About

The Commons is a fourth place to deeply explore ourselves and the world, together. 


We believe that the start of all deep transformation – inner or outer – begins with an impulse to pause and go deep, an earnest willingness to question the status quo, and the courage to follow our inner-truth. 

As a place of pause between stimulus and response, we're a community space to meaning-make, explore “questions of ultimate concern”, shed old paradigms, and actualize new ones.

“Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do that. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.”

- Howard Thurman

events & programming

The Commons Curriculum

Our curriculum supports us to explore the entirety of ourselves: mind, body, heart, and soul. We bring together world-class practitioners and community-created programming to push the boundaries of our self and collective understanding.

Discover

Explore life’s bigger picture and questions

Meditation
MetaphysICS
Philosophy
sPIRITUAL TRADITIONS
Non-duALITY
morality
MEANING-MAKING
eTHICS
soul-making

Expand

Take on new and diverse perspectives

sUPPORT CIRCLES
SYMPOSIUMS
Book clubs
pluralistic discussion
Debate
authentic relating
film club
roundtables

Example Events

Heal

Understand, resolve, and integrate our past

eNERGETICS
sOMATICS
Attachment work
IFS
Metta & compassion
movement
rOOT JOURNEYS
inner work
breathwork & yoga

Actualize

Understand the world and our unique purpose within it

creative expression
civic engagement
policy & progress
career wayfinding
Purpose-making
Systems change
WORLD BUILDING

Programming

A diverse variety of explorations all under one roof...

Join us as a Commons Member! We onboard new members in monthly cohorts ✨

Apply for membership

Our Community

A home for the bold, curious, courageous, and earnest. We’re life-long learners, explorers of the human terrain, and truth-seekers of the intellect and heart.

Most concretely, we are a place where people are exploring new modes of being with self, others, and the world – and we invite every adventurer who is excited to be in the questions of who they are, and how they want to be in the world.

Reflection, inspiration, laughs, insight, revery, fun, belonging, vibes -- The Commons offers all of that and more in abundance. It's an amazing example of what's possible when you commit to building community with intention, authenticity and heart. I feel incredibly grateful for the friends I've made here and the experiences we've had together."

Colton Heward-Mills

Connie Li

Commons was honestly 95% of the reason I moved from NYC to SFI've met so many great friends here on top of awesome events, a gorgeous coworking space, and a community of kind, curious, intentional people and I can't recommend it enough. It's the kind of third space you can also call home.

Connie Li

Connie Li

The Commons is filled with people who continuously expand my understanding of a life well livedI have many identities: scientist, community builder, artist, life partner...nurturing that diversity while maintaining some focus in life is surprisingly difficult, but made significantly easier within a community of likeminded people.

Ian Eisenberg

Ian Eisenberg

I found a second home at the Commons — a hub for curious minds.There were a few years where I struggled to find my place in SF, but that quickly changed when I joined the Commons. I found deep friendships, authentic connection, and constant “late night deep talk” energy. The Commons also empowered me to make my own ideas come to life via hosting — that work ended up becoming the foundation to starting my own business!

Adele Bloch

Ian Eisenberg

I truly feel like The Commons was the missing piece when I first moved to SF.  
It's a community that satiates and challenges me intellectually, grounds me to the meaning in my work, and dives deep into the big questions I have.

Kylie Yorke

Kylie Yorke

The Commons has truly had an unbelievably transformative effect on my life -- the people, the collective culture and the energy of the space have been so rich for cultivating self-exploration, creative expression and interdisciplinary collaboration.

Jacob Brawer

Jacob Brawer

Every time I visit The Commons, I find myself surrounded by earnest, generous people. It’s been a great way to make my interests and hobbies more social: there are always people excited to try anything I want to do or discuss. It’s been a wonderful escape from the normal utilitarian grindset vibe in tech spaces.

Andy Matuschak

Andy Matuschak

The Commons is exactly what I didn't know I neededIt’s been a creative playground where my curiosity and creativity can thrive... giving me the space to host events I’ve always dreamed of. The vibrant community has been a vital sounding board, profoundly impacting my inner growth journey. The Commons has helped me grow so much personally - grateful to have found my second home here!

Cindy Huang

Sri Thatipamala

The Commons is where I learn, play, and grow. It’s the place I come to find community and join interesting conversations or events. It’s the place I come to relax by myself. Most importantly, it’s where I’ve made many of my closest friends. 

Sri Thatipamala

Sri Thatipamala

Few places have this kind of magic.The Commons is amazing. Come for the gorgeous space and community events, stay for the people you end up talking to until late in the night.

