News

Koshland Program and The San Francisco Foundation Receive Funder of the Year Award

December 2009

On December 10, 2009, Berkeley Organizing Congregations for Action (BOCA) celebrated 10 years of community service at a beautiful anniversary gala reception honoring the founders and community leaders who have made its work possible. By presenting the Koshland Program and The San Francisco Foundation with the Funder of the Year Award, it recognized our commitment to the organization over the past decade. While introducing the Award, Executive Director Michael McBride paid tribute to the Foundation for our many years of financial support and expressed special thanks for our partnership during its leadership transition last year. When other funders walked away, The San Francisco Foundation provided extra funding to ensure a smooth transition, he said. Both Michael McBride and BOCA Community Organizer Belen Pulido Martinez are Koshland Fellows from the West and South Berkeley Community, part of a five-year partnership with resident leaders to improve the quality of life for their neighborhood. It has been an honor to support the exceptional work of BOCA.

Kim Klein's Grassroots Fundraising Workshop for Koshland Fellows

November 2009

Please join us for an informative workshop with fundraising trainer Kim Klein. Ms. Klein has been a major force in developing and defining the field of grassroots fundraising. She is the author of several books, including the now classic "Fundraising for Social Change."

Don’t miss this opportunity to learn how to maximize your organization’s fundraising efforts!

When:

Monday, December 14, 2009

2:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. - Workshop 

5:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. - Wine & cheese mixer

Where:

The San Francisco Foundation, 225 Bush Street, Suite 500

Directions

Please RSVP to Evelia Pérez at 415.733.8564 or eperez@sff.org to secure your spot at this popular event.

Join Us in Celebrating 13 Outstanding Leaders from North Fair Oaks

May 2009

The Koshland Program of The San Francisco Foundation recently began a five-year, $300,000 partnership with the North Fair Oaks community of Redwood City. On June 17, 2009, we will honor 13 outstanding community leaders at the Daniel E. Koshland Civic Unity Awards celebration. These leaders will become Koshland Community Fellows and will lead the work in the community for the next five years. Visit our Calendar item for complete event information.

Koshland Civic Unity Fellowship Recipients:
Vicky Avila Medrano, Lydia Cardoza, Noel Chavez, Teri Chin, Lorena González, Sister Christina Heltsley, Mary Hofstedt, Priscila Jimenez-Pelaéz, Salvador Mejia, César Meza-Esveile, Lucia Molina, Silvia Ramirez, and Angelica Rodriguez.

North Fair Oaks Selected as 2009 Koshland Neighborhood

February 2009

The Koshland Committee of The San Francisco Foundation is proud to announce the selection of the North Fair Oaks area of Redwood City as the Koshland neighborhood for 2009. This selection launches a five-year, $300,000 initiative to enhance civic unity by promoting mutual respect and collaboration among residents to resolve neighborhood problems.

Over the next few months the Koshland Program will select a group of community leaders and residents to partner with as Koshland Community Fellows for five years. This group of Community Fellows will be responsible for investing Koshland funds into a project that benefits the community. The Fellows will also participate in six-months of leadership development training, which will: 1) focus on building skills for more effective communication and conflict resolution across diverse communities; 2) promote active citizenship and political empowerment; and 3) strengthen mediation and facilitation skills.

Koshland Committee Announces Kurt C. Organista as New Chair

February 2009

We are honored to have Dr. Kurt C. Organista as the new Chair of the Koshland Committee. Kurt brings an extensive knowledge of community health and social justice work to the Koshland Program from his experience as an associate professor of social welfare at the University of California, Berkeley. Kurt has served on the Koshland Committee for three years with the past year in the Vice-Chair role, and he is a new member of The San Francisco Foundation Board of Trustees. He has already shown great leadership on the Committee, and his passion for increasing cultural competence in community building will continue to be a great asset to the Koshland Program.

