Our Impact
Supporting small businesses to address their persistent challenges strengthens our neighborhoods citywide. Our community-centered approach to service design prioritizes urgent response, learning, and rapid iteration based on feedback. Measuring and reporting on our impact means being accountable to our small business partners, our community of supporters, and the city of San Francisco. We measure our impact as we seek to understand how our programs and interventions build capacity for small business owners, improve neighborhood vibrancy, and make San Francisco a place where diverse small businesses can thrive.
Click on each district to view activity data for 2022, 2021 and 2020.
TOTAL REVENUE DISBURSED DIRECTLY TO BUSINESSES
NUMBER OF BUSINESSES SUPPORTED WITH REVENUE
NUMBER OF BUSINESSES SUPPORTED WITH TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE
READ OUR ANNUAL IMPACT REPORTS
SMALL BUSINESS SURVEY REPORT
In 2022, we published the results of our small business survey report that represented data collected and conversations with the 400 recipients of our 2021 Grant Program. The survey revealed the perilous financial position of our most-underesourced microentrepreneuers (85% with fewer than 5 workers) and the expectation that economic pandemic recovery is more than 12 months away. Survey respondents also shared insights about solutions that could support their businesses today, which are informing the design and launch of several new SF New Deal programs in 2023. Read the full report here.
Familiarity with Financial Management
39% of the small business owners surveyed identified finance and accounting services as their greatest need, and what they believe would be most helpful to their future success. 50% of all surveyed businesses reported not being comfortable reading and understanding cash flow statements and budgets.
CORE CHALLENGES FOR SMALL BUSINESSES
Asked to rank challenges they have confronted since the start of the pandemic, 32% of grantees reported accumulating debt as their single biggest challenge. 41% of the small business owners surveyed chose hiring and staffing as their primary concern, and transportation emerged as an area for growing challenge.