Committee backs six-month waiver to expand Civic Bridge pro bono program

The Government Audit and Oversight Committee of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors on Jan. 18 voted to send a mayor-sponsored resolution to the full Board that would allow the Mayor’s Office to solicit in‑kind donations of labor for the Civic Bridge program for six months notwithstanding the city’s behest-of-payments ordinance.

Sophia Kittler of the Mayor’s Office of Innovation told the committee that “Civic Bridge is a program that started in 2015; we are in our tenth cohort,” and that this year’s cohort will concentrate on homelessness, street outreach and housing. Kittler said Civic Bridge brings short-term pro bono consulting help to city teams that need extra capacity or different technical expertise.

The resolution would permit staff to approach for‑profit companies to donate time as in‑kind contributions and later return to the Board for accept-and-expend agreements. Presenters said cohorts typically include four to six projects (this cohort, they said, is expected to have about four), last roughly 16 weeks, and that the office uses a Taproot Foundation benchmark of about $195 per hour to value donated time.

Committee members questioned how Civic Bridge protects against potential conflicts when companies that donate time later compete for city contracts. Kittler said the Mayor’s Office conducts outreach (departments do not) and that grant agreements include provisions precluding Civic Bridge participants from competing for an RFP that is directly based on the Civic Bridge work.

A member of the public praised the program and urged inclusion of civil‑rights pro bono providers among potential partners. After public comment, Chair Supervisor Dean Preston moved to forward the resolution with a positive recommendation to the full Board. The roll call recorded two affirmative votes—Vice Chair Catherine Stephanie and Chair Preston—and the motion passed (2-0, Supervisor Chan excused).

The Mayor’s Office said that, if approved, it would match participating companies to projects, return to the Board for accept-and-expend approvals for each matched package, and aim to begin the next Civic Bridge cohort in mid‑March and complete it by June.