The San Francisco Convention & Visitors Bureau (SFCVB) will award as many as ten Neighborhood Membership Grants this year to unique “Only in San Francisco” businesses located throughout the city, with an emphasis on those operating outside the traditional visitor areas. 

“We’re launching this new program to identify and include more of the city’s lesser-known gems in the Bureau’s marketing programs,” said SFCVB President and CEO Joe D’Alessandro. “By providing membership grants to under-exposed businesses, we hope to draw more visitors into the city’s diverse and fascinating neighborhoods.”

Recipients will receive a complimentary one-year SFCVB membership (a $50 setup fee is required), with admission to Bureau events such as the Annual Luncheon, Market Briefings, Outlook Forums and Member Business Exchanges, often with exclusive one-on-one meetings with the presenters. They will receive all of the benefits of Bureau membership such as listing online and in publications and access to the Convention Calendar.

The Neighborhood Membership Grants also include mentoring by members of the SFCVB professional staff and specially selected Bureau members.

Grant recipients will be selected based on several criteria, including the “Only in San Francisco” nature of the business, the potential to attract visitors to their neighborhood and their commitment to participate fully in the program.

A panel representing the Mayor’s Office of Economic and Workforce Development, the San Francisco Office of Small Business, the SFCVB Community Partnership Council and SFCVB staff will interview finalists.

The application is available online at http://www.sfcvb.org/members. The deadline to apply is March 15, 2010. The program is open to businesses operating in San Francisco that are not currently SFCVB members.

Tourism, San Francisco's largest industry, generates in excess of $8.5 billion annually for the local economy.