Brett Conner

Grants Manager | Contracts & Compliance Team

Brett Conner serves as the Grants Manager for the City & County of San Francisco’s Department of Children, Youth, and Their Families. In that capacity, he oversees the operational components of the department’s $150+ million annual grantmaking program, including grant policy, fiscal and administrative oversight, contracts and compliance, and technical assistance. He launched two innovative programs in support of DCYF’s core group of more than 180 nonprofit grantees: (1) the DCYF Opportunity Fund, an on-demand grant program funding unexpected and unbudgeted agency needs that to date has distributed more than $930,000 in grants ranging from $700 to $80,000, and (2) the Organizational Sustainability Initiative, a comprehensive program of capacity building focused on nonprofit administration and finance.

Prior to his tenure at DCYF, Brett was an Administration and Communications Manager at the City’s Grants for the Arts Program, funding hundreds of nonprofit arts and cultural organizations in San Francisco. Before his time with the City, Brett spent 10 years in the theater as an award-winning producer and arts administrator. He is a past board member of Z Space and advisor to many San Francisco arts organizations. He holds a BA in Psychology from Harvard University and an MBA from UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business, where he is co-chair of the Haas Alumni Diversity Council. Brett is the foster father of three amazing boys.

What inspires you to do this work?

I do this work in honor of my parents and humbled by my kids.

DCYF’s tagline is “Making San Francisco a Great Place to Grow Up.” Do you believe this? Tell us why.

I’ve often heard of San Francisco as “The City That Knows How.” I think that phrase does us something of a disservice. Knowing how isn’t enough. Knowing what to do, and then being given the opportunity to do it, is what truly distinguishes this great city. There is no better place to grow up.

Is there a song or anthem that inspires your grind and motivates you to serve our communities?

“Head Full of Doubt” by The Avett Brothers.