Grant Listings: The Arts

AcroSports, founded with ex-Moscow Circus artists, maintains a successful school and studio in Haight-Ashbury. It unites breakdance and hip-hop artists with circus performers—fusing the forms into a distinctive “urban circus.” It provides free outreach classes at a handful of public schools. Particularly talented youth whose skills come to light through these outreach efforts receive additional free training. Support from the Fund helps AcroSports to offer gymnastics and breakdance instruction to 1,100 public school students and advanced training to an additional 15 to 20 students each year.
Grant Amount: $15,000 [2012]
Project Dates: 10/01/2012 through 10/01/2013
Project Web Site: www.acrosports.org

The Alameda County Office of Education emphasizes integrating art instruction with other academic subjects. This helps to promote cross-disciplinary learning and it can ensure the inclusion of art instruction in financially-challenged districts. Focusing on 24 Oakland Unified School District anchor schools, the Office provides professional development to teams of classroom teachers, arts teachers, and teaching artists. Participants complete three rigorous courses and a summer institute covering both curriculum development and new models for assessing project-based work.
Grant Amount: $60,000 [2012]
Project Dates: 07/10/2012 through 07/10/2013
Project Web Site: www.acoe.org

ArtSeed provides an intensive fine arts program during the school day to 500 children at two San Francisco Unified School District sites in Bayview-Hunters Point. It also matches young people from the neighborhood to professional visual artists through its apprenticeship program. ArtSeed's work with low-income, underserved children displays a depth and level of innovation that sets it apart.
Grant Amount: $10,000 [2012]
Project Dates: 06/15/2012 through 06/15/2013
Project Web Site: www.artseed.org

Bay Area Video Coalition (BAVC) is a local leader in digital media workforce development. Its Digital Pathways program unites arts learning with job training, moving approximately 120 teens and young adults towards careers in media. Participants are recruited from local high schools and from the City College of San Francisco. Digital Pathways provides teens with 110 hours of media training at BAVC's well-equipped facility, followed by paid internships. Older students benefit from advanced classes, paid internships, and support services that prepare them for media-arts careers. This grant is split evenly between Arts and Economic Security programs. The full grant amount is listed in both areas.
Grant Amount: $50,000 [2012]
Project Dates: 07/10/2012 through 07/10/2013
Project Web Site: www.bavc.org

Bayview Hunters Point Center for Art and Technology (BAYCAT) offers free classes in filmmaking and animation to low-income youth. It holds after school and summer classes on-site and at three San Francisco public high schools and several community centers—mostly serving students from Bayview Hunters Point and the Excelsior district. BAYCAT uses industry-leading equipment and software to help program participants prepare for media careers. It is currently refining its curriculum to refine the ways that its students progress from introductory to advanced classes and on to internships.
Grant Amount: $25,000 [2012]
Project Dates: 02/22/2012 through 02/22/2013
Project Web Site: www.baycat.org

Fiscal Sponsor: New American Media/Pacific News Service
The Beat Within provides weekly writing and art workshops to youth in juvenile detention facilities. Through the program, volunteers provide one-on-one guidance to participants, encouraging them to write about the things that matter to them, how they have become disconnected to the things they value, and how they might re-connect to positive situations in their lives. Participants' writings are published in a semi-monthly magazine that is distributed to workshop participants, adults who work with incarcerated youth, and to policy makers.
Grant Amount: $15,000 [2012]
Project Dates: 10/04/2012 through 10/04/2013
Project Web Site: www.beatwithin.org

Berkeley Repertory Theatre's School of Theatre sends theater artists into East Bay schools to lead workshops that enhance classroom learning. It offers introductory sessions plus 8 to 12-week workshops to those sites that request substantial enrichment. More than half of the longer workshops serve those Berkeley and Oakland schools where student populations are primarily low-income. The Fund supports these workshops and Berkeley Rep's Teen Council, which encourages teens to pursue in-depth theater experiences and to develop their leadership skills.
Grant Amount: $25,000 [2012]
Project Dates: 04/30/2012 through 04/30/2013
Project Web Site: www.berkeleyrep.org

California Alliance for Arts Education is the only statewide policy and advocacy entity fighting on behalf of quality arts learning for pre-K through 12th grade students. It reads and analyzes proposed education legislation; meets with state and federal education leaders about appropriate use of Title I funds for arts programs; participates in the Create the State initiative launched by the California Arts Council and California Department of Education; and expands its network of local advocacy groups in counties and districts throughout the state. This grant from the Fund provides general operating support to aid the Alliance in influencing public policy.
Grant Amount: $40,000 [2012]
Project Dates: 07/10/2012 through 07/10/2013
Project Web Site: www.artsed411.org

