In The News

Organizers with arts nonprofit Illuminate and the Civic Joy Fund said beaming lasers will shine along Market Street from sunset to sunrise, November 13-16.

The lasers will feature a never-before-seen array to showcase San Francisco, signify unity between cooperating nations, and impress a global audience.

Organizers with arts nonprofit Illuminate and the Civic Joy Fund said beaming lasers will shine along Market Street from sunset to sunrise, November 13-16.

The lasers will feature a never-before-seen array to showcase San Francisco, signify unity between cooperating nations, and impress a global audience.

"It was very busy, with Pride Saturday level lines outside most of the bars by the time the Castro theater costume contest got out at 9:30, but generally really chill,” said Max Dubler, pictured in a Transamerica costume. “A lot of people were excited about everyone’s costumes and were taking photos.”

Halloween was reborn in the Castro on Saturday, October 28, thanks to the collaboration of some key leaders who joined together to make it so. A series of diverse activities throughout the day included Halloween-themed films at the Castro Theatre with a costume contest hosted by the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence and more.

Put on by Oasis Arts, Inc. and the Civic Joy Fund, "San Francisco is a Drag" brought smiles to the faces of spectators on the sidewalks and happy honks from motorists passing by as talented drag artists strutted their stuff at various locations around the city on both Saturday and Sunday.

Thanks to a trio of SF drag legends and funding from the recently launched Civic Joy Fund, 100 drag queens, kings, and performers blanketed different neighborhoods on Saturday and Sunday for the first ever "San Francisco Is a Drag."

The five projects, which focus on producing quick and tangible results, are the Summer of Music, Paint the City, Clean Up The City, Adopt-A Block, and the City Civic Corps. Lurie kickstarted the fundraising drive, and other donors, such as Levi Strauss and Co and Eventbrite co-founders Julia and Kevin Hartz, followed suit.

Kicking off June 17, 2023 and running for 12 weeks until September 2, the Summer of Music festival aims to provide San Francisco residents and visitors with a unique, community-driven experience. The event will showcase the incredible talent of local musicians while simultaneously boosting economic activity in these neighborhoods and supporting small businesses.

Discover local musicians at Summer of Music, a series of free pop-up performances at different businesses across nine San Francisco neighborhoods. Presented by the Civic Joy Fund and Noise Pop, the series runs every Saturday, 2–5 p.m., until September.

Tourists and locals walking around North Beach on Saturday were treated to an only-in-San Francisco surprise: pop-up drag performances on the neighborhood’s famous street corners.

In September, the Civic Joy Fund’s project Paint the City, in which 100 utility boxes in San Francisco would be covered with art, was underway. Twenty-seven local artists were assigned two to four boxes apiece, in neighborhoods including the Richmond, Mission and Tenderloin.

Carmona is one of dozens of local artists taking part in a new initiative to paint 100 utility boxes throughout the city. The project organized by two groups, The Civic Joy Fund and Paint the Void, is designed to fight the narrative that San Francisco is turning into a dystopian hellscape.

Even in areas prone to routine seasonal fog, it’s been a very hot summer. And with the trend of above-normal temperatures expected to linger at least through the end of July, most Bay Area residents will need to cope with soaring temperatures.

The afternoon rays had driven away the clouds over 16th and Valencia streets, dousing the intersection with a welcome dose of pleasant, warm sunshine. There was no lack of activity outside Manny’s; the bus stop located directly outside and plentiful pedestrian traffic ensured that.

San Francisco’s very own Noise Pop and the newly-formed nonprofit, Civic Joy Fund, are teaming up to bring the City and its many diverse neighborhoods to life with the Summer of Music.

The Valencia Street serenades come courtesy of San Francisco’s Civic Joy Fund, the $2 million fund that aims to reinvigorate parts of The City through community programs, and local music promoter Noise Pop. The two sides are producing the Summer of Music, which will bring over 80 musicians to nine commercial corridors.

Get ready for a summer of free music in SF because legendary music promoter, Noise Pop, is partnering with the newly-formed nonprofit organization, Civic Joy Fund, to launch a free concert series, Summer of Music.

With Summer of Music, we aim to invigorate our communities, promote economic growth, and support artists and businesses that have been adversely affected in recent years. It's a chance to come together as a community and celebrate the heart of San Francisco - its people and its art.

Saturday’s event kicked off with live music from Noise Pop’s Summer of Music from 2 to 5 p.m. Visitors strolling — or skateboarding — in the middle of the street enjoyed the stores and restaurants on Valencia as well as pop-up shops on the sidewalks as they listened to the music.

Turns out the city is filled with believers. Let’s start by looking at the two philanthropists who believe enough in the recovery of the city that they have found a way to inject joy back into our collective veins by way of a $2m initiative of the Civic Space Foundation.

KRON4 anchor Stephanie Lin is joined by representatives from the Civic Joy Fund to discuss the musical series featured on Saturday afternoons. The group is hoping to help small businesses in the city to make their way back from slow sales as San Francisco's Downtown recovers from the pandemic.

Director Manny Yekutiel, who owns Manny’s Cafe, urged the transit agency to offer merchants more than the allotted $25,000 in aid and to waive parklet fees. He ultimately supported the compromise proposal but noted the “high levels of drama” it took to get there.

This summer, there are even more opportunities for stumbled-upon sounds thanks to a series of pop-up performances throughout the city every Saturday, 2–5 p.m. Sponsored by the newly formed Civic Joy Fund and produced in partnership with Noise Pop, Summer of Music puts local musicians into businesses across nine neighborhoods: Bayview, the Castro, Chinatown, Richmond’s Clement Street, Bernal’s Cortland Avenue, Divisadero, Haight Street, Polk Street and Valencia.

Last Saturday afternoon on Divisadero Street, diners at Bean Bag Cafe munched on crepes in a parklet as the sound of Bill Withers’ “Lovely Day” rang out from local musician Jason Movrich’s acoustic guitar.

Many say that San Francisco is dead or rapidly spiraling toward an irreversible doom loop. But a new initiative by some of the city’s most engaged civic leaders aims to counter that narrative, lift local spirits and give the local economy a jolt.

In today's show, we join a Sunday ritual focused on clean streets and good beats. Get down... and a little dirty at Manny's Disco Cleanup. Then, a story about an artist inspired to beautify East Bay streets using a surprising medium. And, we learn about the litter problem in Dolores Park and what it takes to keep the iconic landmark clean and safe for residents.

S.F.’s most troubled streets are getting transformed. Here’s how

"How does a pile of dirt become a sign of hope in San Francisco? Allow me to explain.

About a year ago, I completely rebuilt the parklet outside my small business in the Mission to show the world that we had survived the pandemic and were here to stay.

I decided to go big and pay my particularly industrious friend, Rosie, to landscape the most beautiful garden planter boxes you’ve ever seen on a parklet. Rosie spent days making sure that the soil was rich and that the plants came together perfectly, filling each box with love and care. It was beautiful."