Help the SF Contemplarium sustain a season of neighborhood programming for the care of the heart and spirit — every dollar matched 1:1 by the UU Funding Program.

Every dollar you give is doubled.

The UU Funding Program has awarded us a Challenge Grant matching every dollar this community raises, up to $5,000. Reach $5,000 by August 19, and the next three-month season's full $10,000 budget is covered. The Awesome Foundation San Francisco has already kickstarted the community half with a $1,500 award — together with our earliest supporters, we begin past the halfway mark.

What is the Contemplarium?

The San Francisco Contemplarium is a neighborhood institution for the care of the heart and spirit. For two years in SF neighborhoods, we've been building spaces and rhythms where neighbors can honor our human journey together — Reflection Jams, Seasonal Ingatherings, skillbuilding Flamekeeping Workshops, Park Pop-Ups with our Reflection Stand, and a growing volunteer community of Neighborhood Flamekeepers.

If Year 1 was a year of experimentation, Year 2 has a year of cultivation. This was the year we truly began to form the rhythms and structures to sustain neighborhood care. And so far, it’s been working: We’ve involved hundreds of neighbors at our events and have consistently receive high ratings on how meaningful they feel.

The video above tells the story in three and a half minutes. (The longer written case: "What Makes A City Great".)

Why we're asking

We believe the Contemplarium is a new kind of civic institution — something like a culture museum or local public radio. Institutions like that are sustained by a woven mix of philanthropy, grants, and earned revenue. But the foundation beneath it all is support from neighbors who simply believe in what we are doing.

For two years, we've scratched by on borrowed space and time, plus startup grants — the right way to start, but not the way to last. Year 3 is about sustainability, and it begins with this season, and with you.

Read our latest newsletter for the full story.

What your gift sustains

The Season on Encounter (mid-August to mid-November):

Three monthly Reflection Jams — free to attend for the public
Flamekeeper Workshops featuring local practitioners — sliding scale
The Seasonal Ingathering — free to attend for the public
The Neighborhood Flamekeepers' activities — supported partly by Flamekeeper dues, the rest by contributions

We've done the math: one season of this free and sliding-scale programming takes a fully costed budget of $10,000 — venue, speakers, supplies, and snacks. Your gift, doubled by the match, is what puts it on.

Come picnic with us

We turn two this Sunday, July 26 — join our anniversary picnic at Duboce Park at 2-4pm. Whether or not you can give, come celebrate with us. Questions? Write me at seanan@sfcontemplarium.org.

Thank you!

Care for the heart and spirit in San Francisco: Year 3 Kickoff

Support the SF Contemplarium’s next season of reflection, ritual, and community care