Host a Partner Event
Future of Us is a collaborative civic festival, and we welcome mission-aligned partnerships with local organizations. Learn more about what partnership means below, and reach out with any questions.
FUTURE OF US IS A COLLABORATIVE EFFORT
Collaboration is the energy driving the festival. We are looking for aligned institutional, organizational, and community allies who will shape the celebration by designing their own festival activations.
Partner Guidelines
We are looking for partners that are aligned with the themes, goals, and values of the festival. As an inaugural event spanning multiple institutions and spaces across the city, we are committed to fostering a clear and cohesive festival culture.
If we are unable to move forward with an idea at this time, we encourage aligned organizations to pursue them on their own; though they will not be included in the formal Future of Us program.
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While there are many critical efforts in civic engagement, this festival is specifically focused on addressing the lack of vibrant, open, exploratory, and imaginative civic culture.
All official partners must be aligned with the themes, goals, and values of the Future of Us Festival.
Learn more here.
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While partners do not have to be San Francisco-based, all official Future of Us partner events must be based in the city.
We hope to expand across the Bay for future festivals, and encourage unofficial activations (let us know, we’ll always look for ways to boost when mission-aligned!).
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Partner events must activate between July 4 - 12, 2026. While we recommend full festival activations (10 days), we are welcome limited programming during those dates.
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Many organizations across the city already offer programming aligned with the mission and themes of the festival.
We welcome both original programming and existing programs or events that are tailored to temporally and thematically align with the festival, so long as they offer unique, vibrant, and valuable experiences to participants.
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While there is no fee to become an official partner of the festival, we do require partners to have the resources, capacity, and space to independently host their events.
We are happy to co-submit for funding with approved partners as useful and mission-aligned.
If you would like to get involved but don’t have the capacity to host a full event, you’re welcome to host a Fellow or apply to become a Fellow. Learn more about joining the Collective here.
Partner Examples
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A museum hosting public dialogues for the public to talk about the future
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A community garden facilitating native planting workshops
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An artist collective hosting a gallery walk relared to festival themes
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A neighborhood association organizing an eco-makers marketplace
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A local movie theater hosting aligned documentaries & conversations
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A frontier tech company teaming up with artists and storytellers
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A local restaurant designing a meal around regenerative agriculture or biotech
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A wellness studio exploring the verifiable science of slowing down
BENEFITS
We are committed to supporting the success of our partners:
Curated High Visibility Program. To ensure quality and cohesion, we will be accepting a small number of aligned partnerships for the inaugural festival. Each official partner experience will be a visible and celebrated part of the festival program.
Marketing & Media Asset Support. While we welcome additional promotion for the festival, our team will invest in the marketing and visibility for official festival events. We will provide media kits and assets to partners to use as it is supportive.
Community & Collective Partnerships. Partners will be invited to be part of the Future Culture Collective, a coalition of civic builders and visionaries across the city working together to usher in a new era for civic culture.
Access to Storytelling & Creative Resources. Our team and collective is producing a toolshed of storytelling materials, artworks, card decks, etc. as well as a database of interested artists, musicians, and other specialists that we are happy to share with our partners to enhance their programming.
Option to Participate in UC Berkeley Research. The festival is part of a formal research study on civic culture and imagination infrastructure being conducted by a doctoral student at UC Berkeley. Partners interested in participating in the study will be connected to the Research Lead.
VALUES
We are unable to support the following:
Discriminatory and hurtful ideas. We cannot accept programs that promote hate, exclusion, discrimination, or dehumanization in any form.
Sales-driven or promotional content. While partners may host paid events, the focus cannot be on marketing products, services, or business offerings. This is not a venue for commercial pitches.
Partisan advocacy. While explicitly pro-democracy, the festival is intentionally nonpartisan. We ask partners to refrain from advocating for specific political candidates, parties, or elected officials.
Exclusive or closed-off experiences. All partner events must be open to the public, welcoming, and designed with participants in mind. We’re not seeking programs that reinforce elitism, gatekeeping, or limited access.
Highly didactic or persuasive messaging. The festival is about exploration, collective imagination, and creating conditions for curiosity and connection. Programs should prioritize inviting inquiry, dialogue, discovery, and/or co-creation.
Unaligned or rushed ideas. Proposals should be thoughtful, intentional, and aligned with the festival’s themes, goals, and values. We are not looking for events that feel rushed, disconnected, or thrown together.
There is more than one way to get involved.
If you know you want to partner but aren’t sure how yet, our team and network of experience and cultural designers is happy to help aligned partners consider options and workshop ideas.
Reach out early to the future@theplenary.co to discuss options!