Ann Pierce

Sri Thatipamala

I’m really grateful for my time at the Commons. It’s been a wonderful landing pad for me in San Francisco, to meet people that are friendly and thoughtful and welcoming, many of which I hope to be friends with for a long time. It’s been an exciting place to exercise and strengthen my strength and agency around building community and bringing people together.

Johnson Hsieh

Johnson Hsieh

The Commons gave me a community when I had none and helped me find my place in the world My cup runneth over with interesting conversations, silly and fun social events, new-found ambitions, and a sense of place and purpose. I believe The Commons addresses one of the most prevalent ills of modern society once filled by church and the town square. 

Andrew Cote 

The Commons gave me a community when I had none and helped me find my place in the world My cup runneth over with interesting conversations, silly and fun social events, new-found ambitions, and a sense of place and purpose. I believe The Commons addresses one of the most prevalent ills of modern society once filled by church and the town square. 

Andrew Cote 

Andrew Cote 

The Commons is a big piece of how San Francisco feels like homeI have met so many inspiring friends here, and it's been incredibly positive to have a place to work where I reliably run into people I know and love. The more time I spend at The Commons, the more I run into friends just walking or biking around the city. And my kids love the well-equipped kids corner!

Ruth Wong

The Commons gave me a community when I had none and helped me find my place in the world My cup runneth over with interesting conversations, silly and fun social events, new-found ambitions, and a sense of place and purpose. I believe The Commons addresses one of the most prevalent ills of modern society once filled by church and the town square. 

Andrew Cote 

Andrew Cote 

This beautiful experiment in has produced more meaningful friendships than any community I’ve ever been in. The Commons is the purest distillation of SF's unique spirit — marked by insatiable curiosity, openness, and agency. These exist here in such abundance that I often forget just how rare they are outside its walls.

Neall Seth

The Commons gave me a community when I had none and helped me find my place in the world My cup runneth over with interesting conversations, silly and fun social events, new-found ambitions, and a sense of place and purpose. I believe The Commons addresses one of the most prevalent ills of modern society once filled by church and the town square. 

Andrew Cote 

Andrew Cote 

The Commons is an adult playground where you can experiment, learn, grow, collaborate, or just vibe with friends.It’s a community where you can be your authentic self and connect deeply with intentional, kind, and inspirational people. I’m so grateful for the positive impact the Commons had on my life.

Dan Jung

The Commons gave me a community when I had none and helped me find my place in the world My cup runneth over with interesting conversations, silly and fun social events, new-found ambitions, and a sense of place and purpose. I believe The Commons addresses one of the most prevalent ills of modern society once filled by church and the town square. 

Andrew Cote 

Andrew Cote 

FAQ

How much does a membership cost?



Here are our current prices for membership:

• $135/month (yearly)
• $155/month (quarterly)
• $200/month (monthly)

We also offer scholarships for those with significant financial hardship.
The Commons Membership is a way for us to maintain The Commons as a sacred space for the community, by the community. Memberships are the primary way we financially support The Commons which operates as a bootstrapped small-medium business. It ensures we don’t have to take VC funding or rent out the space to corporate or third parties who don’t share our values.

When is your next cohort? What's the status of my application?

We onboard new members roughly bi-monthly.

If you haven't heard back from us yet your application is still being considered and/or on a waiting list ordered by the time in which we've received your application.

Can I check-out the space & events as a non-member?

Unfortunately we are no longer open to the public. Feel free to check out our public calendar for events that are open to the public.

What type of programming do you have? 

We design our community and programming to holistically engage the mind, body, heart, and soul.

• Community-wide gatherings to celebrate and commune together
• Intimate clubs to explore and meaning-make
• Unstructured time for deep work, hanging, and serendipitous encounters 
• Community-created and expert-led event programming 

Our programming includes salons, support circles, book clubs, workshops, and speaker events specifically designed to help us:  

• Discover: explore life’s bigger picture and questions 
• Heal: understand, resolve, and integrate our past 
• Expand: take on new and diverse perspectives 
• Actualize: understand the world and our unique purpose within it 

For more insight on specific events, we frequently share them on our Twitter.

How can I host an event at The Commons?

If you're interested in a private rental that is not open to the public and Commons members you can submit your interest in our rentals page.

If you're interested in hosting an event that is open to the public, your network, and/or Commons members you can submit your interest as a town square practitioner.

Can I do a guest pass for 1 day, 1 week, or 1 month?

E-mail us with your desired dates to [email protected] and we can set you up. We charge $25/day for our day pass.