FAQ

The space can be booked from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM, Monday through Friday. Your reservation must include the time for setup (including pre-event check in with our staff) and any possible breakdown.

You can find the Guidelines and other helpful information in the Member Portal under the Guides tab. If you are not a member yet you can access the guidelines here.

Each organization is allotted one event space per business quarter (every three months).

Event spaces may be reserved up to ninety days in advance of the desired date.

To protect the Community Space and its visitors, we require proof of valid insurance through your event date.

Tours can be scheduled on a case by case basis depending on the availability of the space. You can also request a virtual tour. Please reach out to communityspace@google.com with your request.

We've moved! The Community Space is now located at Hills Plaza, 2 Harrison Street. You will find entrance points to the courtyard on the The Embarcadero,  Folsom and Spear Street.

Please note that our door is in the courtyard (suite 140) and not directly on the street.

For more details, please refer to the User Guide in the Member Portal.

There is no parking available on site. Private garage options and street parking are available nearby. We are located close to multiple Muni stops, and the Embarcadero BART station is a few blocks away.

There is no dedicated bike parking inside the building. No bikes are allowed inside the Community Space.

The space is not equipped with a kitchenette. If you would like to provide food options for your guests, please read through our catering related questions below.

Guest lists keep the Community Space safe by ensuring all visitors are supervised by an authorized event Host and have been registered. Please note, all attendees must be pre-registered in advance so no walk-in registrations are allowed.

Members can request event spaces, as well as participate in Google-hosted programming (when available). There is no cost associated with membership.

Organizations must be registered 501(c)(3)s in good standing that is furthering the mission of Google.org, or be a local city and county government department, and located in the Bay Area. The Bay Area includes the following counties: Alameda County, Contra Costa County, Marin County, Napa County, San Francisco county, San Mateo County, Santa Clara County, Solano County and Sonoma County. Keep in mind, we receive a large number of applications and may be unable to accept every organization.

Once you apply for membership, we will check your nonprofit organization status through our partner site, Benevity. If your organization has already completed all onboarding steps with Benevity, we will process your membership application as quickly as possible. If not, you will be instructed on how to proceed. Benevity will then send you important action items and request information about your organization. If you have any questions related to Benevity, you can reach out to support@benevity.com. For local city and county applicants, please apply directly on our site and we will verify your government affiliation. If you are unsure whether your organization is already a member of the space, you can enter your EIN on the membership application form. The form will indicate if your EIN is already associated with an active member organization. Once the Benevity process is concluded we will review your application. Keep in mind, we receive a large number of applications and may be unable to accept every organization.

Please insure Commercial General Liability on an occurrence basis of $1,000,000 minimum per occurrence and a “general aggregate” of $1,000,000 minimum. Please insure Workers’ Compensation and Employers’ Liability of $1,000,000 minimum per occurrence. If any sale of alcoholic beverages will take place during your event, the Organization will carry "dram shop" or liquor insurance coverage (if consumption but not sales will occur, a "host liquor liability insurance" is required instead) in the amount of at least $2,000,000 per occurrence. Please name the certificate holder as PPF OFF 345 SPEAR STREET, LP c/o: Jones Lang LaSalle – Hills Plaza 2 Harrison Street, Suite # 180 San Francisco, CA 94105 and PPF OFF 345 Spear Street, LP Morgan Stanley Real Estate Advisor, Inc. Jones Lang LaSalle Americas, Inc. Hills Plaza Master Association including their officers, directors and employees as additional insureds on each item.

The company providing insurance should have an A.M. Best rating of not less than A-VIII. Further details are outlined in the Google Community Space Terms of Use.

Important Notice: Our COI requirements and the building information were updated in August 2025. If your previously approved COI was issued before this date, you must arrange the necessary adjustments and resubmit it for approval.

You can find a COI sample here.

Go to the login page. Your username is connected to the email address that you used to sign up for membership or request to use the space previously. To login, select one of the providers from the menu and enter your email address. Make sure to use the email address that is linked to your membership account - likely your business email and not your personal email. If your team does not use Google, Outlook, or Slack, you can easily create a Google Account here. Note, this does not require you to set up Gmail - you can enter in your existing email address (eg, @hotmail, @yahoo, @aol) and it will create a Google Account with your existing email address. Once you've gone through the setup steps, log in again using the "login with Google" option. Having issues? Reach out to communityspace@google.com. If you aren’t sure who at your organization is an active contact or is eligible to login to the portal, please reach out and we can assist you!

Login to the Member Portal. In the Member Portal, click “Account” from the top navigation bar. You will land on the "Organization" tab (it will show up as underlined, in blue font), find the next tab to the right titled “Insurance”. Select the “Upload certificate of insurance” button. Once a file has been selected and required fields filled in, click submit. The Community Space Team will need to review and approve the new COI before you are able to submit an event request.