The Community Student Fellows at the Center for Art and Public Life at California College of the Arts contribute their time, skills, and expertise in a variety of settings and roles; many lead art lessons in classrooms and youth programs. The Center requires students and their placement site contacts to participate in trainings in art practice, project management, and art instruction strategy. This strengthens relationships between the Center, student fellows, and site contacts. The program is free for community sites and demand for student fellows has grown. In response, the Center seeks to increase its capacity to 40 placements. This $15,000 2012 payment is the conditional amount of the Center's $50,000 2011 grant.
Grant Amount: $35,000 [2011] , $15,000 [2012]
Project Dates: 11/18/2011 through 11/18/2012
Project Web Site: www.center.cca.edu

Cantare Con Vivo is a leading source of choral music instruction in the Oakland Unified School District. It provides weekly music education programs to 2,000 underserved Oakland students during the school day at 11 elementary schools, and it also operates after-school choir programs. One strength of Cantare Con Vivo's programs is their emphasis on teaching music traditions from around the world.
Grant Amount: $10,000 [2012]
Project Dates: 06/15/2012 through 06/15/2013
Project Web Site: www.cantareconvivo.org

The Center for the Art of Translation has devised a challenging and unusual poetry and translation-based language arts curriculum for public school classrooms. In this program, bilingual students learn to translate short poems by renowned Chinese- or Spanish-language poets. Students then write their own poems in English and translate them into their respective second languages. This demanding work helps connect learners to great literature and to the nuances of language and poetic forms.
Grant Amount: $30,000 [2012]
Project Dates: 09/12/2012 through 09/12/2013
Project Web Site: www.catranslation.org

Chinese Cultural Productions teaches and stages performances of traditional and contemporary Chinese cultural arts. The organization offers dance education programs in three San Francisco public elementary schools with large Chinese and Chinese American student populations. These programs immerse participants in Chinese dance and Chinese culture. Classes take place four hours a week over 14 weeks, culminating in community and in-school performances.
Grant Amount: $15,000 [2012]
Project Dates: 07/17/2012 through 07/17/2013
Project Web Site: www.lilycaidance.org

For 90 years, the Community Music Center has made music study available to the public without regard to age, ethnicity, or financial status. It operates from a main campus in the Mission District, a branch in the Richmond District, and from outreach sites. In addition to music lessons, the Center, in conjunction with partner groups, presents free and affordable concerts and recitals. The Center seeks to remain accessible, maintain quality instruction, and further diversify both the musical styles taught and the types of students it serves.
Grant Amount: $50,000 [2011] , $50,000 [2012]
Project Dates: 11/18/2011 through 11/18/2013
Project Web Site: www.sfcmc.org

In 2013, Dance Brigade's youth program, Grrrl Brigade, will provide intensive multicultural dance and drumming instruction to approximately 275 girls through after-school and summer classes. Tuition for Grrrl Brigade classes is reasonably priced and 30% of the girls—most from the Mission or Excelsior districts—receive full scholarships. Advanced students develop original dance and music works that they perform at festivals and community events. Due to the program's popularity, Dance Brigade is experimenting with offering some classes at additional venues.
Grant Amount: $20,000 [2012]
Project Dates: 12/04/2012 through 12/04/2013
Project Web Site: www.dancebrigade.org

Dimensions Dance Theater's Rites of Passage program offers dance and drumming classes in public schools, after school, on weekends, and during the summer. It serves 850 East Bay youth aged 8 to 20—most from low-income families—with enriching arts education. Classes are offered at Oakland public school sites and the Malonga Casquelourd Center. Instructors specialize in African and African American dance traditions and focus on a different historical and cultural theme each year. In 2012, the program focus is on the Congolese Diaspora.
Grant Amount: $30,000 [2012]
Project Dates: 03/01/2012 through 03/01/2013
Project Web Site: www.dimensionsdance.org

