Our Intermediary Work
Supporting Community Impact Through Public Health Intermediary Services
At the San Francisco Public Health Foundation (SFPHF), we serve as a trusted fiscal intermediary for the City and County of San Francisco’s Department of Public Health (SFDPH)—a role we’ve proudly held for over a decade. Our work ensures that critical public health resources are delivered efficiently, compliantly, and equitably to the community-based organizations (CBOs) doing essential work on the ground.
We specialize in intermediary support for health equity, harm reduction, behavioral health, and chronic disease prevention initiatives, managing complex funding streams and administrative responsibilities so our partners can focus on service delivery and impact.
What We Do
As a fiscal intermediary, SFPHF manages the flow of public funds from SFDPH to smaller nonprofit and grassroots organizations. We provide:
- Contract and Subcontractor Management: Oversight and administration of multi-year contracts, including scopes of work, compliance monitoring, and documentation protocols.
- Financial Stewardship: Disbursement of funds in alignment with grant requirements and Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP).
- Compliance & Risk Mitigation: Ensuring all program partners meet insurance, indemnification, and audit-readiness standards.
- Capacity Building: Supporting CBOs with training, technical assistance, and infrastructure improvements to enhance their sustainability and readiness for future funding.
We currently manage eight fiscal intermediary contracts, including programs within the Community Health Equity & Promotion (CHEP) section, and initiatives supporting reentry services, community-based primary care, oral health promotion, and more.
Why It Matters
Public health challenges in San Francisco are as complex as they are urgent. Many community-based providers, while trusted and effective, lack the administrative infrastructure to receive and manage direct city funding. That’s where we come in. Our intermediary services:
- Expand access to public funding for smaller, grassroots health organizations
- Support community-led innovation in health equity and justice
- Build fiscal accountability and transparency into every program
- Allow the Department of Public Health to scale its impact without increasing internal administrative burden
A Case Study in Action
CHEP Intermediary Contract Our largest and longest-standing contract with SFDPH’s Community Health Equity & Promotion section enables us to manage dozens of subcontracts aligned with priority areas like HIV and HepC prevention, along with chronic disease mitigation. Through program-specific deliverables, quarterly monitoring, and customized support, we ensure each initiative meets its goals while remaining fiscally sound and compliant.
Partner With Us
If you’re a city agency, philanthropic funder, or nonprofit interested in leveraging our expertise in public health intermediary work, we’d love to connect. Our approach is grounded in equity, compliance, and community partnership.
Learn more about our work at www.sfphf.org or contact us at info@sfphf.org.