The faith community has historically been at the forefront of advocating for racial and economic equity, and it remains a crucial voice today. In 1993, The San Francisco Foundation created FAITHS (Foundation Alliance with Interfaith to Heal Society) — now a nationally recognized program — to enhance the work of faith-based organizations and congregations to organize and advocate for equitable policies and improve services and outcomes in their neighborhoods and the region.
FAITHS is now a multi-faith network of more than 600 congregations, faith-based agencies, and community organizations that address racial and economic equity issues in the five Bay Area counties that the foundation serves (Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, San Francisco, and San Mateo). FAITHS grantmaking and other program activities align with the foundation’s goals to ensure that every Bay Area resident has access to a good job, lives in a safe and affordable home, has a strong political voice, and can live in a community that provides real opportunity.
Our Focus
“Our liberation is bound together. We cannot achieve justice for some without justice for all.” ~ Alicia Garza
FAITHS convenes faith leaders, offers technical assistance, capacity-building training, and grants centering building voice and power to support greater racial and economic equity in the region.
FAITHS Annual Retreat Announcement
Thank you for your interest in attending the Annual FAITHS Retreat! Get ready for a revitalizing FAITHS Annual Retreat! The retreat will be taking place on Monday, January 27, 2025. This year’s theme is “Collaboration and Rejuvenation.” We’re excited to spend the day together, recharging, and strengthening our partnerships.
Date: Monday, January 27, 2025
Time: 9:00 AM – 2:00 PM
Location: East Bay Community Foundation Conference Center | 200 Frank H. Ogawa Plaza, Oakland CA 94612 | Downtown Oakland Next to City Hall
Still have not RSVP’d for the FAITHS Retreat? You still can! RSVP TODAY! Please use this Registration Link
What should I wear/bring?
We will be holding a group Somatic exercise this year so no need to break out yoga pants but please dress comfortable for a day to relax and network with each other. A laptop is not necessary, but you are welcome to bring it or a notebook to take notes. Breakfast, lunch, and snacks will be provided throughout the day. We might have some leftover food, so feel free to bring to-go containers for leftovers (we’ll also have Ziploc bags)! 🙂
Is there a virtual option for attendees?
The retreat is hybrid! As we would love to meet with you in-person, we understand that it may not be possible for everyone. As you have registered, a Zoom link was sent to you. We will resend the Zoom link the morning of the retreat so that you may have it for convenience. However, we would love to meet you in-person at the East Bay Community Foundation Conference Center | 200 Frank H. Ogawa Plaza, Oakland CA 94612 | Downtown Oakland Next to City Hall.
How do I get to the retreat from public transit?
The retreat is accessible via BART (12th St BART station in Oakland is only 5 min walk) and multiple AC Transit lines.
Is there parking available?
While we encourage everyone to take public transportation to the retreat, if you have accessibility needs that require you to drive, there’s the Dalziel Garage ($16/day), and the Oakland City Center Garage ($22/day). If you have specific questions/requests, please reach out to Sayron.
What health and safety precautions are being taken at this retreat?
It is SFF’s protocol to follow the COVID-19 county guidelines, thus we cannot mandate tests or masks. We highly recommend testing for covid within 24 hours before the retreat, and masking during. We will be in a cozy indoor space, it’ s peak cold and flu season, and while it may not be a big deal for you to get sick, some of our colleagues may be immunocompromised, caretakers, or for whatever other reason need to be extra cautious. The retreat planning committee will be modeling collective care by masking up and providing hand sanitizer and masks.
FAITHS Community Partners Grant Program
FAITHS grants support programs that strengthen interfaith and race relations, increase civic and cultural participation, develop leaders, and provide community services to low-income residents and communities of color and programs addressing the needs of our communities: affordable housing, food insecurity, civic engagement (advocacy, integrated voter engagement, civic education), mental health and re-entry programs for systems involved community.
The FAITHS Community Partners Grant is closed and will re-open in Fall 2025. Please reach out to Sayron at sstokes[at]sff.org or Michelle at mmc[at]sff.org for any questions.
Click on the sections below for grant application guidelines and more information.
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Trainings and Technical Assistance
FAITHS Leadership Council Meetings
FAITHS consists of a diverse representation of the Bay Area’s faith-based community leaders representing 5 counties: San Francisco, Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, and San Mateo. Our regular meetings bring leaders together for training, information and resource sharing, and community reconnection.
Community leaders who would like to join the FAITHS Leadership Council meetings can do so by registering below.
When available, register for upcoming FLC meetings:
- No meetings at this time; check back again later.
These annual workshop series are designed to support faith-based and other non-profit leaders in creating communities of opportunity throughout the Bay Area. The trainings are FREE and equip participants with the skills they need to develop stable organizations, design impactful programs and build passionate teams. Sessions are presented in workshop settings and small group intensives. Individual coaching sessions are also available.
When available, register for upcoming OCCUR and FAITHS workshops:
- No workshops at this time; check back again later.
THRIVE! FAITHS Master Class Series
Over the past two years, we have learned to pivot into a new normal. In the process, we’ve become transformational leaders. You know them. You see them daily in our faith-based and nonprofit organizations. Much more than a title, transformational leadership is a calling. It is said that “transformational leaders do not care about how they were called. They only care about what they are called to do.” Through the leans of a fixed vision, they inspire positive changes within an organization. They increase morale, lead to organizational innovation, resolve conflicts, build unity then help the team, united, to press forward.
The THRIVE! FAITHS Master Class Series II trainings draw on the knowledge of experts in their fields with decades of experience. Sessions will prepare nonprofit and faith-based transformational leaders to navigate key critical areas. They will inspire leaders to lean into the wind of turbulent times, to emerge whole, to press forward and to THRIVE!
When available, register for upcoming THRIVE! training sessions:
- No training sessions at this time; check back again later.
See the THRIVE! Master Class Series Resources Toolkit.
Watch recordings of past THRIVE! Master Class sessions on our FAITHS YouTube Playlist.
Civic Engagement
In partnership with the Interfaith Movement for Human Integrity, FAITHS provides trainings and policy briefings for its grantees and broader network. Through these trainings, faith- and community-based organizations learn how to successfully engage in nonpartisan voter registration, education and policy work that supports the foundation-wide focus on racial and economic equity.