Oakland East Bay Symphony, Oakland Symphony Chorus, and Oakland Youth Orchestra have merged to become East Bay Performing Arts. The Fund supports the Symphony's Music for Excellence (MUSE) program, which provides free in-school and after-school classes and coaching to more than 2,300 students in the Oakland Unified School District. These lessons are augmented by concerts, master classes, and semi-weekly practice laboratories. The Symphony and Youth Orchestra also offer private Bridge Lessons to select youth who could otherwise not afford the instruction they need to prepare for Youth Orchestra and other auditions.
Grant Amount: $45,000 [2012]
Project Dates: 02/27/2012 through 02/27/2013
Project Web Site: www.oebs.org

Fiscal Sponsor: Intersection for the Arts
Through the Emerging Arts Professionals program, Bay Area arts professionals in their 30s and younger propose “learning fellowships” to a committee of peers. If selected, fellows pursue a line of study—employing coaches, working with mentors, taking classes, and launching experimental projects. They also meet monthly to problem-solve, share knowledge, and design events. A strength of this program is that it is organized and ably led by a diverse committee of young arts professionals. The Fund supports the program's innovative approach to strengthening skills, expanding knowledge, and organizing careers. This grant is split between the Arts and Other Grantmaking program areas, $5,000 and $20,000 respectively. The full amount is listed in both program areas.
Grant Amount: $25,000 [2012]
Project Dates: 04/10/2012 through 04/10/2013
Project Web Site: www.emergingsf.org

Loco Bloco benefits young people through its intensive after-school performing arts program. It currently offers workshops at two public schools, four Boys and Girls Club sites, and a Mission District arts center. Through its year-round classes and performances at community events, Loco Bloco delivers opportunities to underserved youth, helping them navigate the transition to adulthood
Grant Amount: $20,000 [2012]
Project Dates: 12/12/2012 through 12/12/2013
Project Web Site: www.locobloco.org

The professional artists of the Mural Music & Arts Project instruct students in a number of visual and performing arts techniques. Through its Health Education through Art Program, students use art as an avenue to explore nutrition, environmental justice, emotional and behavioral health, reproductive health, and drug prevention and awareness. In 2013, Mural Music & Arts programs will serve students attending International Studies Academy, Starr King Elementary School, and Downtown High School. Program artists also work in partnership with Urban Services, a program of the YMCA.
Grant Amount: $15,000 [2012]
Project Dates: 08/28/2012 through 08/28/2013
Project Web Site: www.muralmusicarts.org

The Museum of Children's Art (MOCHA) develops and leads hands-on arts learning experiences for children and their families and provides professional development workshops for educators. MOCHA's programs include field trips to and drop-in classes at its Oakland studios; arts classes presented in Oakland public schools and libraries; and a Little Studios programs for preschoolers. This $5,000 2012 payment is part of MOCHA's $30,000 2011 grant, which required matching support from new or lapsed individual donors.
Grant Amount: $25,000 [2011] , $5,000 [2012]
Project Dates: 02/10/2011 through 02/10/2012
Project Web Site: www.mocha.org

The San Francisco Unified School District launched SLANT (Science, Literacy, and Arts iNtegration in the Twenty-first century) to create a more engaging, hands-on, and cross-disciplinary approach to instruction. SLANT will connect concepts and teaching practices across the arts and sciences, beginning with an intensive professional development program for science teachers. Music in Schools Today has been invited to provide music content for SLANT. The organization will lead workshops for district teachers and place artists with expertise integrating music with core subjects into 12 classrooms. The Fund supports this effort to incorporate arts education into science classrooms.
Grant Amount: $20,000 [2012]
Project Dates: 05/18/2012 through 05/18/2013
Project Web Site: www.mustcreate.org

New Conservatory Theater Centre manages an extensive training program in theater. To reach younger and lower-income students, the Center offers free or low-cost tuition to its Satellite Drama Program, which serves hundreds of children each year at after school programming sites throughout San Francisco. Recently the New Conservatory completed a strategic plan and adopted a new staffing model to strengthen its services. A portion of the Fund's grant helps New Conservatory to meet a challenge grant to enact its plan.
Grant Amount: $25,000 [2012]
Project Dates: 06/14/2012 through 06/14/2013
Project Web Site: www.nctcsf.org

Teaching Intermedia Literacy Tools (TILT) earns distinction for combining hands-on instruction in filmmaking with studies in media literacy. The program works primarily with underserved youth, doing so in partnership with after-school programs that serve low-income and immigrant teens. TILT's Co-Lab project helps five local film festivals to develop and present youth media as part of their programming.
Grant Amount: $15,000 [2012]
Project Dates: 09/12/2012 through 09/12/2013
Project Web Site: www.ninthstreet.org

