Committee advances $10 million Crankstart donation to expand before‑and‑after school care

The Budget and Finance Committee on Jan. 12 voted unanimously to forward to the Board of Supervisors a resolution authorizing the Department of Children, Youth & Their Families to accept and expend a $10,000,000 donation from the Crankstart Foundation to support before‑and‑after‑school programs for San Francisco Unified School District.

Director Hsu told the committee the gift will be split $5 million per year over two years and distributed to community‑based organizations (CBOs) to increase staffing, convert part‑time positions to full‑time, hire behavioral‑health specialists, provide transportation and secure additional space. "These dollars will be used to help really meet those challenges and barriers that our CBOs shared — limited capacity, staffing and transportation," Hsu said.

Hsu said the department will ask CBOs to prioritize hiring behavioral‑health specialists to address students’ social and emotional needs and that some funds may be used to rent additional space so agencies can serve more children. In response to supervisor questions, Hsu said the department is still planning slot‑level details and will report back to the Board with specifics about how many additional slots the money will create; she confirmed the gift will flow to DCYF and then be distributed to nonprofit providers.

Supervisors expressed appreciation for the foundation’s support and asked staff to ensure transparency and sustain capacity beyond a two‑year window where possible. Chair Haney moved the resolution to the full Board with a positive recommendation; the committee voted 3–0 to forward the item.