SOMCAN

What SOMCAN does

SOMCAN (South of Market Community Action Network) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 2000 in San Francisco to combat gentrification and displacement of low-income immigrant communities, with a particular focus on the Filipino population of the SoMa, Tenderloin, and Excelsior neighborhoods. Co-founded by Bill Sorro, Jeanne Batallones, and Roy Recio out of the Mint Mall Organizing Committee, SOMCAN combines direct services with grassroots community organizing through a portfolio of programs that includes Tenant Counseling, Workforce Development, YOHANA (Youth Organizing Home and Neighborhood Action), Akbay, ROSe (Reclaiming Our Space), Kapitbahay (a tenant membership program), and LiLA (a women's empowerment group). Its service delivery is appointment-based and bilingual (English and Tagalog), with additional Spanish-language support via the Familias Unidas program, operating from 1038 Mission Street (HQ) and a secondary office at 1110 Howard Street.

Underlying operations are human-led rather than technology-led: the core platform is a community-organizing and advocacy infrastructure supported by a Squarespace-hosted website, Facebook and Instagram social channels, a monthly email newsletter, and the Acuity-based scheduling system at somcanscheduling.as.me. There is no proprietary AI/ML, app, or API surface — value delivery rests on in-person counseling, home visits, workshops, and coalition mobilization. Outreach channels include Facebook (primary action-alert surface), Instagram, community events (e.g., the 17th anniversary gala at 180 ELEVEN in San Francisco drawing 250+ attendees), volunteer programs (short-term, ongoing, and internship), and earned media through press conferences and published reports such as the 2019 "Speaking up Speaking Out" Filipino Language Access report produced with OCEIA.

SOMCAN's business model is a nonprofit donation-and-grant model. Services are provided free of charge to community members; operating funds come from individual donations, foundation grants (notably the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation for Raising Places and the San Francisco Public Health Foundation for the "Our Health/Kalusugan, Our Community/Bayan" partnership with SFSU), and special-event fundraising (the November 2018 gala raised $31,407.71, the organization's largest single fundraising event on record). Customers served are community members rather than payers, segmented into Immigrant Tenants, Workers, Youth, and Filipino Families, with strategic coalitions extending reach via the San Francisco Anti-Displacement Coalition (28 organizations), Mission Housing Development Corporation, MEDA, APILO (pro-bono legal), and city agencies. Policy advocacy has produced tangible wins including the 2014 OCEIA certification of Filipino as San Francisco's third language for Limited English Proficient services and the unanimous 11-0 passage of the Jobs-Housing Linkage Fee by the Board of Supervisors.

Name

SOMCAN

Legal name

South of Market Community Action Network

Website

https://somcan.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

SOMCAN (South of Market Community Action Network) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2000 in San Francisco that delivers bilingual (English/Tagalog) tenant counseling, workforce development, youth organizing, women's empowerment, and family support to low-income immigrant communities, primarily Filipino families in SoMa, Tenderloin, and Excelsior.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Services

NAICS

Social Advocacy Organizations (8133), Other Community Housing Services (624229), Civic and Social Organizations (8134)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Community Centers & Neighborhood Support Services (BPAGAEAL)

akta.pro secondary industry

Affordable Housing & Community Development (Housing, Community Land Trusts) (BPAGALAC)

Keywords

• Community organizing
• Tenant counseling
• Workforce development
• Youth empowerment
• Immigrant advocacy

Headquarters

HQ city

San Francisco

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: SOMCAN is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization (ID: 81-1116166) that relies on tax-deductible donations from individuals, foundations, and community supporters to fund its programs and services.
2. Grant Funding: SOMCAN receives grant funding from foundations including the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation for specific programs like Raising Places. Also receives support from San Francisco Public Health Foundation for health initiatives.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

SOMCAN (South of Market Community Action Network) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that provides direct community services to low-income immigrant tenants, workers, youth, and families in San Francisco. Its offerings include tenant counseling and legal referrals, workforce development training, youth organizing (YOHANA), community empowerment programs (ROSe, LiLA, Akbay), and a tenant membership program (Kapitbahay). The organization also runs advocacy campaigns on housing rights, language access, climate resilience, and anti-displacement.

