COMMUNITY OPPORTUNITY FUND PROGRAM


Get ready to roll up your sleeves, San Francisco! Through our Community Opportunity Fund Program, part of the 2008 Clean and Safe Neighborhood Parks General Obligation Bond, we are giving neighborhoods, community groups, and park enthusiasts an opportunity to make a real difference at their favorite local city parks.

Park users know how to make their parks better and we want to help provide these users the means to make change happen! Our goal is to build community, foster stewardship, and leverage resources to improve our City’s vital public spaces.

WHO AND WHAT IS ELIGIBLE?

Any group or individual with an idea for how to improve their park can apply! To be considered, projects must fit these basic requirements:

The project must be located on land owned by the San Francisco Recreation and Parks Department.

Proposals must be a Capital Project. This means that the proposed work must be permanently affixed to the park property and be an investment in the future of the park. Events, classes, programs, and maintenance work cannot be funded by the COF. Installation or replacement of playgrounds, paths, benches, drinking fountains, and sports courts are all examples of Capital Projects.

HOW MUCH MONEY IS THERE?

There are two categories of projects, menu and custom, eligible for COF funding. Applications will be evaluated against other applications in their category.

There are 3 rounds of funding scheduled for Fall 2010, Spring 2011, and Spring 2012. Funding for Round 1 is $500k, ($150k for menu projects, $350k for custom projects). Rounds 2 and 3 will each have $1.25 Million in funding (with a possibility for more funding in Round 3).

The maximum funding request for menu projects is $100k and for custom projects is $250k.

HOW DO I APPLY?

Share your improvement idea with your park’s Park Service Area Manager and your community.

Attend one of the applicant workshops. Attendance at one workshop is mandatory for all applicants.

Attend RPD Project manager office hours to receive technical assistance with your application.

Complete and submit the application by September 24 2010. Be sure to use the Application Checklist to insure that you have completed all of the steps. Awards will be announced in early December 2010.

APPLICATION PACKET

If you have questions or comments on this project, or would like to get involved, please contact:

Jake Gilchrist
Recreation and Park Department
30 Van Ness Ave,
San Francisco, CA 94109
(415) 581-2561

Dawn Kamalanathan
Recreation and Park Department
30 Van Ness Ave,
San Francisco, CA 94109
(415) 831-2743