Who We Are

At Boys & Girls Clubs of San Francisco, we inspire and enable all young people, especially those from disadvantaged circumstances, to realize their full potential as productive, responsible and caring citizens.

Our Story

Since 1891, Boys & Girls Clubs of San Francisco (BGCSF) has provided high-quality, community-based youth development services to youth in San Francisco. Our mission is to inspire and enable all young people, especially those from disadvantaged circumstances, to realize their full potential as productive, responsible, and caring citizens.

Our Clubs are located in neighborhoods with the fewest resources for youth, and we are open when youth need us the most—after school, on most school holidays, and all day during the summer. We also provided full-day programming when schools were closed during the pandemic helping youth to access their school’s remote learning. In addition to our 13 traditional Clubhouses and School-Based Clubs in San Francisco, we also own and operate Camp Mendocino, a 2,000-acre residential summer camp that provides inspiring outdoor experiences. We impact the lives of Club members, primarily ages six to 18, by focusing on academic success, healthy lifestyles, good character and community engagement, and job readiness with earning potential.

Our Community Impact

1,850

Youth Served Per Day
Pre-Covid

503

Youth Served Per Day
Since August 2020

14

Locations
Serving Youth
Every day, we welcome youth between the ages of six and 18 to our thirteen Clubhouses and School-Based Clubs. As soon as our youth members walk through our doors, they enter an environment of stability, consistency, and physical and emotional safety. All of our Clubhouses run programs designed to be fun and engaging, while building skills and confidence for a successful future.

Our Clubs are located in neighborhoods where the greatest need exists. We’re open when kids need us most - after school, on most school holidays and all day during the summer.  Clubs offer safe places where young people can learn, grow, and succeed. Our members also have the option to attend Camp Mendocino, a magical 2,000-acre residential summer camp that provides an inspiring and fun outdoor experience for youth ages eight to 17.

Our COVID Story

Boys & Girls Clubs of San Francisco has stepped up in impressive ways throughout this COVID-19 pandemic. Since the very beginning, we have committed to continue standing shoulder to shoulder with our youth and communities, serving them in the best manner possible while being safe and smart. Immediately after the Shelter-in-Place Public Health Mandate was announced in March, BGCSF was declared an essential business and altered operations to meet the health requirements and keep the doors open at most Clubhouses. As well, the Club quickly developed virtual programs for youth six to 18, providing critical support for young people, with school, wellness, physical fitness, mental health counseling, leadership programs, and youth workforce development. In April, we closed additional Clubs and pivoted to food distribution efforts, serving over 4,100 meals per week at our high point. On June 15th, we launched our summer program, with 10 locations open for youth and virtual programs continuing. Starting August 17, the first day of distance learning for the new school year, BGCSF opened its doors at ten locations allowing young people—with a focus on the most vulnerable youth—to access the Clubs for real-time support with online learning, supplement education services, wellness and mental health services, recreation, and daily breakfast and lunch.

Throughout the pandemic, BGCSF has held the health and safety of our youth and staff at the forefront of all our decision making.
To stay safe, the number of youth we serve each day at the Club is greatly reduced, we have adequate cleaning supplies and PPE, and we provide training for staff. As long as we feel like we can function safely, we are going to keep our doors open to those youth in our community who need us the most.
Our work is driven by solid core values
  • youth first
  • commitment to quality
  • integrity
  • outcomes-driven
  • professionalism
  • teamwork
  • collaboration

Our Formula for Impact

We provide high-quality programs and support services that allow Club members to leave us at age 18 “ready for life.” We focus on four essential program areas that we call our Formula for Impact:
  • Academic Success
  • Healthy Lifestyles
  • Good Character and Community Engagement
  • Job Readiness with earning potential
Our Formula for Impact is based on running targeted programs in these areas and ensuring regular attendance and an optimal experience in our Clubs.

OUR COMMITMENT TO DEIB

BGCSF is deeply committed to creating a culture of diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB) at all levels of our organization. It is our intention that everyone who knows our organization, knows our values … but more importantly that they experience these values in all their interactions with us. We continue to strengthen this work through a Board Task Force and a Staff Steering Committee. The Club’s Vision Statement for DEIB was developed by the Staff Steering Committee and sets the tone and direction for our commitment to this work: Boys & Girls Clubs of San Francisco strives to create environments designed to advance diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging. We are committed to fostering a culture where staff, youth, and volunteers feel free from explicit and implicit bias, prejudice, and discrimination.