The Excelsior Action Group's mission is to revitalize the San Francisco Excelsior Neighborhood's Commercial Corridor. A primary way we do that is by providing free services and programs specifically for merchants in the Excelsior, in addition to our other activities.
why we help merchantsThe Excelsior Action Group (EAG) is a nonprofit organization founded in 2002 by Excelsior community members with a goal of improving the Excelsior Neighborhood. Specifically, EAG wants to improve Mission Street in the Excelsior. A primary way we do that is by helping merchants along Mission Street.
EAG is made up of two, full-time workers (our leader Nicole and our AmeriCorps intern John) and numerous volunteers from the community. EAG receives money to do its work from the City of San Francisco's Office of Economic and Workforce Development (OEWD) and the Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC). Because the OEWD and LISC give EAG money, EAG is able to help local businesses and the community for free--our job is to help local businesses and the community for free and we provide a number of free services as listed on the right We also regularly recruit volunteers to clean up trash along Mission Street, in an effort to make the corridor more attractive to shoppers. In 2011 we received money from the city to paint, for free, murals on the roll down gates of businesses as a way of preventing graffiti and beautifying the businesses. In 2010, we sponsored sidewalk landscaping and planting in front of businesses along Mission Street (free of charge for the business owner). This last holiday season, we provided and installed holiday lights in 40+ businesses along Mission Street (again, free for the business owners). Each year we organize and host the Excelsior Arts and Music Festival as a way of attracting customers from around San Francisco to the Excelsior. Our current Excelsior Extreme Makeover (EEM) Program provides businesses that are accepted a $4000 grant, design services, and construction management services. The EEM Program requires accepted businesses to contribute $250 towards construction costs. We require this of accepted businesses so that we know businesses really care about improving their storefront. We don’t want to provide free services to people who don’t care about them. If a business owner is unwilling to contribute $250 to a project when we are contributing $4000, we feel the business owner doesn't actually value our contribution. Our goal is for the EEM Program to beautify Mission Street, repair corridor blight, and make it a more attractive shopping destination for Bay Area residents and the people of the Excelsior. We believe that a healthy shopping district with attractive businesses will benefit all the people in the excelsior. |
services we providenot everything we do is free, but a lot of it is. EAG performs many services in house, as well as providing referrals to other technical assistance providers. Free services we provide Excelsior Corridor Business include, but are not limited to:
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