SPUR
SPUR is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit public policy organization founded in 1959 that conducts research, education, and advocacy on urban planning, housing, transportation, and governance issues for the nine-county San Francisco Bay Area, serving individual members, businesses, and government partners through publications, voter guides, events, and coalition-based advocacy.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1959
- HeadquartersSan Francisco, United States
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
What SPUR does
SPUR (San Francisco Bay Area Planning and Urban Research Association) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit public policy organization founded in 1959 and headquartered in San Francisco, with regional offices in San Jose and Oakland. The organization conducts research, education, and advocacy on urban issues across the nine-county San Francisco Bay Area, with seven policy pillars: planning, housing, transportation, sustainability and resilience, economy, governance, and food and agriculture. SPUR's stated mission is to bring together people from across the political spectrum to develop solutions to major urban problems facing the region, serving a population of approximately 8 million residents across a market described as the second-most diverse large metro region in the country.
SPUR's revenue model is overwhelmingly membership-driven (76% of FY 2022-23 revenue), supplemented by foundation grants (23%), special events (13%), and earned income (5%). The membership program spans six individual tiers from $75/year (Standard) to $25,000/year (President's Circle), with a parallel business membership program organized around affinity councils. Disclosed FY 2022-23 total revenue was $7.2M against expenses of $8.3M, with $15.2M in net assets as of March 31, 2023. The organization employs 51-100 people, is led by President and CEO Sean Elsbernd, and is governed by an independent Board of Directors with no parent company or institutional investor. Strategic revenue diversification includes corporate-funded initiatives (notably the JPMorgan Chase-funded Future of Downtown program) and an expanding foundation grant portfolio including Chan Zuckerberg Initiative and San Francisco Foundation.
The organization's product portfolio consists of policy research publications, The Urbanist magazine, an interactive SPUR Voter Guide, the Ideas + Action symposium, Silver SPUR Awards, Good Government Awards, free public educational programs, and facility rental of the SPUR Urban Center at 654 Mission Street. Distribution relies on a multi-channel content approach: website, newsletters, public events, voter guides, and earned media (100+ media appearances in 2022). SPUR operates a coalition-based advocacy model with partners including California YIMBY, Pacific Institute, Sierra Club, Greenbelt Alliance, Terner Center for Housing Innovation, and Mineta Transportation Institute. The organization does not develop technology products, has no app or API platform, and its underlying technology stack is limited to standard content distribution and member management infrastructure.
SPUR firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- SPUR
- Legal name
- San Francisco Bay Area Planning and Urban Research Association
- Website
- https://spur.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1959
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- SPUR is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit public policy organization founded in 1959 that conducts research, education, and advocacy on urban planning, housing, transportation, and governance issues for the nine-county San Francisco Bay Area, serving individual members, businesses, and government partners through publications, voter guides, events, and coalition-based advocacy.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
SPUR industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Urban Policy Research and Civic Planning
- NAICS
- Social Advocacy Organizations (8133), Social Advocacy Organizations (81331), Civic and Social Organizations (81341)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Think Tanks, Policy Research & Public Policy Institutes (BPAGAFAO)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Affordable Housing & Community Development (Housing, Community Land Trusts) (BPAGALAC)
Keywords
Where SPUR is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- San Francisco
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices3 records
Markets served
SPUR business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Membership Revenue: Individual and business memberships provide recurring revenue. The organization reported $4,832,584 in membership revenue in FY 2022-23, representing 76% of total revenue. Membership tiers range from $75/year standard to $25,000/year President's Circle.
- Grants and Foundation Support: Grants from foundations and institutional donors. Reported $1,631,529 in grants (23% of revenue) in FY 2022-23. Includes support from Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, San Francisco Foundation, and other foundations.
- Special Events: Revenue from events including Silver SPUR Awards, Ideas + Action symposium, and Good Government Awards. Reported $906,894 in special events revenue (13% of revenue) in FY 2022-23.
- Earned Income: Earned income from publications, facility rentals, and other programs. Reported $376,613 in earned income (5% of revenue) in FY 2022-23.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Monthly | Standard membership for individual supporters |
| Subscription | Monthly | Advocate membership for engaged supporters |
| Subscription | Monthly | Planner membership for dedicated advocates |
| Subscription | Monthly | Urban Leader membership for major supporters |
| Subscription | Annual | Benefactor membership for significant donors |
| Subscription | Annual | President's Circle for top-tier supporters |
| Subscription | Annual | Business Membership |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels7 records
SPUR product offering
Product offeringCore offering
SPUR is a member-supported nonprofit urban policy research organization that conducts independent research on housing, transportation, climate resilience, governance, and the economy in the San Francisco Bay Area. It publishes policy reports, The Urbanist magazine, an annual nonpartisan voter guide, and produces public educational events, while engaging directly with elected officials and agencies to translate research into policy outcomes.
Product overview
SPUR is a nonprofit public policy organization offering a portfolio of research, education, and advocacy products. The core offerings include published research (policy briefs, reports, The Urbanist magazine), voter guides, and membership programs (individual and business tiers including affinity councils). The organization also hosts events including the Ideas + Action symposium, Silver SPUR Awards, and Good Government Awards, and provides facility rental at the SPUR Urban Center. These offerings work together to advance SPUR's mission of creating an equitable, sustainable, and prosperous Bay Area through research, education, and advocacy.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- SPUR Publications and Policy Reports
Quantifiable outcome
- Voter guide garnered more than 260,000 page views in 2022
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use SPUR
Customer profileNamed customers4 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
SPUR technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
SPUR partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- Mineta Transportation InstitutecorePublished Bay Area Parking Census report with Mineta Transportation Institute, providing detailed assessment of region's parking infrastructure to inform future policymaking.
