After a decade of meaningful impacts to local communities, the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission’s (SFPUC) landmark Social Impact Partnership (SIP) program was codified into local ordinance recently with unanimous support from the SFPUC Commission, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, and Mayor London Breed.

The program invites companies competing for SFPUC-qualifying contracts to voluntarily submit a proposal detailing how they would deliver commitments as either volunteer hours and/or financial contributions to non-profit organizations and/or public education providers in one of four main areas: 1. Job Exposure, Training and Internships; 2. Small Business Support; 3. Education; and 4. Environment and Community Health. The SIP program awards bonus points in the competitive bidding process for firms who commit to giving back to the community.

The SIP program blends corporate social responsibility values with the SFPUC Commission’s three guiding policies: Environmental Justice, Community Benefits, and Racial Justice. SIP commitments support local communities in addressing inequities, building community trust, improving quality of life, and creating meaningful impact. As the SFPUC builds critical infrastructure for the city and surrounding counties where they have projects, the agency also aims to support building more just and equitable communities.

Within months of the ordinance being approved, SFPUC passed rules and regulations to guide the administration of the program, and a public dashboard has been launched to ensure transparency and accountability for the program. The dashboard, available on the SFPUC website, publicly presents every dollar and volunteer hour that has been committed and delivered over the life of the program, and every public school and non-profit organization that has received social impact commitments.

For the last decade, the SIP program has led to deep, meaningful, and positive benefits in communities in San Francisco and across the SFPUC’s service territory. There are 88 contracts where companies have voluntarily committed to deliver volunteer hours and financial contributions to local public schools and nonprofit organizations. With the new legislation, the program now has even stronger tools to maximize transparency and accountability.

NACWA awarded the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission a 2024 National Environmental Achievement Award in the Community Leadership category for its valuable program. Congratulations to everyone involved!