Billionaire handing out $150M to anyone who can fix San Francisco

A billionaire venture capitalist and philanthropist has launched a global competition for companies to come forward with innovative ideas for “making San Francisco a better place to live.”Former Sequoia Capital chairman Michael Moritz and his artist wife Harriet Heyman are awarding up to $150 million through their private family foundation, Crankstart, to organizations with a mission to transform the city.Up to three proposals in the “Boundless San Francisco” competition will receive anywhere from $10 million to $50 million to bring their ideas to life.The competition is “open to proposals in any subject area, from near or far,” that “reflects the premise that the next great idea for the city could come from anyone, anywhere,” reads the official statement.Successful proposals will pair an ambitious vision for San Francisco’s future with a clear, credible plan to build it and make it last.The selection process will occur in two phases designed to cultivate high-impact proposals.In the first stage, three to seven finalists will be selected to receive technical support and share a project development grant pool ranging from $1 million to $3.5 million.Following project refinement, up to three overall awardees will be selected in the fall of 2027 to receive more funds to execute their plans.Submissions will undergo a rigorous multi-tier evaluation process starting with a participatory review in November and December 2026, during which applicants will evaluate four peer proposals.Top-ranking entries will advance to an Evaluation Panel Review, where experts will score projects based on four core standards –– Transformative Ambition, Viability, Evidence of Results, and Durability.The organizers will host an informational webinar on August 18 featuring a platform demonstration and a live Q&A session.

Registration links are available through the competition portal.Applications will remain open until September 11, and organizations need to submit th...