- Terner Center for Housing InnovationcoreCollaborated on brief regarding middle-income housing model using joint powers authorities with tax incentives, explaining how this model works and how to ensure meaningful benefits.
- Greenbelt AlliancecorePublished Watershed Moments with Greenbelt Alliance and Pacific Institute, case studies of Northern California leaders pioneering water efficiency, protecting groundwater, and recycling water.
- Pacific InstitutecoreCollaborated on Water for a Growing Bay Area report (October 2021) showing how the Bay Area can grow without increasing water demand. Joint publication with Pacific Institute laid out 18 recommendations for water management.
- California YIMBYcoreCoalition partner in housing advocacy, including joint letter to SCAG on SB 79 implementation methodology. SPUR is part of broader coalition working on housing policy reform.
- Abundant Housing LAcoreCoalition partner in housing advocacy, part of broader coalition advocating for housing policy reform including SB 79 implementation methodology.
- Sierra ClubcoreJoint report on gas appliances and air pollution with Sierra Club and RMI, outlining how state and regional air agencies can end gas appliance pollution in California.
- Tax Fairness ProjectcoreCollaborated on research exploring how California's Proposition 13 impacts homeowners in Oakland, examining who benefits from property tax law and who shoulders burdens.
Scale indicators7 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights7 records
SPUR competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Regional Plan Association: Independent regional planning organization for the New York–New Jersey–Connecticut tri-state region. Directly comparable to SPUR as a member-supported nonprofit producing research, advocacy, and policy recommendations on housing, transit, and urban planning for a large U.S. metro area.
- Greenbelt Alliance: Bay Area land-use and open-space advocacy organization and active SPUR coalition partner. Comparable as a regional nonprofit think-tank/advocate focused on land use, housing, and sustainability in the same nine-county geography.
- California YIMBY: Statewide housing advocacy organization and SPUR coalition partner on SB 79 and other housing reform efforts. Comparable as a mission-aligned advocacy nonprofit driving housing policy reform in California.
- Abundant Housing LA: Los Angeles-based housing advocacy coalition partner of SPUR. Comparable as a regional housing-advocacy organization using research, coalition-building, and policy advocacy on the same playbook SPUR runs at the city/county level.
- Mineta Transportation Institute: San José State University-affiliated transportation policy research institute that co-published the Bay Area Parking Census with SPUR. Comparable as a research-driven policy organization producing transit and infrastructure analysis in the same Bay Area ecosystem.
- Terner Center for Housing Innovation: UC Berkeley-affiliated housing policy research center collaborating with SPUR on middle-income housing and joint powers authorities. Comparable as an applied housing policy research entity producing briefs and recommendations for California housing reform.
- Pacific Institute: Oakland-based water and sustainability research organization that co-published 'Water for a Growing Bay Area' with SPUR. Comparable as a mission-driven research and policy nonprofit focused on sustainability issues affecting the Bay Area.
Broad incumbents
- Urban Institute: Large national nonprofit research organization producing evidence-based insights on housing, transportation, and economic policy. Comparable as a policy-research nonprofit with a broader national footprint and similar research-and-advocacy model.
- Brookings Institution: National think tank producing research on urban economics, housing, and metropolitan policy. Comparable as a large-scale, member-supported policy research institution with a similar research/education/advocacy triad, though operating at national rather than regional scale.
- Manhattan Institute: National policy research organization focused on urban issues including housing affordability, transit, and governance. Comparable as a think tank producing applied urban-policy research and engaging directly with city and state policymakers.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
SPUR social profiles
Digital presenceSPUR financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
SPUR leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles14 records
SPUR funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
SPUR M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about SPUR
What does SPUR do?
SPUR is a member-supported nonprofit urban policy research organization that conducts independent research on housing, transportation, climate resilience, governance, and the economy in the San Francisco Bay Area. It publishes policy reports, The Urbanist magazine, an annual nonpartisan voter guide, and produces public educational events, while engaging directly with elected officials and agencies to translate research into policy outcomes.
Is SPUR a public or private company?
SPUR is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was SPUR founded?
SPUR was founded in 1959. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is SPUR based?
SPUR is headquartered in San Francisco, United States, in the North America region.
How does SPUR make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Membership Revenue is the primary driver. The others are grants and Foundation Support, special Events and earned Income.
Who are SPUR's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Regional Plan Association, Greenbelt Alliance, California YIMBY, Abundant Housing LA, Mineta Transportation Institute, Terner Center for Housing Innovation and Pacific Institute. Broad incumbents are Urban Institute, Brookings Institution and Manhattan Institute.
Does SPUR have an API?
No public API is recorded for SPUR.
What industry is SPUR in?
SPUR's product category is Urban Policy Research and Civic Planning. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAGAFAO, Think Tanks, Policy Research & Public Policy Institutes, with a secondary code of BPAGALAC, Affordable Housing & Community Development (Housing, Community Land Trusts). Its NAICS code is 8133.