Product overview

SOMCAN (South of Market Community Action Network) is a multi-racial, community-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization serving low-income immigrant youth and families in San Francisco. The organization offers a portfolio of community programs including tenant counseling, workforce development, youth organizing (YOHANA), women's empowerment (LiLA), and the Kapitbahay tenant membership program. These programs are complemented by advocacy campaigns focused on climate resilience, language access rights, and anti-displacement efforts. Services are available in English and Tagalog, with some programs offering Spanish-language support. SOMCAN combines direct services with community organizing to advocate for social and economic justice.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Kapitbahay: Tenant membership program empowering tenants through collective action, offering training and resources for community organizing.
• LiLA
• Akbay Program
• YOHANA
• ROSe

Products and services

• Tenant Counseling Program

Quantifiable outcome

• Protected tenants from eviction at 657-659 Natoma Street through organizing and legal support
• +2 more outcomes

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

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

• San Francisco State University (SFSU) Health Education DepartmentcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with SFSU Health Education Department Lecturer Ruby N. Turalba for the 'Our Health/Kalusugan, Our Community/Bayan' three-year project. Funded by San Francisco Public Health Foundation. Project engages Filipinx residents in health education workshops, physical activity classes, and trains community members in public health frameworks and policy advocacy.
• Mission Housing Development CorporationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMission Housing acquired the Gran Oriente Filipino Hotel building, a historic South Park property. SOMCAN participates in community meetings to provide tenant education, organizing, and programming for the site as a historic and cultural asset.
• Asian-Pacific Islander Legal Outreach (APILO)coreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerAPILO provides pro-bono legal representation for tenants facing eviction. Attorney Jason Truong has represented SOMCAN members in cases including Natoma Street tenants and the Bonifacio family.
• Office of Civic Engagement and Immigrant Affairs (OCEIA)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSOMCAN partnered with OCEIA on Filipino Language Access initiatives, including a press conference with Supervisor Matt Haney on the 'Speaking up Speaking Out' report documenting language access barriers for Filipino residents.
• Youth Leadership InstituteminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerYouth Leadership Institute selected YOHANA to receive B.L.I.N.G. Grant funding for the first-ever San Francisco City Youth Conference (SFCYC).
• Mission Economic Development Agency (MEDA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMEDA acquired 4830 Mission Street through the Small Sites Program to prevent displacement of existing tenants including Filipino families. SOMCAN staff met with tenants to inform them of their rights during the acquisition process.
• San Francisco Anti-Displacement Coalition (SFADC)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSFADC is a citywide network of 28 organizations. SOMCAN is a member and helped organize the District 6 tenants convention at Bayanihan Community Center.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Self-Help for the Elderly: SF-based nonprofit providing social services, housing assistance, and case management for Asian elderly and immigrant communities across the Bay Area. Comparable as a multi-service Asian-American community-based organization in San Francisco with overlapping housing navigation and direct-service offerings.
• Tenants Together: California statewide coalition for tenant rights, including advocacy, tenant hotline, and policy work. Comparable mission on tenant protection and policy advocacy; broader geographic scope than SOMCAN's neighborhood-level organizing.

Direct peers

• Asian Pacific Islander Legal Outreach (APILO): SF nonprofit providing free legal services, immigration assistance, and advocacy for Asian and Pacific Islander communities. Directly comparable as a culturally-specific service partner in the SFAPI ecosystem; APILO and SOMCAN jointly defend tenant members facing eviction.
• Tenderloin Housing Clinic: SF nonprofit delivering tenant counseling, legal referrals, and supportive housing services to low-income residents in the Tenderloin. Highly comparable tenant-counseling and case-management orientation; SOMCAN's Familias Unidas case worker previously worked at Tenderloin Housing Clinic.
• Chinatown Community Development Center (CCDC): SF nonprofit providing affordable housing, tenant services, and community-based organizing for the Chinatown immigrant community. Comparable as a culturally-rooted, place-based nonprofit combining direct services, housing development, and advocacy in a single San Francisco neighborhood.
• Mission Economic Development Agency (MEDA): San Francisco-based nonprofit serving low-income Mission neighborhood residents with asset-building, small business support, affordable housing, and immigrant integration services. Highly comparable mission, geography, and direct-service-plus-organizing model; SOMCAN is an active MEDA partner on anti-displacement acquisitions like 4830 Mission Street.
• Causa Justa :: Just Cause (CJJJC): Bay Area-based multi-racial grassroots organization building community power for immigrant and working-class tenants through organizing, policy advocacy, and direct services. Closely comparable as a tenant-rights and anti-displacement organizing peer that serves overlapping low-income immigrant populations in San Francisco and Oakland.

Emerging players

• Filipino American Coalition for Environmental Solidarity (FACES): Filipino-American environmental justice organization active in California focused on climate resilience, health equity, and immigrant community advocacy. Comparable in serving Filipino-American constituencies with culturally-specific advocacy; partial overlap with SOMCAN's climate resilience and health campaigns.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/SOMCAN
• Instagraminstagram.com/somcan.sf

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about SOMCAN