Mayor Lurie Kicks Off Summer 2026 Opportunities For All, Black 2 San Francisco Internship Initiatives

SAN FRANCISCO – Mayor Daniel Lurie today kicked off the Opportunities for All (OFA) summer internship initiative, opening doors to new hands-on career development experiences for more than 1,500 young people who live or attend school in San Francisco. Today’s launch follows Monday’s kickoff of Black 2 San Francisco (B2SF), a cohort of the city’s internship programming focused on students from historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) who live, work, and learn in the city during the summer. Administered by the San Francisco Human Rights Commission (HRC), OFA and B2SF leverage partnerships with city departments and nonprofit employers to provide young people with the tools to find and succeed in their careers.

The kickoff of OFA and B2SF build on Mayor Lurie’s work to invest in young people and families. Under his Family Opportunity Agenda, Mayor Lurie has taken steps to expand free and low-cost childcare, while advancing housing production and affordability through the Family Zoning Plan and the Affordable Housing Trust Fund. In May, he reopened a play area for children in the Tenderloin, the neighborhood with the highest concentration of children in the city.

“This week, hundreds of students are beginning a summer dedicated to learning, service, and giving back,” said Mayor Lurie. “Whether they are serving young kids in need, working with our immigrant community, preserving our arts and culture, or helping strengthen our neighborhoods, their work this summer will directly impact San Francisco. And as a city, we are here to learn from them, their ideas, and their energy—because building a stronger city takes all of us.”

Since 2019, OFA has placed nearly 18,000 interns in meaningful summer internship assignments across public, private, and nonprofit sectors in San Francisco. For summer 2026, students aged 13 to 24 are placed in cohorts based on their interest areas, matched with a placement site, and assigned to paid work for at least 20 hours per week. Partner sites include community-based organizations and a variety of City and County of San Francisco departments and agencies.

Now in its third summer, B2SF is welcoming 30 participants to live, work, and learn in the city. Many B2SF interns are undergraduate and graduate students at historically Black colleges and universities and are making critical connections to San Francisco’s economy and culture.

“Through these initiatives, we are making a critical investment in our young people and in our city,” said Mawuli Tugbenyoh, HRC Executive Director. “Significant and impactful exposure to a variety of fields, and to mentors in industry areas where students have an interest, is something every teen and young person in San Francisco should have access to, regardless of their home neighborhood or family income. I am grateful to all the staff and placement partners for their hard work on this, this summer and year-round.”

“District 10 is home to so many of the young people these programs are built for," said District 10 Supervisor Shamann Walton. "OFA gives our young people paid work, real mentorship, and a path into careers they might not have pictured for themselves otherwise. B2SF in particular speaks to something personal for me because attending a HBCU saved my life. Connecting students from HBCUs to San Francisco’s economy and culture builds a bridge that benefits everyone, our city and these students alike. I’m proud to support initiatives that take our young people seriously and invest in them across every neighborhood and every background.”

Both initiatives are public-private partnerships, drawing from public city funds, private philanthropic dollars, and nonprofit engagement support, as well as the state Youth Jobs Corps.

Initiative fellows serve as peer leaders for both OFA and B2SF. Fellows are primarily past participants who offer their experience and perspective to current interns. All participants have access to training and professional development opportunities, including financial literacy workshops and career networking.

“These programs drive impact by being inclusive and intentional,” said Jessica Campos, HRC Director of Community Engagement. “One of our primary goals and main areas of focus is outreach to all city districts and neighborhoods during the school year, so that every young person age 13 to 24 knows that these internships are open to them. We want to make sure that there is a low barrier to entry and that our interns are supported every step of the way. It is important that our youth know that they will be taken seriously and valued. We are proud to see many former interns return each year as fellows, a peer leadership opportunity to support new students.”

“Participating in Opportunities for All over the last three years has been a chance for me to grow and strengthen many skills,” said Ivan Chu, Senior OFA Fellow. “For example, I now manage the initiative’s social media efforts and work on outreach materials for recruitment. I also work to engage new interns by working at resource fairs and other opportunities to let our communities know about OFA. I believe in these programs because I know how meaningful they can be. Since graduating from San Francisco State University, my time in OFA has made a real difference in reaching my goals. I am proud to continue my participation in this program and to support new OFA participants.”