Livable City

What Livable City does

Livable City is a San Francisco-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded circa 2000 that works to make the city more livable through open streets programming, policy advocacy, and community events. The organization operates six core programs: Sunday Streets, the city's designated open streets provider that transforms miles of streets into car-free community spaces across 10 annual events serving 100,000+ San Franciscans; Citywide Juneteenth parade; Feeding 5000 holiday meal distribution serving thousands of families; Fillmore Holiday Night Market; Policy & Planning services including the Twin Peaks Plan and SF4ALL Gentle Density housing campaign; and a Fiscally Sponsored Projects platform that provides administrative infrastructure to community organizations such as Sutro Stewards. Its operational technology is an event and community-organizing infrastructure rather than a software or AI stack, with logistics coordinated through deep integration with San Francisco city agencies.

The organization's business model is nonprofit, with no commercial product revenue. Funding is derived from three streams: individual grassroots donations (including a $200,000 fundraising goal for 2025 policy and advocacy work); government grants and contracts from San Francisco agencies such as SFMTA, Department of Public Health, Recreation & Parks, Public Works, Office of Economic and Workforce Development, and SF Planning; and administrative fees from fiscal sponsorship arrangements. Distribution is delivered through free citywide events, direct government partnerships, and grassroots community engagement, with marketing conducted primarily via community events, a Sunday Streets Instagram presence, an email newsletter, and volunteer word-of-mouth.

Livable City employs 1–10 staff, including an Executive Director (Darin Ow-Wing), Deputy Director (Sally Chen), Program Director (Jessica Tovar), Senior Policy Fellow (Tom Radulovich), Sunday Streets Program Manager (Isaac Santiago), and a Program & Development Associate (Reina Terry). Key partners include SFMTA, the SF Department of Public Health, the SF Bike Coalition, CASE, Shape Up SF Coalition, Robin Chiang & Company, and the firm's fiscal sponsors. In 2025 the organization received the Community Alliance Award from the Center for Architecture & Design. A near-term risk is the proposed SF Department of Public Health budget cuts flagged in February 2026, which threaten the legacy Sunday Streets program.

Name

Livable City

Legal name

Livable City

Website

https://livablecity.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Livable City is a San Francisco-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit that operates Sunday Streets and other open streets programs, runs community events such as Feeding 5000 and Citywide Juneteenth, advocates for housing and complete streets policy, and provides fiscal sponsorship to community organizations across the city.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Advocacy and Urban Livability Services

NAICS

Social Advocacy Organizations (8133), Civic and Social Organizations (81341)

akta.pro primary industry

Smart Cities & Urban Innovation Programs (Digital Planning, Civic Tech for Cities) (BPAIANAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Public Works & Municipal Infrastructure (Streets, Stormwater, Facilities) (BPAIACAF), State/Provincial Housing, Urban/Regional Planning & Community Development (BPAIABAM)

Keywords

• Open streets programs
• Community advocacy
• Urban livability
• Fiscal sponsorship
• Public space management

Headquarters

HQ city

San Francisco

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Fundraising: Grassroots donations from individuals supporting the organization's campaigns and programs. Includes online donation capabilities through the website.
2. Government Contracts and Partnerships: Funding and support from San Francisco city agencies including SFMTA, Department of Public Health, Public Works, Recreation & Parks Department for operating open streets programs.
3. Fiscal Sponsorship Services: Provides fiscal sponsorship to community organizations (like Sutro Stewards), receiving administrative fees and expanding organizational reach.
4. Programming and Maintenance Contracts: Contracts with city agencies (e.g., SF Planning) to provide maintenance and programming for public spaces like Treat Plaza.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Livable City is a San Francisco-based nonprofit organization that operates open streets programs (Sunday Streets), community events (Citywide Juneteenth, Feeding 5000, Fillmore Holiday Night Market), and policy advocacy initiatives focused on urban livability, housing affordability, and complete streets. It also provides fiscal sponsorship services to community organizations and manages public spaces such as Treat Plaza under contract with city agencies.

Product overview

Livable City is a nonprofit advocacy organization (not a product/technology company) that operates community programs focused on urban livability in San Francisco. The organization offers a portfolio of open street events and community programs including Sunday Streets (open streets transformation program), Citywide Juneteenth (annual parade), Feeding 5000 (food distribution), and Fillmore Holiday Night Market (seasonal market), along with policy and planning advocacy services, and fiscal sponsorship for community projects. Treat Plaza Programming represents a public space stewardship service. These are community programs/initiatives, not commercial software products.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Sunday Streets: Open streets program that transforms miles of San Francisco streets into car-free community spaces for kids to play, seniors to stroll, and neighbors to meet.
• Citywide Juneteenth
• Feeding 5000
• Fillmore Holiday Night Market
• Play Streets
• SF4ALL Campaign

