Community Opportunity Fund (COF)

Thank you, neighborhood park advocates, for your continued support of the Community Opportunity Fund Program, which is in its third Bond cycle. We are updating the process for the next application cycle, Round 6, and will have more information on those changes in 2023. Please check back for updates in the new year.

What is the COF?

A citywide program of the 2020 Health and Recovery General Obligation Bond, the Community Opportunity Fund (COF) provides an opportunity for neighborhoods, community groups, park advocates and partners to nominate capital projects for funding. The COF promotes community stewardship, enhances park identity and experience, and leverages resources from the community. Given the success of this program over the last decade, $6 million is allocated to continue the COF program, which empowers residents to foster change in their neighborhood parks.

The COF has three main policy goals:

1.       Foster community stewardship and improve park partnerships

• By listening to the park needs of San Francisco residents and enhancing park experience based on those needs, the program increases the number of park users of all ages committed to civic investment and a sense of community.
• The program improves partnerships between Recreation and Park Department and community organizations by streamlining the park capital improvements process and clearly outlining the roles and responsibilities for City staff and community partners.

2.       Enhance park identity and experience

• The program creates well-designed and efficiently constructed park features to enable the city to continue providing a diverse set of safe, clean, sustainable, and high-quality park experience.

3.       Leverage additional resources from the community

• All contributions, such as volunteer hours, monetary and in-kind donations, expand park funding beyond the $6 million provided by the 2020 Bond.

Projects Completed:

• Hilltop Park Skate Park Renovation.
• Tank Hill Trail Improvements.
• West Portal Playground Renovation.
• Youngblood Coleman Park.
• Camp Mather $103,903: create/improve a multi-purpose basketball and sports court.
• Corona Heights $15,000: States Street Community Garden Improvements.
• Lake Merced Boat Ramp Improvements.
• Juri Commons $324,488: New improved pathways, landscaping, irrigation and entry.
• Golden Gate Heights Park $289,534: new landscaping, pathways, seating and natural exploration area.

Projects in Construction:

• Bay View Playground. 
• Fillmore Turk Mini Park $330,000: new landscaping, drainage, and seating.

Projects in Design:

• Waller Street Skate Park $65,331: Addition of skatepark elements

Background

Established in 2008 Clean and Safe Neighborhood Parks Bond, the COF has improved 35 city parks and leveraged an additional $13.7 million in donations, in kind resources, sweat equity, and philanthropic investment against initial Bond funding which was $5 million from the 2008 Clean and Safe Parks Bond  (Rounds 1,2,3) and  was $12 million from 2012 Clean and Safe Neighborhood Parks Bond, of which $6 million continued funding smaller projects (Rounds 4 and 5) under the original COF selection process. 

For list of project awards approved by the Recreation and Park Commission, please visit:

• Round 1 projects, awarded December 2010 
• Round 2 projects, awarded October 2011
• Round 3 projects, awarded January 2013
• Round 4 projects, awarded November 2014
• Round 5 projects, awarded November 2016