Small Business Resources

  • The San Francisco Arts Commission’s Community Investments program supports San Francisco-based artists, arts organizations, and communities with an equity lens through grants, technical assistance, arts education initiatives, and community-based Cultural Centers. SFAC currently has a multitude of grant categories open.

  • The Office of Small Business is the City's central point of information for small businesses located in the City and County of San Francisco. They have produced a detailed guide on how to start a pop-up of your own! Additionally, if you are ready for your own storefront, the Office of Small Business can help you get set up for success.

  • Through their Legal Services for Entrepreneurs (LSE), LCCR provides free legal services to low-income individuals who want to start or develop businesses; businesses committed to investing in economically distressed communities, including hiring people with arrest and conviction records; and mom and pop shops located in areas where gentrification is a force for displacement.

  • CLECHA provides support for Latinx entrepreneurs by assisting with business permitting, financial planning, credit education, and connection to grants and resources.

  • SF Black Wall Street provides programming dedicated to preserving African American culture and building economic power within the Black community in San Francisco. Their programming includes business bootcamps and advising for current and aspiring entrepreneurs, corridor activation, and voter information.

  • Main Street Launch empowers entrepreneurs by providing capital to small businesses and connecting them with a network of people and resources, including financial and business support services. They are currently accepting applications for the Downtown San Francisco Vibrancy Loan Fund, a low interest loan program to fill commercial vacancies in Downtown San Francisco.

  • Start Small Think Big is a nonprofit dedicated to advancing equity and inclusion in entrepreneurship by connecting small businesses with the resources and community they need to thrive.

  • The African American Art & Cultural Complex (AAACC), located in the historic Western Addition/ Fillmore neighborhood, is a space for Black Creatives and Communities to thrive. The AAACC offers a wide variety of programming as well as access to their galleries, theater, dance studios, recording studios, and co-working spaces through their space rental program.