TOPIC

Volunteering

Give your time and talents to help with projects around the City.

Image of volunteers painting steps in a park

One City Day

Join Mayor Daniel Lurie and First Lady Becca Prowda on Saturday, July 11, 2026 for a citywide day of service.Find out more

Services

Clean streets in my community

Groups, individuals and businesses can adopt an area to keep clean. We will give you free cleaning supplies.

Residents or business owners can take care of a storm drain. You will need to keep it clear and free of debris.

Become a Rain Guardian

Adopt a rain garden in your neighborhood. You’ll need to guard it and pick up trash and debris.

Join your Community Clean Team

Work alongside City workers to keep our neighborhoods green and clean.

Join your neighborhood Graffiti Watch

Fight graffiti. We’ll give you supplies and training.

Care for parks, trees, and animals

Volunteer at an animal shelter

Make a difference for animals in need at San Francisco Animal Care & Control. Meet new friends, reduce stress, and get some exercise.

Volunteer with Rec and Parks

You could beautify and maintain one of the City's amazing outdoor spaces.

Support the Urban Agriculture Program

Join SF Recreation and Park Department's Urban Agriculture Program if you are a backyard gardener, community gardener, or urban farmer.

Volunteer with government

Become a Youth Commissioner

Applications for 2026 to 2027 are not yet open.

Apply to be a mediator for complaints about police officers

Assist the DPA in handling complaints about police conduct.

Apply to join the Civil Grand Jury

Volunteer to make a difference for all San Franciscans.

Make your neighborhood better

Propose a sidewalk garden

Gardens make a neighborhood more beautiful. Gardens also help in storms and can make trees live longer.

Plant a street tree

Get a permit to plant a tree on the sidewalk.

Get a bike rack installed

Apply to have a bike rack installed on a sidewalk, so there will be more parking for bikes.

Get support for a community event

San Francisco Parks Alliance runs Action Awards, grants for free community events.

Help in an emergency

Sign up for neighborhood disaster training

Volunteer for the Neighborhood Emergency Response Team (NERT).

Join the Auxiliary Law Enforcement Response Team

Get training to help in the aftermath of an earthquake, fire, or other disaster.

Join the San Francisco Medical Reserve Corps

Medical and health professionals can volunteer and get training to help in a large scale disaster.

Prepare your community for an emergency, one block at a time.

Volunteer in times of emergency as a health professional

Join the San Francisco County Disaster Healthcare Volunteer (DHV) program.

Help healthcare patients

Volunteer at Zuckerberg General Hospital

Greet patients and help them find their way around the hospital.

More services

Browse open data

San Francisco publishes over 400 datasets on its open data portal. See what you can do with that data.

Participate in Civic Bridge

Get your employer signed up to partner with the City to solve civic challenges.

Resources

Help the homeless

Volunteer or donate to local nonprofits addressing homelessness

Improve outcomes for people experiencing homelessness and those in transitional and supportive housing.

The United Way of the Bay Area

Inspires and connects people to break the cycle of poverty in the Bay Area.

Project Homeless Connect

Project Homeless Connect provides the public ways to sign up for volunteer activities.