As of two years ago, only two Oakland Unified School District high schools had theater teachers on staff. In 2010, with support from the Fund, one of these teachers began offering a six-month professional development program to OUSD middle and high school teachers. As a result, a third high school has hired a credentialed theater teacher, and two new theater classes are being offered. In the coming year, further coaching will be available to original workshop participants and additional teachers will join the professional development group, further increasing theater and arts education opportunities for students.
Grant Amount: $30,000 [2012]
Project Dates: 05/18/2012 through 05/18/2013
Project Web Site: www.ousd.k12.ca.us

Performing ensemble Oaktown Jazz Workshops offers after-school music instruction at recreation centers. In 2011, Jack London Square provided the program with a new site, enabling enrollment to expand to serve 40 youth. Through Oaktown Jazz Workshops, leading professional musicians mentor youth, and encourage adults and teens to play non-commercial jazz together. The Fund supports this authentic and locally based arts education opportunity.
Grant Amount: $10,000 [2012]
Project Dates: 05/11/2012 through 05/11/2013
Project Web Site: www.oaktownjazz.org

Performing Arts Workshop provides arts education to 9,000 pre-K through high school participants each year. Its classes in creative movement, theater arts, creative writing, world dance, and music—available at over 100 locations—emphasize strengthening students' creative problem-solving skills. It rigorously evaluates its programs and partners with other organizations. A three-year independent evaluation of the Workshop's after-school programs showed that all sites saw a positive change in student learning and leadership skills.
Grant Amount: $45,000 [2011] , $45,000 [2012] , $45,000 [2013]
Project Dates: 11/18/2011 through 11/18/2014
Project Web Site: www.performingartsworkshop.org

Purple Silk Music Education Foundation provides free classes in Chinese classical and folk music, taught using traditional instruments. It serves grades 3 to 5 at Lincoln Elementary School in Oakland's Chinatown and manages an after-school Chinese music program at Laney College that serves children from across Oakland. Through the Foundation, professional Chinese musicians work with 600 students, 80% of them from low-income families. This grant from the Fund primarily supports Purple Silk Music Education Foundation's after-school instrumental and choral music program.
Grant Amount: $10,000 [2012]
Project Dates: 08/27/2012 through 08/27/2013
Project Web Site: www.purplesilk.org

Fiscal Sponsor: Intersection for the Arts
Using ensemble theater as a means to teach collaboration and to build trust, Ragged Wing gathers a committed group of East Bay high school students to train in physical theater, design, and arts management. Together, these students write, direct, produce, and perform in original plays. Teens are recruited for the Ragged Wing Youth Ensemble from East Bay schools and neighborhoods, from diverse socio-economic, racial, and cultural backgrounds.
Grant Amount: $7,000 [2012]
Project Dates: 08/27/2012 through 08/27/2013
Project Web Site: www.raggedwing.org

San Francisco Art Institute's City Studio program provides weekly art instruction to under-served, at-risk youth at eight locations in San Francisco and Oakland. During each of two yearly semesters, 130 to 150 participants study fine art and digital media. From this student body, some who produce strong portfolios will receive free admission to a pre-college program on the Art Institute's campus. City Studio focuses on young people who know that they want to become professional artists. Fund support recognizes the program's rigor, its dedication to low-income youth, and its ability to connect youth with professional artists.
Grant Amount: $50,000 [2012]
Project Dates: 04/05/2012 through 04/05/2013
Project Web Site: www.sfai.edu

Among other observances of the 75th anniversary of the Golden Gate Bridge, the San Francisco Arts Education Project is producing INTERNATIONAL ORANGE: The Bridge Re-imagined. This visual arts exhibit will feature the work of San Francisco public school students and allow them to contribute creatively to a major civic event. Through the project, teaching artists will lead 10 to 16-week sessions in 14 K-12 public schools. The curriculum incorporates history, geography, and engineering lessons into creative projects. Students' work will be exhibited at sites throughout the city.
Grant Amount: $25,000 [2012]
Project Dates: 03/07/2012 through 03/07/2013
Project Web Site: www.sfartsed.org

In 2000, San Francisco Jazz Organization helped develop a cross-disciplinary music program for middle schools. This program, Jazz in the Middle, has since been refined to offer five sessions each in 6th, 7th, and 8th grades, available at most San Francisco Unified School District middle schools. SFJAZZ continues to build on Jazz in the Middle by coaching individual students and by providing professional development workshops for instructors. Four schools with developing jazz bands, selected on basis of need, will receive coaching from the program in the coming year.
Grant Amount: $25,000 [2012]
Project Dates: 05/25/2012 through 05/25/2013
Project Web Site: www.SFJAZZ.org

