives SFAAFBC members to serve. DONATE

The San Francisco Black Community Restoration Institute

The San Francisco Black Community Restoration Institute This multifaceted effort begins by incorporating research across a range of areas affecting the positive growth potential and viability of San Francisco’s Black population, and includes community-level engagement tied to research, which can invigorate action and help create useful policies that can contribute to the growth of a vibrant Black community in San Francisco. The Institute’s long-term mission is to improve the quality of life and well-being of the city’s Black communities through focused, coordinated community engagement, relevant research and evaluation, commerce promotion, policy development and service interventions. The aim of this project is to take steps to reverse the negative trajectory of Black life in San Francisco, which has been ongoing for decades.  DONATE

San Francisco Mental Health Clients Rights Advocates

San Francisco Mental Health Clients Rights Advocates provides expressed-wish assistance for anyone receiving mental health services from the city’s network of publicly funded providers. Advocates mediate on behalf clients or in partnership with them, investigate complaints about rights abuses, and educate providers and clients about mental health rights as delineated in the law. MHCRA functions independently of any provider authority or oversight, and all contacts are confidential.   DONATE

Social Justice Education Project

Social Justice Education Project  Offers classes on grassroots community and labor organizing, rights for workers and tenants, and other social justice issues. Past series of weekly 1.5-hour meetings, facilitated by a college educator and former labor and community organizer, have been held with women in drug recovery programs inside San Mateo County Jail and after their release. Plans are to offer classes to support collective self-determination for incarcerated and formerly incarcerated people, workers, immigrant parents, and others who struggle to gain more power in their jobs and communities.  DONATE

Terry’s Kids

Terry’s Kids  Free music programs — performances, concerts, clinics and lessons — help shape Bay Area students’ abilities, encourage discipline and engage them in the joy of music, especially in locales where budget cuts have eliminated music from their curriculum. The project also supports four children’s music troupes in Cuba, including Clave de Sol, pictured here. Photo Courtesy of Terry’s Kids   DONATE

Weekend-Adventures

Weekend-Adventures, founded in 2018, serves San Francisco kids, 3rd through 8th grade, who live in neighborhoods filled with adversity — drug sales and usage, violence, and extreme filth. Our free spring and summer weekend outings are life-shifting, providing the youth with adventures in the arts, sciences and the outdoors, places free from stress and adversity where they have the opportunity to explore and experience a world with limitless possibilities. While helping each child make amazing memories, we encourage them to think big, ask tough questions, and become responsible to themselves, each other and the earth. DONATE

Youth 1st

Youth 1st, located in the Lakeview/OMI neighborhood of San Francisco, serves the youth of District 11, focusing on education and the development of life skills through innovative methods. Youth have the opportunity to participate in various activities throughout the day, including peer support and mentoring. Youth 1st is a year-round program with an after-school program, summer program and Student Athlete Academy. DONATE

Youth Exposure & Axcess Hub

Youth Exposure & Axcess Hub (YEAH), founded in 2023, is a Bay Area-based nonprofit organization whose mission is to empower young minds. YEAH provides opportunity youth with early awareness of and access to post-secondary education and career options. We help them access the tools and resources they’ll need, and provide mentorship and support so they can grow, flourish and reach their full potential. YEAH is here to make that a reality. DONATE

• Arts and culture
• Children, youth and families
• Drug treatment
• Economic development
• Education
• Environment/sustainable growth
• Festivals and events
• Health/nutrition
• Mental health
• Political advocacy/social justice
• Public health
• Social services
• Transportation
• Women
• Youth development
• Publications