I’m what would be considered a major donor to the YIMBY effort and I’ve donated in the low 5 figures.
It’s generally grass roots though I know some wealthy individuals have donated much more of the total funds.
The progressive camp of SF politics often tries to discredit the YIMBY movement by claiming AstroTurf. But it’s simply not true.
This was started by motivated individuals who started organizing and then went and started looking for donations.
The reality of SF housing politics is all the “local control” has given a lot of power to local groups that can hold a new development hostage. So developers have to essentially pay them off with “community benefit” to keep each group from delaying your project through years of appeals.
This sets up a system where a small number of developers have the relationships and know how to work the system to get their projects done. Limits local construction competition.
We also have local politicians (Aaron Peskin) who own significant amounts of rental properties, and find ways of opposing new housing supply. A policy they directly and personally benefit from.
Thank you for your donations! All of my work is in a volunteer capacity, so your donations help pay for our office space, pay for the few full-time staff we employee, and fund outreach, education, and direct advocacy to move municipalities in our direction.
Your summary is correct. Most of our donations are small dollar from individuals. A few people donate more, and that's because they agree with what we're doing and they have the means to contribute. We're grateful for all support, and donations never influence any of our decisions about what to advocate for.
It’s generally grass roots though I know some wealthy individuals have donated much more of the total funds.
The progressive camp of SF politics often tries to discredit the YIMBY movement by claiming AstroTurf. But it’s simply not true.
This was started by motivated individuals who started organizing and then went and started looking for donations.
The reality of SF housing politics is all the “local control” has given a lot of power to local groups that can hold a new development hostage. So developers have to essentially pay them off with “community benefit” to keep each group from delaying your project through years of appeals.
This sets up a system where a small number of developers have the relationships and know how to work the system to get their projects done. Limits local construction competition.
We also have local politicians (Aaron Peskin) who own significant amounts of rental properties, and find ways of opposing new housing supply. A policy they directly and personally benefit from.