Products and services

• Sunday Streets San Francisco's flagship open streets program that transforms miles of city streets into car-free community spaces for kids to play, seniors to stroll, businesses and organizations to connect, and neighbors to meet. Operated by Livable City as the City's designated Open Streets provider, with 10 annual events serving 100,000+ residents.
• Citywide Juneteenth Annual citywide Juneteenth parade and celebration event held in San Francisco, organized in partnership with community organizations to celebrate African American resilience, achievements, and contributions throughout U.S. history.
• Feeding 5000 Annual holiday food distribution event that provides special holiday meals to families across San Francisco. Hundreds of volunteers help distribute turkeys and produce boxes to thousands of families in need during the holiday season.
• Fillmore Holiday Night Market Annual holiday market in the Fillmore district of San Francisco featuring toys, games, live performances, food, drinks, and holiday cheer. Supported by the Office of Economic and Workforce Development.
• Policy & Planning Advocacy Advocacy and planning services focused on making San Francisco more livable through policy reform, complete streets initiatives, housing affordability campaigns (SF4ALL / gentle density), and planning projects such as the Twin Peaks Plan.
• Fiscally Sponsored Projects Fiscal sponsorship services provided to community organizations, offering a 501(c)(3) umbrella for tax-deductible donation processing, funds holding, insurance coverage, and grant compliance support. Current sponsored projects include Sutro Stewards.
• Treat Plaza Programming & Stewardship Public space maintenance, programming, and community stewardship organization provided under contract with SF Planning for Treat Plaza. Activities include resident surveys to guide programming and collaboration with residents, businesses, nonprofits, and cultural institutions.

Quantifiable outcome

• 100,000+ San Franciscans served annually through 10 Sunday Streets events
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Sutro StewardscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 July 2025Livable City became fiscal sponsor of Sutro Stewards in July 2025. Sutro Stewards builds community, connects people with nature, and protects Mount Sutro. They engage over 1,000 volunteers annually and host six or more events per month.
• SFMTA (San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrimary government partner for Sunday Streets program. SFMTA provides crucial services including Muni bus re-routing, traffic control officers for public safety, and sponsorship support. Project experts from SFMTA provide neighborhood residents direct access to transit planners throughout the season.
• San Francisco Department of Public HealthcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in presenting Sunday Streets program. Supports public health outcomes through open streets programming that promotes physical activity and community connection.
• San Francisco Bike CoalitionmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnered with Livable City to organize Bayview Black History Month Bike Ride and other cycling events promoting sustainable transportation.
• Office of Economic and Workforce DevelopmentmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSupported 5th Annual Fillmore Holiday Night Market and funded Twin Peaks Planning Project. Key city partner for economic and workforce development initiatives.
• Robin Chiang & CompanymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-time supporter and collaborator designing public infrastructure. Founded in 1997, the firm focuses on design within the public realm including libraries, train stations, water towers. Partnered on Twin Peaks Plan project.
• Spokes and FolksminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization that collaborated on Bayview Black History Month Bike Ride event.
• Shape Up SF CoalitioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoalition partner in presenting Sunday Streets program, working to promote health and physical activity across San Francisco.
• Coalition of Agencies Serving the Elderly (CASE)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNonprofit partnership presenting Getting There Together celebration for seniors and people with disabilities in conjunction with Sunday Streets Tenderloin.
• SF Planning (San Francisco Planning Department)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEngaged Livable City for maintenance and programming of Treat Plaza public space. Key partner in planning initiatives including Twin Peaks Plan.
• Recreation & Parks DepartmentmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCity agency partner for Sunday Streets and public space initiatives, providing support and resources for community programming.
• Public WorksmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCity agency partner for street improvements and Sunday Streets program support.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Smart Growth America: National coalition promoting walkable, inclusive, transit-oriented communities; comparable urban planning and policy advocacy orientation at a broader, multi-city scale.
• PeopleForBikes: National cycling advocacy coalition supporting better bike infrastructure and policies; operates at much larger scale in the same active-transportation and complete-streets policy space.
• Trust for Public Land: National nonprofit creating parks and protecting public land; broader portfolio than Livable City but overlaps on urban livability, public-space stewardship, and city-government partnerships.

Others

• San Francisco Foundation: Major Bay Area community foundation funding equity, housing, and livability initiatives; relevant as a potential institutional funder / ecosystem participant rather than a direct competitor.

Direct peers

• Friends of the Urban Forest: San Francisco nonprofit focused on urban tree planting and green infrastructure; shares Livable City's neighborhood-level, volunteer-driven, city-permitted program model and SF city-agency funding base.
• Open Plans: Urbanist nonprofit advocating for better streets, transit, and public space (originally the Open Streets Project); closely comparable mission and program mix, though geographically anchored in NYC.
• San Francisco Bicycle Coalition: San Francisco-based nonprofit advocating for cycling and safer streets; directly overlapping livability, complete-streets, and active-transportation agenda with Livable City, and an existing co-program partner.
• Walk San Francisco: Pedestrian safety and walkable-streets advocacy nonprofit in San Francisco; operates in the same livable-streets and Vision Zero policy lane as Livable City.
• SF Parks Alliance: San Francisco nonprofit dedicated to stewarding and funding public parks and open spaces; comparable in mission around public-space activation and city-level partnerships.

Regional players

• Livable Communities Coalition (various regional orgs): Other city- or region-specific 'livable' or 'complete streets' advocacy nonprofits operating in other U.S. metros; thematically aligned with Livable City but geographically non-overlapping.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/sundaystreets
• Xx.com/livablecity
• Facebookfacebook.com/livablecity
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/livable-city

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Livable City