Dear Friends and Supporters:
With the milestone approval issued in March by the San Francisco Recreation & Park Commission on the conceptual design of Francisco Park, our primary focus has turned to fundraising. We are raising $25 million for Francisco Park, with $22 million budgeted for construction and $3 million slated for project contingencies. Any remaining money after capital improvements are completed will go towards Francisco Park’s ongoing maintenance fund.
Thanks to the generosity of so many of you, we have raised $11.2 million to date in cash and pledges — putting us almost halfway to our goal of $25 million.
We are especially thrilled that Leadership Donors are stepping up more than ever in our community to get us to a funding level which will allow us to begin construction.
Our latest champions are Chris Larsen and Lyna Lam who made a $2.5 million gift to the project in April. At a recent reception for Francisco Park, Chris summed up his and Lyna’s decision to join us:
We have lived in the neighborhood for 15 years. We used to go by the old reservoir property and scratch our heads about what was going on. When we heard about the team who has been working on the Francisco Park project for the past ten years and doing such amazing work, we were thrilled. Then, we found out the Francisco Park design was approved. It truly feels like we are at a tipping point. That is why we decided to support the park in a substantial way.
This is an absolutely unique and one-of-a-kind project. Spanning four acres in one of the most densely populated cities, this will be an urban oasis that locals, visitors, kids, dogs, and everybody can enjoy. We are almost there with the fundraising. Now is the time to make this park a reality.
The Francisco Park Conservancy is incredibly grateful to Chris and Lyna for their gift. To learn about becoming a Leadership Donor, as well as Francisco Park naming opportunities, contact Miegan Riddle at [email protected].
Are you a Kaiser member or employee?
Francisco Park has been invited by Kaiser Permanente to apply for a corporate sponsorship grant.
Knowing how much employee and member engagement means to Kaiser, we wanted to reach out to see who in our park supporter community was a Kaiser employee or member, or knows of a Kaiser employee or member who may be willing to lend their name and/or write an email indicating their support for the Francisco Park project.
Please email to [email protected] if you can help us with this initiative during the month of May. It is a quick and easy endeavor and could make a big difference. Thank you!
We look forward to updating you on more progress in the weeks ahead. Please be in touch with any questions or to get involved.
Warmly,
The Francisco Park Conservancy
[email protected]