San Francisco has seen an influx of free public events, from the massive block parties in downtown featuring major headliners to an upcoming night market on Valencia Street. The new events and initiatives are part of an ongoing push to enliven San Francisco by offering free events and strengthening a sense of community. Now, a new SF nonprofit wants to bring back the neighborhood block party in a big way.
The Civic Joy Fund just announced their Block Party Fund, dedicated to helping San Franciscans throw their very own block parties through 2025. The fund will award a stipend of $1,000 to applicants who are picked, and offer resources for planning and securing the correct permits to host the party. Plus, the fund is offering to reimburse additional expenses. Anyone can apply—meaning if you’ve always wanted to throw a block party on your street, now’s your chance. The fund hopes to help create 50 block parties by the end of 2025, with the goal to reach every neighborhood in the city.
“Block parties are a way for us to get to know our neighbors,” said Manny Yekutiel, Executive Director of the Civic Joy Fund. “They create safe spaces for families to play in the street. They make room to bust out the BBQ. Block parties encourage us to dance, drink and play with those we are nearest to. They open the door for us to build a better San Francisco, one block at a time.”
The Civic Joy Fund encourages imaginative block parties to fit your neighborhood and is open to applications with a wide range of ideas. If you do plan on applying, make sure to include the block you want to throw your party on, and they recommend giving yourself at least a month to plan if you are selected. Communicating with the city and adhering to certain guidelines to host an event with a street closure can be daunting if you’ve never navigated it before, but the Civic Joy Fund is also offering to help accepted applicants understand all city regulations.
So, if you’ve been wanting to get to know your neighbors better, this is the perfect opportunity. You can apply online here, and applications are accepted on a rolling basis.