Key Takeaways
- Airbnb co-founder and CEO Brian Chesky pledged $100 million to San Francisco parks, announced Monday, November 9, 2026.
- San Francisco park projects in SoMa, the Mission, Bayview-Hunters Point, Potrero Hill and the Embarcadero get the first installment.
- NBC Bay Area reports the remaining $61 million has no named projects yet, and the Recreation and Park Department will identify them over the next year.
- The gift equals about one-third of the roughly $300 million in donations the parks department has received over 15 years, a figure Sarah Madland gave KQED.
Airbnb co-founder and CEO Brian Chesky pledged $100 million to San Francisco parks on Monday, November 9, 2026, in a gift to the San Francisco Recreation and Park Department. NBC Bay Area calls it the largest gift the city and county has received from a single donor. Mayor Daniel Lurie announced it at the Conservatory of Flowers. While Lurie's predecessor, London Breed, was in office, the company sued San Francisco for $120 million, claiming the city had miscalculated what it owed in taxes. The suit led the city's labor unions, advocacy groups and some elected officials to call for an Airbnb boycott, and it was settled earlier this year for $0. KQED says the gift strikes a somewhat friendlier tone between Airbnb and the city than in the past.
Sarah Madland told KQED the parks department has received around $300 million in donations over the past 15 years. By WYDE's arithmetic (100 / 300 = 33%), the $100 million pledge is one-third of the roughly $300 million in donations the parks department has received over 15 years. It is also four times the $25 million that KQED reports was the largest private donation to city parks before this one, a 2019 gift that kickstarted the India Basin project.
Which San Francisco parks projects get the first installment
NBC Bay Area reports the money will help speed up parks in development, keep pools and parks open longer hours, pay for a range of parks improvements and, ultimately, new parks. Sarah Madland, general manager of the parks department, told KQED that the first portion is committed to five projects already underway. The projects are listed by neighborhood below.
- SoMa: $39 million headed to Rachele Sullivan Park, according to KQED.
- Mission: Keeping Garfield Pool in the Mission open on Sundays, according to KQED.
- Potrero Hill: Renovations at Jackson Hill Playground, which NBC Bay Area calls Jackson Playground. NBC reports construction will start in 2027, and the park is expected to open in 2029 with a new playground, dog run, open space and multi-use courts.
- Embarcadero: Renovations at the Embarcadero. Neither report gives a dollar figure for this project.
- Bayview-Hunters Point: Completing India Basin Waterfront Park in Hunters Point, according to KQED.
The two reports disagree on the size of the first installment. KQED ties $39 million to Rachele Sullivan Park inside a first portion that also covers four other projects. NBC Bay Area calls $39 million the first phase for all five projects. NBC Bay Area describes a $39 million first phase for those five projects. KQED says five of the city's parks are set to receive the first half of the money as early as this year. Half of $100 million is $50 million, which does not match the $39 million that NBC Bay Area reports.
NBC Bay Area says the remaining $61 million has no named projects yet
NBC Bay Area reports that the Recreation and Park Department will work over the next year to identify projects for the remaining $61 million Brian Chesky pledged. That remainder is 61% of the total. Madland described the five projects this way. "These are projects that are ready to go and have broad community support, have plans in place, but we haven't been able to put together that last piece of funding," she said.
How the pledge compares with the parks department's capital funding
Madland said the $100 million is about half the size of a typical general obligation bond, a voter-approved loan for projects that do not generate revenue. She added, "This is half as much as the amount of capital that we get almost every decade."
The $61 million with no named projects is 61% of the pledge. Neither report names a project for that share, so the reports do not yet show which parks that share will fund.
People Also Ask
How much of Brian Chesky's $100 million gift has named projects?
NBC Bay Area reports a $39 million first phase for five projects, while KQED says five parks will receive the first half of the money. NBC Bay Area says the remaining $61 million from Brian Chesky has no named projects yet, and the Recreation and Park Department will identify them over the next year.
When will San Francisco parks get the first installment?
Sarah Madland, general manager of the parks department, told KQED the first installment could arrive as early as 2026 or at the beginning of 2027. NBC Bay Area reports that the Jackson Playground project in Potrero Hill will start construction in 2027 because of Brian Chesky's $100 million donation.
Who is Brian Chesky?
Brian Chesky is the co-founder and CEO of Airbnb, which he started in San Francisco, according to NBC Bay Area. Brian Chesky pledged $100 million to San Francisco parks, and he said: "There is something truly special here in San Francisco." NBC Bay Area reports that Forbes ranks him 234th richest person in the world, with a net worth estimated at about $13.3 billion.
Sources: KQED, NBC Bay Area.