Contact: Angela Hughes, ahughes[at]sff.org
San Francisco Foundation Announces 2026 Community Leadership Award Winners
SAN FRANCISCO, CA – The San Francisco Foundation (SFF) announced recipients of the 2026 Community Leadership Awards, recognizing Bay Area leaders whose vision, courage, and commitment are helping create a more equitable region for all. Since 1963, the awards have honored individuals whose work addresses the Bay Area’s most pressing challenges and strengthens communities across the region. The following four recipients will each receive a $20,000 award:
Omar Carrera is the CEO of Canal Alliance and this year’s recipient of the Kirkwood Community Leadership Award. Through his leadership, Canal Alliance has become a trusted resource for immigrant families in Marin County, providing services, advocacy, and opportunities that help residents thrive. A longtime champion for equity and community partnership, Omar has helped advance regional initiatives at the intersection of affordable housing, climate resilience, and support of immigrant communities through the Great Communities Collaborative, the Stand Together Bay Area Fund, and Latine Kitchen Cabinet. “The complex challenges facing our communities demand a shift in how we lead, moving away from traditional authority and toward shared stewardship,” said Carrera. “True leadership requires facing hard truths with honesty, building bridges across differences, and fostering the conditions for communities to shape their own future.“
Janetta Johnson is CEO of the Transgender, Gender-Variant, Intersex Justice Project (TGIJP) and this year’s recipient of the Joe Brooks Community Leadership Award. A formerly incarcerated Black trans woman, Janetta has dedicated her life to advancing dignity, opportunity, and justice for Black and Black and Brown transgender people impacted by incarceration. At TGIJP, she has expanded pathways for leadership development and economic opportunity through fellowships, workforce programs, community convenings, and support for the nation’s first Transgender Cultural District. Janetta embodies the spirit of this award through her commitment to mentoring emerging leaders, speaking truth with moral courage, and helping build a more just future for generations to come. Reflecting on her leadership, Johnson said, “Leadership is not about standing in front of people. It is about standing with people and building something that will remain after you are gone. Everything I do is rooted in a belief that Black trans people deserve more than survival. We deserve dignity, opportunity, safety, and the ability to leave something for the generations coming behind us.“
Kimi Lee is executive director of Bay Rising and Bay Resistance and this year’s recipient of the Boldness Community Leadership Award. Through both organizations, Kimi has helped bring together community organizations, labor partners, neighborhood groups, and residents across the Bay Area during a time of profound uncertainty and change. Her leadership reflects the spirit of this award: meeting challenges with courage, helping communities stay connected, and creating pathways for people to take part in shaping a more equitable future. In reflecting on today’s challenges, Lee said, “Boldness is what our communities require from all of us. Through both Bay Resistance and Bay Rising, it has been an honor to devote myself to the work of building the collective networks the Bay Area needs to move in coordination to both resist these attacks and build more equitable, community-led futures.”
Dr. Daniella “Danny” Dominguez is founder and director of On the Margins, an associate professor at the University of San Francisco, and this year’s recipient of the Phyllis Koshland Friedman – Retha Smith Robinson Community Leadership Award. A licensed psychologist, she works with farmworkers, LGBTQ+ communities, and other residents in Marin and Sonoma counties to expand access to mental health care and support for people who might otherwise go without care. Guided by a deep commitment to healing and community, she has helped address critical gaps in care while building stronger networks of connection and support. “My leadership is rooted in the presence, practice, and pursuit of liberation,” Dominguez said. “Standing at the intersection of anti-racist, feminist, and trauma-responsive practices, I co-create ecosystems where healing justice is centered and community organizing is a direct path to collective power.”
“The Bay Area is stronger because of leaders who are deeply rooted in their communities and committed to creating opportunities for others,” said Fred Blackwell, CEO of the San Francisco Foundation. “At a time when many people are facing uncertainty and barriers to opportunity, Kimi, Janetta, Omar, and Danny remind us what community leadership looks like. Their vision, courage, and dedication are helping build a Bay Area where more people can thrive. We are honored to recognize their extraordinary contributions and celebrate the lasting impact they are making across our region.”
For more information about SFF’s Community Leadership Awards, visit sff.org/cla.
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About the San Francisco Foundation
The San Francisco Foundation is a community foundation committed to a Bay Area where everyone can get a good job, live in a safe and affordable home, and exercise their political voice. The foundation advances its work through grantmaking, partnerships with donors, policy advocacy, and impact investing.
