Faithful Fools was founded 27 years ago in the Tenderloin as an educational and charitable organization, with a commitment to engage people from all walks of life to work together for personal and social change. Creating change entails a shift from solely doing charitable giving to changing conditions, systems, and our perceptions. In order for meaningful change to occur in a community that has had one of the highest concentrations of low-income residents, the unhoused, and people experiencing mental health challenges in San Francisco, there’s a need to bring people together to learn from one another. It is through direct relationships that people can better understand what keeps systems of poverty and oppression in place and together work to bring about more just and equitable change.

Today, Faithful Fools remains dedicated to deep social change through reflection and action integrated in accompaniment, advocacy, arts, and education programs. At a time when our world has become more polarized, connecting more intentionally with other people is critical to foster our shared humanity.