Koshland Program

Koshland Program

For forty years, The Daniel E. Koshland Civic Unity Community Fellowship Program, has supported over 500 neighborhood (Community) leaders and resourced over 35 communities throughout the Bay area. The Daniel E. Koshland Civic Unity Community Fellowship program was established in 1982 to center the residents of communities and resource them with the tools and funding to advocate and build in their own communities. Working with the community advisory committee to…

Each year, the Koshland fellowship program recognizes 12 Bay Area neighborhood leaders of a particular community and makes a five-year $300,000 investment in that neighborhood. As a result of the fellowship, many of the projects created by Koshland Fellows, have become institutions or programs that still support communities to this day:

  • The Canal Welcome Center – for immigrants and other newcomers in San Rafael’s Canal neighborhood
  • Power Institute of Mission
  • The Excelsior Works, Workers Rights Center – a multilingual and multicultural workforce development center
  • Jackson Hayward’s Scholarship Program – for college students in Hayward’s Jackson Triangle/Harder Tennyson neighborhoods
  • San Pablo mini-grants program – a neighborhood wide grant re grant program in San Pablo
  • North Fair Oaks Afterschool Mentorship and Tutoring Program – a mentorship program located in an unincorporated area of Redwood City

Koshland Neighborhood Fellows
The Koshland Excelsior Fellows are the founding members of Excelsior Works! Photographed Front Row Left to Right: Nicole Agbayani, Joni Tam Chu, Tiffani Johnson, Rachel Ebora, Rene Luna, Terry Valen. Back Row Left to Right: Paulo Acosta Cabezas, Alex Tom, Jacquie Chavez, Beth Rubenstein, Charlie Sciammas, Carlton Eichelberger.
The Koshland Excelsior Fellows (Front Row Left to Right) Nicole Agbayani, Joni Tam Chu, Tiffani Johnson, Rachel Ebora, Rene Luna, Terry Valen. (Back Row Left to Right) Paulo Acosta Cabezas, Alex Tom, Jacquie Chavez, Beth Rubenstein, Charlie Sciammas, Carlton Eichelberger. Photo courtesy of Excelsior Works!

A Koshland fellow is a proven bridge builder and an unsung hero in their community. To be a Koshland fellow, you must live or work in the selected neighborhood and must commit to a five-year fellowship that includes:

  • Leadership training
  • Fundraising training and other professional development opportunities
  • Recurring meetings
  • The development, implementation and evaluation of one or more joint neighborhood projects (see examples above) or supporting an existing neighborhood program with Koshland funding

The funding can be used to make mini-grants to neighborhood nonprofits with which the cohort engages in its work.

Questions? Please contact Koshland team at programs[at]sff.org.

2022-2027 Koshland Fellows: North Central, San Mateo 

  • Giselle Alvarez, Social Worker, Golden Gate Recreational Center
  • Rev. Jorge Bautista, Associate Minister, Congregational Church of San Mateo
  • Evelia Chairez, Manager of Community Engagement, Peninsula Conflict Resource Center
  • Noelia Corzo, Trustee and Board Clerk. San Mateo-Foster City School District
  • Amourence “Amo” Lee, City Council Member, San Mateo City Council
  • Reyna Sandoval, Associate Director of Community Programs, Samaritan House of San Mateo
  • Lisa Tealer, Executive Director, Bay Area Community Health Advisory Council
Koshland Committee

The Koshland Committee is an advisory committee of the foundation’s board of trustees. Comprised of established community leaders, former foundation fellows and Koshland family members, the committee’s role is to ensure that the Koshland Program remains true to its core values, mission and program delivery.

Phyllis Koshland Friedman – Retha Smith Robinson Community Leadership Award

Nominations for the Phyllis Koshland Friedman — Retha Smith Robinson Community Leadership Award 2023 are closed.

The Phyllis Koshland Friedman – Retha Smith Robinson Community Leadership Award annually supports an inspiring, young woman of color working in the Bay Area to advance community-driven solutions to the most pressing issues.

The Phyllis Koshland Friedman – Retha Smith Robinson Community Leadership Award honors the 30-year philanthropic and personal partnership between the late Phyllis Koshland Friedman and Retha Smith Robinson.  Phyllis, the youngest daughter of Daniel E. Koshland Sr., co-founder of the San Francisco Foundation, shared her father’s belief in the larger San Francisco community and the talents and aspirations of all people, especially those too often disregarded and disrespected.  She met Retha Smith Robinson when Retha was the Koshland Program’s assistant, saw her spark, and worked with her to recognize and unleash her talents and those of other leaders across the Bay Area. Since then, Retha has ascended in her own leadership and today she’s working as the director of the Koshland Program for the last 23 years and counting.

Phyllis and Retha shared a love of community and all people, an infectious humor that leavened as it unleashed the full promise of humanity, and a zealous desire to promote the well-being and empowerment of others — in both individual and systemic ways. Their partnership was defined by their generosity, empathy, passion for living, and commitment to social justice.  May the spirit of their unique philanthropic partnership light the way for women leaders of color for decades in the future.


2022 Phyllis Koshland Friedman – Retha Smith Robinson Community Leadership Award

Elizabeth Quiroz
Elizabeth Quiroz at the women’s prison in Redwood City in January 2023. Photo by Ling Woo Liu

Our 2022 winner, Elizabeth Quiroz, co-founder of Redemption House of the Bay Area! Read our story about Elizabeth.