The San Francisco Symphony's Instrument Training and Support project sends professional musicians into San Francisco Unified School District classrooms in order to: give individual and small group attention to student players; share repertoire and techniques with teachers; provide funds to repair and replace instruments; and offer students tickets to Symphony and Youth Orchestra rehearsals and performances. A hallmark of this program is the Symphony's flexibility in matching classroom needs with the expertise of its musicians. In 2012, it will serve 22 schools and 1,000 students with exemplary arts education.
Grant Amount: $80,000 [2012] , $80,000 [2013]
Project Dates: 07/10/2012 through 07/10/2014
Project Web Site: www.sfsymphony.org

Fiscal Sponsor: San Francisco School Alliance Foundation
A school principal's commitment to devising and supporting a strong arts program is critical to that program's vitality. Understanding this, the San Francisco Unified School District designed a professional development and leadership program for principals. After a successful pilot year, the Fund supports the SFUSD in offering another series of hands-on workshops for principals at cultural organizations complemented by facilitated group discussions.
Grant Amount: $44,200 [2012]
Project Dates: 10/05/2012 through 10/05/2013
Project Web Site: www.sfusd.edu

Shadowlight Productions receives wide acclaim for its artistic productions combining traditional Balinese shadow puppetry with contemporary film technology. With support from the Fund, Shadowlight is expanding its multisession educational program, which currently serves four San Francisco public schools plus one in Berkeley. It will bring on a part-time director of programs to build relationships with additional schools and add professional development opportunities for its two teaching artists.
Grant Amount: $10,000 [2012]
Project Dates: 10/04/2012 through 10/04/2013
Project Web Site: www.shadowlight.org

Southern Exposure, a visual arts gallery in the Mission District, offers distinctive arts learning experiences to teenagers through after school and summer programming. The organization's approach is to treat participating youth as artists, inviting them to create work alongside adult professionals. Youth also develop leadership skills by participating in a Youth Advisory Board. In 2012, participating youth will produce six exhibitions, online projects, or public art pieces. Adding to the program's value, new one-on-one mentorships will enable teens to work closely with artists.
Grant Amount: $25,000 [2012]
Project Dates: 03/13/2012 through 03/13/2013
Project Web Site: www.soex.org

Streetside Stories operates well-regarded programs that encompass storytelling, digital media, and theater instruction. After assessing its operations, Streetside has revised and improved its curriculum, re-evaluated the cost-efficacy of its services, and created a plan for deeper partnerships with schools and nonprofit agencies. In 2013, the organization plans to put these refinements into operation in order to further sustain its programs, which serve more than 2,000 young people each year.
Grant Amount: $35,000 [2012]
Project Dates: 10/08/2012 through 10/08/2013
Project Web Site: www.streetside.org

Through its Young Artists at Work program, Yerba Buena Center for the Arts offers intensive arts instruction to approximately 30 students each year. Program participants are low-income teens motivated to study the arts. Each receives a stipend for participating in the program. Students start in a daily summer program working with several artists across different disciplines. They then design their own development plans and get paired with mentors to pursue creative study and work tailored to their interests. Each youth's experience culminates with a volunteer project and a public presentation
Grant Amount: $35,000 [2012]
Project Dates: 12/10/2012 through 12/10/2013
Project Web Site: www.ybca.org

Fiscal Sponsor: Regents of the University of California
Young Musicians Program provides free, rigorous music education to low-income youth aged 9 to 18. It surrounds students with every service they need to succeed, including tutoring, SAT preparation, performance clothing, mental health counseling, BART tickets, services to parents, and college advising. Students study music weekly during the academic year and participate in a demanding daily program each summer. The Program's curriculum has been diversified to include jazz and vocal music and, in 2012, three two-week academic year institutes will be added to focus students' attention on working together as an orchestra.
Grant Amount: $50,000 [2012] , $50,000 [2013]
Project Dates: 07/10/2012 through 07/10/2014
Project Web Site: ymp.berkeley.edu

