Mayor Lurie, City Administrator Chu Announce $3.3 Million In Funding For Neighborhood Beautification Projects

SAN FRANCISCO – Mayor Daniel Lurie today announced more than $3.3 million in grants to support 25 community-led neighborhood beautification projects through the city’s Community Challenge Grants (CCG) program in partnership with City Administrator Carmen Chu. The projects will help create welcoming community spaces, strengthen neighborhood connections, and make San Francisco a more vibrant place to live. Projects funded in this round of funding include community gardens, murals and public art, youth-led greening efforts, block parties and festivals, and neighborhood clean-ups.

The announcement of $3.3 million in grants to support community organizations builds on Mayor Lurie’s work to activate San Francisco’s public spaces and keep the city’s streets safe and clean. Last year, Mayor Lurie launched the Love Our Neighborhoods permit program to help San Franciscans expedite neighborhood improvement projects and simplify the permitting process for residents and small business owners. The mayor awarded $14 million in funding through Grants for the Arts to support artists, arts organizations, and cultural institutions as they produce work and organize performances, and festivals and enhance cultural centers. This year, the mayor has announced events and concerts at venues across the city activating San Francisco’s public spaces and bringing energy to San Francisco’s neighborhoods.  

“From murals and gardens to clean-ups and cultural events, our Community Challenge Grants help residents and organizations improve their neighborhoods,” said Mayor Lurie. “These community-led efforts are bringing San Franciscans together and creating safer, more vibrant public spaces across our city. We are proud to support the residents and organizations leading this work and helping every neighborhood thrive.”  

“Over 100 groups came together this year to pitch creative, neighbor-led ideas for beautifying and activating our neighborhoods,” said City Administrator Carmen Chu. “I want to thank them for coming together and once again demonstrating just how deeply San Franciscans care about making a difference in our communities. In our core we know that when we work together, we build a more connected and strong city—the best city in the world.”

Launched in 1991, the Community Challenge Grants program supports residents, nonprofits, businesses, schools, and neighborhood groups as they turn their ideas for improving their neighborhoods into realities. Projects are designed, led, and implemented by those who live or work in the community and understand the needs of the neighborhoods they serve.

Following expanded community outreach and applicant support, project submissions rose by 300 percent this grant cycle.  

The 25 selected projects will receive up to $150,000 to activate public spaces, engage residents and businesses, and create lasting neighborhood improvements. In addition to awarding project funds, CCG also offers technical assistance and coaching to support grantees to implement their projects and sustain community engagement efforts.

“At a time when connection matters more than ever, these projects remind us that our public spaces are where we build stronger, more resilient communities. I’m proud to usher in this grant cycle with community-rooted projects that transform shared spaces into vibrant hubs of engagement and pride,” said Robynn Takayama, Community Challenge Grants Steward. “CCG has been redesigned to expand access and opportunity across neighborhoods, and these awards reflect the strength and vision of the communities leading the way.”

“Through the Cultural Empowerment Program and the Sunset Night Market®, our community can share traditions, stories, and cultural practices, and bring their stories to life at the Sunset Night Market®, which also supports local economic vitality,” said Lily Wong, Director of the Sunset Chinese Cultural District. “This funding is essential to sustaining year-round cultural engagement, expanding accessible programming, and ensuring our community’s voices and heritage remain visible, vibrant, and thriving.”

“Establishing a community-led garden at Kimbell is a necessary step toward addressing long-standing inequities in access to fresh food and safe outdoor spaces for our neighbors,” said Emma Dolan, Kimbell Community Garden Project Director. “This funding from the Community Challenge Grants Program is a definitive turning point for our project, enabling the physical activation of the proposed garden site through technical diligence and neighborhood engagement. We are honored to have the CCG’s partnership in laying the groundwork for a more resilient and beautiful future for the Fillmore, Japantown, and Western Addition."

“We’re stoked to get funded for mural conservation and restoration!” said Aureliano Rivero, Mission Murals mural conservator. “Lack of funding led to significant losses in the 24th Street Latino Cultural District since the 1970s. I hope this grant helps protect the murals for decades to come.”

“As one of the original homeowners in this first-time homebuyer community, I am deeply grateful for the investment in Mariners Village,” said Lola Whittle, Landscape Committee Chair of the Mariner’s Village Homeowner’s Association. “This funding enables us to transform our only shared recreational space into a safe and vibrant gathering place that strengthens our community, supports our families, and renews pride throughout our neighborhood.”

“CCG allows Friendship House to train clients, program graduates, and other community members to cultivate pathways to financial stability through a lens of environmental consciousness,” said Leah Johnson, Development and Outreach Associate at The Village Project. “With CCG, we are able to integrate Traditional Ecological Knowledge into a green workforce program, developing a grounded curriculum that speaks to all, especially those in recovery or who are low-income.”