The Dream Keeper Initiative was founded by former San Francisco Mayor London Breed in 2021, fulfilling her promise to redirect police funding to “the African American community” in the aftermath of George Floyd’s death. In February 2021, Breed announced that the city would divert $120 million from its law-enforcement budgets to fund the program, which would in turn funnel money to a web of left-wing nonprofits. The Board of Supervisors president hailed the initiative as the “first step towards true reparations for the Black community here in San Francisco.”...
At least one Dream Keeper leader allegedly sensed an opportunity for self-enrichment. According to a city ethics report, Sheryl Davis, former Dream Keeper program director, greenlit more than $1 million in grants to a nonprofit run by her housemate, James Spingola. Spingola’s nonprofit, in turn, reportedly invoiced the city tens of thousands of dollars for Davis’s personal expenses, including a luxury trip to Martha’s Vineyard, production costs for her podcast, and tuition expenses for her son. The district attorney reportedly launched a criminal investigation into the matter in 2025...
Instead of abandoning Breed’s scandal-ridden program, however, Lurie seems eager to revive it. In March 2025, the new mayor quietly relaunched the Dream Keeper program as part of the new “RFP [request for proposals] 100” initiative, and approved $36 million to, among other things, “advanc[e] equity.” The Lurie administration’s list of RFP 100 recipients, published last month, shows that the city is still committed to identity politics, with payouts for a “culturally affirming wellness” initiative, programming “rooted in a Black feminist healing framework,” and other dubious social-welfare initiatives.
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