Log into the Member Portal. Under the "Account" tab, you will find all of the contacts related to your organization. Hover over the cell that you would like to edit and click the grey pencil icon that appears. Please do not edit an old contact and replace it with a different contact (this will not work). If you need to add a new contact, click the "New" button above the contact list and share the contact intake form with your colleagues. Once the form is submitted, the system can create a portal user record and they will receive a welcome email with login instructions. To edit any of your information, you can navigate to the “My Profile” page in the top right of the portal.

If you wish to remove a former staff of the organization from the contact list, please contact us at communityspace@google.com.

To request an event, log into our Member Portal and submit your request. You will select a date, time and room to fit your group size. We will check for availability and do our best to respond to your inquiry within five business days. You will receive an email from us with confirmation of your request.

There is no cost to become a member or book an event in the space, but your membership and event request must be approved, and insurance must be provided. Your organization will be responsible for any catering costs and specialty equipment rentals.

Microphones (3 handheld per Main Event Space and 2 lapels, in the Workshop Space mics are built in)

Chromebooks (up to 15 - upon request)

Registration Table (1)

Director’s Chairs (1 on the Main space, 1 in the Workshop space)

Catering tables (4)

Easels and flip charts (up to 4 - upon request)

The space is designed to be DIY and there is no dedicated tech support staff, so we encourage members to review the Tech guide available in the Member Portal. Printed instructions are also available on each space. Arrive on time for the pre-event check the day of your event to familiarize yourself with the space and equipment.

We provide local presentation cables (HDMI, USB, and USB-C) and power cords. These are available attached to the equipment in each space. If you’re concerned about connecting your device to the projectors/screens, we recommend reserving a Chromebook and transferring your presentation/video to the device by USB drive or email. Chromebooks must be requested prior to the event.

Your reservation must include the time for setup (including pre-event check in with our staff) and any possible breakdown. Feel free to rearrange furniture in any format that best serves your event needs. Keep in mind that here at the Google Community Space, we practice Google’s “campsite rule” - leaving spaces better than you found them to ensure the space is comfortable and productive for all. This includes returning any items or furniture you have moved to their proper place before you leave, as well as ensuring that no guest belongings or leftovers are left behind.

Please note that our entrance is independent and located in the courtyard.

Google's main front desk cannot check you in.

Upon arrival at the scheduled time, the event host will check in with the community space staff to gain access and complete the pre-event check-in. Event hosts must be available and stationed at the designated table during the check-in time. You may have a colleague outside to assist with guests, but no signage is permitted at the door or in the courtyard. Once a guest's identity has been verified and they have received an identification sticker, they may proceed to the assigned room.

When it comes to food for your event, you have options:

• Hiring Google Catering: You can select this option when requesting your event space or by contacting us once your event is confirmed. You will be connected with a catering manager who will guide you through available options. Payment must be finalized one week prior to the event, and changes or cancellations require at least three business days' notice.

• Bringing Your Own Food: You are welcome to bring in non-catered outside food. Please provide your own cutlery and dispose of all trash properly and note that the space is not equipped with a kitchen.

Deliveries: If food is delivered, you must meet the delivery person outside the space. External Caterers: If you choose to use an external caterer, they must provide their own compliant COI (meeting the same requirements as specified in the Insurance section). If an external caterer provides alcohol, they must also possess a valid liquor license.

No, for safety reasons heating equipment is not allowed.

We do not allow any outside alcohol in the Community Space, but you’re welcome to work with Google Catering if you’d like to provide alcohol for your guests.

We do not have storage space or personnel to secure your items. We kindly ask that you do not drop anything off before your event’s scheduled start time. We also ask that you take all items with you at the end of your reservation time.

Yes, provided you comply with all applicable laws.

Yes. We want your event to be successful. Event hosts can share the space name and address, but should not use Google logos or other trademarks for external promotion of any community events. Have in mind that you must have a way to RSVP your guests as we require a guest list.

Yes. Keep in mind, press can only access the event spaces. We recommend providing badges or identification during your registration that clearly highlight members of the press.

Yes. Please notify us with a confirmed government official guest list 5 days in advance of your event.

Yes, as long as there is no representation of your event being Google-endorsed, or as being sponsored by Google. You are responsible for securing all other legal rights and permissions related to the shoot. Also, please keep in mind that your shots cannot include other groups in the space unless you've explicitly received their permission. Avoid displaying the Google sign or logo in your shots unless you have written permission to use Google's brand.

The Main Event Space can be configured as: (48) theater, (30) pods, (20) classroom, (16) u-shape.

The Workshop Space is set in u-shape for 12.

We kindly ask that you do not place any signage on the outside of the building. Please refrain from hanging anything or using any type of adhesive on any interior walls. You are responsible for any damage to the room. The rooms come equipped with whiteboards and flip chart pads can be requested for your usage.

If you need to cancel your event, we ask that you do so at least 5 business days before your event date so that someone else may be able to use the space. To cancel your event, please login to the Member Portal. Click the event card under "Upcoming events", and navigate to the 3 dots in the upper right side of the card. From there, select “cancel event”.

Details of these events will be shared on our page when available.