From District 7 Supervisor Myrna Melgar:

Participatory Budgeting (PB) is a democratic process in which community members propose projects and collectively decide how to spend part of a public budget. Former Supervisor Norman Yee launched the Participatory Budget initiative in 2013 and funded over 120 projects within District 7. Supervisor Melgar is committed to continuing to build strong communities and increasing civic participation through this initiative. We appreciate how engaged and invested District 7 residents have been in improving our neighborhoods and increasing quality of life for all who live and visit our District.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and ongoing efforts to recover and reopen our city, we are unable to engage in the traditional PB process during this budget cycle.

This year, in our commitment to honor the intent of PB and remain responsive to community needs and interest, we are launching a one-time Community Grants Initiative to support ongoing recovery and resiliency efforts under previous or existing PB projects that have successfully been through the community vetting process. We will not be able to accept new applicants for these grants due to the shortened selection process. We look forward to engaging in the full Participatory Budgeting process later this year as we plan for the next Budget cycle.

FUNDING

Grants awarded will range from $10,000 to a maximum of $25,000. A total of $250,000 will be awarded collectively under this Community Grants Initiative.

CRITERIA | ELIGIBILITY

We are requesting proposals from applicants seeking to enhance the work of previous Participatory Budget projects that have successfully responded to the needs of District 7 residents related to issues of Community Resiliency, Public Safety, Disaster Preparedness, and Community Recovery. Successful applicants will meet all of the following criteria for eligibility:

Applicant successfully participated in prior Participatory Budgeting program

Applicant received a PB award towards a selected project

Awarded project made significant progress to date (over 50% complete)

Applicant is seeking supplemental funding to complete or enhance a project previously awarded PB funding

PRIORITY AREAS

Successful applications will focus on activities responding to critical needs in the following areas:

Community Resiliency (community capacity building, volunteer training, etc.)

Public Safety Activities (cameras, whistles, safety kits, signs, etc.)

Disaster Preparedness (enhancing and expanding current efforts)

Community Recovery (to include neighborhood beautification projects, activate play space, open space improvements, etc.)

APPLICATION PROCESS

All proposals should be submitted through the APPLICATION FORM provided. Proposals must include all of the following to be considered:

Applicant(s) Contact Information (email and phone, or organization if applicable) –Project Lead contact information (if different than Applicant)

Previous PB Grant Details (Title of project, year granted, grant amount, project completion status, neighborhood served)

Detailed Project Description (including need(s) addressed, vision, and project goals)

Detailed Budget (including estimated cost, income, and expenses)

Priority Area(s) addressed

Neighborhood(s) / Communities Served

Community Support for Proposed Project (description of D7 community support and endorsements that the project has received)

SELECTION PROCESS

A committee, including staff and community members who are not applying for a grant and have subject-matter expertise, will review and score applications. The winning projects will be those that most closely reflect the criteria and that can be successfully completed with the funding allocated as a one-time grant.

DEADLINE

Proposals must be submitted no later than 5:00 p.m. on May 14, 2021. Proposals emailed after the deadline shall be considered late. Confirmation of receipt will be emailed when a proposal submitted. Applicants should ensure that email transmission has been successful and a confirmation is received. If applicants experience issues with submission, please reach out to directly to Ms. Carrillo via email: lila.carrillo@sfgov.org

APPLY HERE https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfZC7RI6zIJ4onAeJeUUEqFNrCUImx_83loyjAOyRPFV3j7-g/viewform