The Mission District is San Francisco’s oldest neighborhood, dating back to the completion of Mission Dolores in 1776. After World War II, many residents moved out of the neighborhood to the rapidly developing suburbs. At about the same time, the neighborhood began experiencing a new immigration wave from individuals coming from Italy, Ireland, and other European countries, and later a wave of immigrants from countries in Latin America. It is this last set of immigrants that has given the Mission District its distinct Latin character. 

The present-day Inner Mission District is a two square mile area of approximately sixty thousand low- to middle-income residents, more than half of whom are Latino.  Because the Mission District is a desirable home for recent immigrants, the neighborhood faces complicated economic and cultural challenges not as evident in most other Bay Area neighborhoods. Mission Neighborhood Centers also serves the Outer Mission neighborhood which is also almost made up of 50% Latino families.  

MNC’s Background and activities 

MNC, as a long-standing community institution, represents over 40 years of dedicated services to the residents of the Greater Mission Community. Our organization has a reputable standing as a sound and fiscally stable agency amongst Federal, State, City Government and Philanthropic sources. MNC provides a variety of culturally sensitive, community-based social services to individuals of all ages, with special focus on the needs of minority young children, adolescents, and the elderly.  

MNC launched the first Carnaval San Francisco as a small-community gathering at a park immediately across one of its centers, and has been a key contributor to its success for the past 20 years. We will facilitate the renewed vision for this event and ensure that it maintains its status as one of the largest multi-cultural gatherings in the Bay Area. We will encourage cultural development and promote community-based participation at all levels of decision-making for the event through extensive community and business outreach to ensure maximum local participation. 
 
CARNAVAL San Francisco 
Carnaval San Francisco is a celebration of multi-ethnic music, dance, and artistry based on the great syncretic traditions of the Western hemisphere.  Carnaval San Francisco is already the largest multicultural festival in California. Through its multi-ethnic charm, it draws a large cultural pageantry and broadens our ability to market its “inclusiveness” to a variety of corporate sponsors, philanthropic community, and city government.  

The event was conceived by a group of local musicians, artists, and residents eager to celebrate the spirit of Carnaval. Its roots took hold in Precita Park, and as the spirit and participation of Carnaval grew its founders sought the assistance of Mission Neighborhood Centers (MNC). MNC served as incubator and “fiscal agent” since first Carnaval at Precita Park. Eventually, as the event began to grow, MNC assumed increased responsibility by primarily serving as fiscal agent for Carnaval San Francisco, and employing staff, consultants, responsible for acquiring permits, administering grant funds, and through Staff and Board participation, assisting to plan and organize the event.

 When the production of Carnaval grew to a certain level it became apparent that MNC required assistance in producing this event. After a few years of struggling for a solution, MNC concluded that the formation of a community based, culturally artistic producing nonprofit organization could bear the labor-intense logistics with producing parades and street fairs. Hence, the formation of the Mission Economic Cultural Association (MECA) that has produced this event for the past 15 years. 

There is consensus that for the past several years the event has gotten away from serving the community in the way that it was initially intended. As a result, or the past year, MNC has been working closely with various stakeholders to develop a strategy to re-invigorate Canaval and have it bring more added value to the community. Through data gathered from the evaluation process that surveyed over 500 participants, we have been able to document that Carnaval San Francisco is one of the largest multi-ethnic events that unites people in celebration through the medium of arts, music, dance and food; and creates the spirit of multiculturalism a tangible reality. 

MNC is committed to investing and growing Carnaval San Francisco as the premier  multi-ethnic event on the West Coast to annually unite all the people of the Bay Area in the joy and celebration on May's  Memorial Day weekend on the cusp between Spring and Summer.