Recent News

Oasis for Girls honors Retha Robinson, Koshland Program Director

Please join us in congratulating Retha Robinson, director of the Koshland Program, on receiving the 2008 Oasis Leadership Award. Oasis for Girls is recognizing Retha’s support and substantial contribution to the empowerment of girls and young women. Retha will receive the award at the annual Oasis fundraiser on October 9, 2008, 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m., at the American Institute of Architects, 130 Sutter Street, 6th Floor, in San Francisco. Proceeds from the fundraiser underwrite crucial programs designed to help young women and girls realize their potential, live healthy lives, and make a positive impact in their communities. Tickets may be purchased online through Oasis or at the door.

Oasis for Girls (a project of the Tides Center) is a center for girls and young women ages 11-24 located in San Francisco's South of Market neighborhood. The organization provides culturally relevant and gender specific arts and arts education, leadership development, and life skills education programs that support the growth of low-income, immigrant girls and young women of color in urban communities.

Koshland Program Arts and Culture Mini-Grants 2008-2009

In 2008-2009, we will award Koshland Program Arts and Culture Mini-Grants of up to $3,000 to individuals, groups, and organizations working in the neighborhoods of West Berkeley, the Monument Corridor neighborhood of Concord, neighborhoods in Richmond, the Bayview Hunter’s Point neighborhood of San Francisco, and Ashland and Cherryland areas of San Leandro. Find out more on the Grants & Awards section of our Arts & Culture Program.

Koshland Award Ceremony for Ashland and Cherryland Communities

Please join us as for the 2008 Daniel E. Koshland Civic Unity Awards as we celebrate the new Koshland Community Fellows from Ashland and Cherryland. The awards launch a $300,000 five-year initiative in the Ashland and Cherryland communities of unincorporated Alameda County to enhance civic unity by promoting mutual respect and collaboration among diverse communities to resolve neighborhood problems. The Koshland Community Fellows, along with their neighborhood colleagues, will distribute an average of $60,000 per year through 2013. The initiative will focus on leadership development, promoting civic unity, and celebrating unsung heroes. The Fellows will be honored for their outstanding efforts in the vibrant and diverse Ashland and Cherryland communities. For complete event information, please visit our Calendar. To learn about the 2008 Fellows, visit our Koshland section.

Building Inclusive Communities: A regional symposium on current immigration issues on June 5th

The FAITHS, Social Justice, and Koshland Programs of The San Francisco Foundation are building on their shared vision for social justice in the Bay Area to co-host a symposium on current immigration issues on Thursday, June 5, 2008. Visit our Calendar to find out complete information.

West Berkeley Neighborhood Leaders Win Koshland Civic Unity Awards

Eight leaders of the West Berkeley Neighborhood of Berkeley are the winners of the 2007 Daniel E. Koshland Civic Unity Awards, and will become Koshland Community Fellows. The awards launch a $300,000 five-year initiative in the West Berkeley neighborhood of Berkeley to enhance civic unity by promoting mutual respect and collaboration among diverse communities to resolve neighborhood problems. The initiative will focus on leadership development, promoting civic unity, and celebrating unsung heroes.

Koshland Civic Unity Fellowship Recipients: Matt Crocker, Victor Diaz, Belén Pulido Martinez, David Manson, Gerardo Marin, Michael McBride, Lamont Snaer, and Ana Traylor.

25th Anniversary Celebrations

The Koshland Program of The San Francisco Foundation has just celebrated 25 years of promoting civic unity in the Bay Area. We honored the many neighborhood leaders, residents, and community activists who have made this program a success by hosting a series of celebration events. We began in late July by hosting a grassroots fundraising training by the widely acclaimed Kim Klein. In mid-September Koshland Awardee Rev. Norman Fong and youth from the Adopt an Alleyway Youth Project led us on a walking tour of the Chinatown neighborhood as part of the Council on Foundations fall conference for community foundations. In October we hosted a film screening, at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, of our unique documentation of the five-year journey of the Koshland Awardee group in the West End neighborhood of Alameda. For our final Anniversary event in November, we gathered all of the friends and family of the Koshland Program throughout the past 25 years to come together for an evening of music, drinks, and dancing at the beautiful historic City Club of San Francisco. Thank you to everyone who participated in these wonderful events!