Dept. of Children, Youth, & Families Funding Cuts Hit SF Youth
San Franciscans are watching with concern as the budget process unfolds. SFMTA won’t extend metered parking, but they did try to cut the entire crossing guard program. Thankfully SEIU Local 1021 pushed back hard (and so did parents) so SFMTA management backtracked, but there’s a new fire to put out: Department of Children, Youth, and their Families (DCYF) is canceling their 2024-2025 Community Grants.
Deprioritizing Youth
It’s becoming clear that a future for children is low on the list for district supervisors and the Mayor’s office. Instead, they’re repeating the mistakes of their predecessors by balling with the bigshots during NBA All-Stars and handing out cheap liquor licenses, doubling down on San Francisco’s past and ignoring the youth who will keep this city running after our bones move to Colma. Meanwhile, say goodbye to programs that provide STEAM education, workforce development, and targeted support in districts with outsized challenges.
Cuts Ahead
According to the People’s Budget Coalition, the meager $10.5M that was won back from the horrendous $30M cuts in children’s services has just been cruelly cut. Spokesperson Anya Worley-Ziegmann explains, “This is a devastating setback. We fought for this funding because we knew what was at stake—critical programs that provide care, education, and opportunity for our children.” In a mirrored parallel to blind and damaging cuts at the federal level, the City and County of San Francisco is choosing to discontinue funding for critical service, despite pushback from advocates. “To see it taken away now, after all our hard work, is infuriating and heartbreaking.”
This is a very difficult city in which to raise children even for highly educated parents with a decent support system. And those who want to duck their heads into the sand should be alarmed: these city-wide cuts mean that insulated neighborhoods are slipping along with the rest of the city into untenable circumstances for families with young children.
Birthday Present?
We recently saw an alarming joke on a parent forum that said, “What do you get your SF kid for their eighth birthday? A house in Mill Valley.” That’s unfortunately the norm as middle and lower-class families get priced out and lose access to safety nets here.
According to DCYF,
“In September 2024, the Mayor’s Budget Office placed $7M of the $10.5M allocated to DCYF for budget restorations (or “addbacks”) on reserve. Of the remaining funds, DCYF directed $1M to support existing grants and planned to include the remaining $2.5M in the 2025-2026 Community Grants RFP.
However, in November 2024, the Mayor’s Budget Office required all City departments to reduce their General Fund allocations by 15% for both FY 2025-2026 and FY 2026-2027. For DCYF, this means an $11.8M reduction. In order to preserve funding for current grants and ensure ongoing services for children, youth, and families, we have proposed including the full $10.5M in addback funding as part of our General Fund reduction.
As a result, DCYF has made the difficult decision to cancel the 2024-2025 Community Grants RFP and will not be awarding grants through this process. This decision aligns with Section 21G.6 of the Administrative Code, which allows a granting agency to cancel a solicitation if needed.”
A Sinister Approach
This sinister approach to youth services is yet another parallel of the moderate San Francisco government hiding behind our city’s purported liberal ideals (being pro-LGBTQ+ or upholding diversity as a value) while gutting programs that directly benefit those same communities across class lines. The system is built in such a way that disenfranchised youth are practically encouraged to pull the ladder up behind them as they climb, so that aging and gaining status comes with denying the same helping hand to others.
“But as difficult as this moment is,” Worley-Ziegmann reiterates, “We cannot afford to stop fighting. We know that without these resources, children and families will suffer. We absolutely will be mounting an effort to fight for children’s funding again and we also know that when we come together, we are powerful. We have won before, and we must do everything we can to win again – and win in a way that lasts.”
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