Last June, we introduced the Mayors Challenge and asked our city government to participate. We’re excited to announce that San Francisco is one of the top 20 finalists!

The Mayors Challenge is a competition created in 2012 by New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg through Bloomberg Philanthropies. It aims to inspire other mayors across the country to produce ideas helping to solve major challenges and improve city life. After receiving ideas from cities all over the nation, a panel of judges including funders, experts, and innovators, selected 20 finalists back in September. Competing with hundreds of submissions, San Francisco was selected! Now comes the fun part: The 5 winners will be selected via public vote.

San Francisco Proposes “Skillville”
The idea submitted by Mayor Ed Lee, Skillville, aims to “match job seekers with professional development opportunities through micro-volunteering on city projects”. The result? According to Mayor Lee, “government capacity increases and job seekers develop skills that equip them for employment.”

The grand prize winning submission will receive $5 million to help implement the idea. The four other winners will receive $1 million.

San Francisco Needs YOUR Help To Win $5 million. Just Vote!
Voting began February 20 and will conclude on March 6. Help San Francisco win $5 million. Cast your vote here!

We encourage you to learn more about the Mayors Challenge, and see what other ideas our nation’s city leaders have proposed. That said, we hope that you will take this opportunity to show come city pride, vote for San Francisco, and help drive city leaders across the nation to pursue innovative solutions to modern day issues.

Is San Francisco’s idea the best? If not, let us know what you think! Email us at [email protected].