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SF tries image rehab for its scandal-tainted nonprofits

A group of people stands on a city sidewalk, some in conversation. One person walks while others are near a cart with a chair and covered items.
The Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing is shining a light on the good work nonprofits are doing for the city. | Source: Jason Henry for The Standard

San Francisco wants people to stop beating up on its nonprofits after a string of scandals tarnished the reputation of the city’s well-funded charity network. 

In a new PR blitz, the Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing makes the case that nonprofits — which account for more than $1 billion of the city’s budget — do great work. 

“Nonprofits work,” the campaign states. “The foundation of San Francisco’s social safety net are impactful nonprofits that support the physical, mental and social well-being of those in need.”

The image describes the "SF Nonprofits Work" campaign, highlighting their impact with text on yellow, purple, and green backgrounds, emphasizing community efforts.
The city's "Nonprofits Work" campaign is meant to counteract narratives of widespread mismanagement. | Source: Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing

Over the last few years, various nonprofits that receive taxpayer dollars have been rocked by scandals, prompting resignations, criminal investigations, and calls for widespread audits. Last year, reporting by The Standard revealed that the city paid $25 million in 2022 to dozens of nonprofits that were blocked by state law from receiving or spending funds. Most recently, the Dream Keeper Initiative, the city’s flagship program for the Black community, is under the microscope for allegations of misspending, leading to the resignations of its director and the head of the Human Rights Commission.

To counteract this narrative of widespread mismanagement, the Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing is partnering with 107 nonprofits to flood social media with success stories and shine a positive light on employees. The campaign started Oct. 1 with more than 60 social posts from a range of charities. 

“There’s a lot of talk about nonprofit accountability right now, and we know that and feel very strongly that our nonprofits are indispensable,” Shireen McSpadden, executive director of the Homelessness Department, said at a Thursday meeting. “We need them to provide the services that they provide.”

In a Thursday email titled “Let’s Stop Slandering San Francisco Non-Profits,” the AIDS Legal Referral Panel, which received $1.3 million from the city in 2022, alleges that the controversy around nonprofits has been overblown by the media and politicians. 

“In recent months, local media and some politicians have been promoting the myth that nonprofits receiving grants from the City of San Francisco are mismanaged, bloated, inefficient, and ‘mired in scandal,’” the email reads. “Sadly, this myth — and it is a myth — is taking hold in the public conscience.”

The city spends more than $1 billion a year on contracts with hundreds of charities that provide job training, housing, food, medical care, small-business development, and other services. 

There is no additional budget or staffing for the new PR campaign, according to the Homelessness Department.