Youth Speaks is a leading proponent of spoken-word poetry and performance for youth. Its nationally recognized performances were featured on HBO, leading to an invitation to perform at the White House. This grant from the Fund supports Youth Speaks' after-school writing and performance workshops in San Francisco and Alameda County. Youth Speaks provides a safe workshop space to 800 students each year, making special efforts to reach out to LGBT youth, low-income youth, youth with disabilities, and others who are not well-served by other after-school arts opportunities.
Grant Amount: $35,000 [2012]
Project Dates: 12/07/2012 through 12/07/2013
Project Web Site: www.youthspeaks.org

South Asians are one of the fastest growing groups of immigrants in the San Francisco Bay Area. They represent an array of languages, ethnic heritages, religious backgrounds, and national identities. 3rd i South Asian Independent Film's screenings and annual festival have become an inclusive forum for South Asians. Given the international popularity of Bollywood and Bombay Noir film, their programs also draw a broad cross-section of San Franciscans. The 2012 festival highlighted discussions with the Sikh community, partly in response to the violent attack on a Sikh temple in Wisconsin in 2012.
Grant Amount: $7,500 [2012]
Project Dates: 08/27/2012 through 08/27/2013
Project Web Site: www.thirdi.org

The Asian Art Museum works to unite the many cultural groups in the Bay Area's Asian community. To this end, it is producing innovative programs in conjunction with two exhibits: Maharaja: The Splendor of India's Royal Courts and Phantoms of Asia: Contemporary Awakens the Past. Through these programs, it is partnering with Indian, South Asian, and Filipino cultural groups; hosting a collaboration between artists and children in Bayview; and producing a weekend-long crowd-making art project. Home to the largest collection of Asian art in the United States, the Museum recently restructured its debt, presented a new mission and logo, and broadened its program focus to include contemporary art.
Grant Amount: $25,000 [2012]
Project Dates: 02/24/2012 through 02/24/2013
Project Web Site: www.asianart.org

Fiscal Sponsor: Regents of the University of California
Cal Performances is a nationally acclaimed performing arts presenter based at the University of California, Berkeley. Dedicated to making its programming more accessible, the organization launched Fall Free for All—a full day of free performances in venues across the Berkeley campus. Audiences for these performances are more diverse, younger, and less affluent than those who attend Cal Performances' ticketed events. Events for families with small children have proved particularly engaging. The Fund continues its support of Cal Performances so that it can produce Fall Free for All, providing quality programming to a broad cross-section of the local population.
Grant Amount: $50,000 [2012]
Project Dates: 04/05/2012 through 04/05/2013
Project Web Site: www.calperformances.org

When arts organizations trimmed administrative budgets in response to the economic downturn, many cut funding for professional development. In response, a group of funders in Northern and Southern California pooled money into the Creative Capacity Fund, which awards quick grants to individual artists (up to $500) and nonprofit organizations (up to $1,000) to fund professional development. This grant from the Fund supports the professional development of employees of San Francisco and Alameda County arts organizations.
Grant Amount: $20,000 [2012]
Project Dates: 08/27/2012 through 08/27/2013
Project Web Site: www.cciarts.org

Artists working in culturally specific forms frequently need support when they wish to experiment outside the strictures of their traditions. In 2009, CounterPULSE created Performing Diaspora, a program through which artists can apply for residencies to use studio space to develop new work, participate in symposia, present works in progress, and—in the most promising cases—be awarded commissions. In order to continue encouraging cultural creativity, the Performing Diaspora project will be repeated in 2012-14.
Grant Amount: $15,000 [2012]
Project Dates: 02/10/2012 through 02/10/2013
Project Web Site: www.counterpulse.org

Dance/USA is the national service organization for the dance field in the United States. Guided by a local host committee of 24 dance company managers and artists, it planned a mid-June 2012 conference in San Francisco for approximately 500 participants. This grant from the Fund enabled Dance USA to subsidize fees for local small dance companies, allowing artists to take advantage of this national networking and professional development opportunity.
Grant Amount: $5,000 [2012]
Project Dates: 04/06/2012 through 04/06/2013
Project Web Site: www.danceusa.org

For three days in October, leading Bay Area choreographers will stage six or more original, site-specific dance works. These works will be viewable by any San Francisco resident riding on MUNI's T line from Fifth and Mission streets to Bayview. These "Trolley Dances" are a popular tradition, presenting short, diverse dance works to MUNI's ethnically diverse, typically low- to middle- income passengers. Sixteen MUNI tours will be offered in 2012. The project also includes Kids on Track, a school program of dance classes and special youth tours.
Grant Amount: $10,000 [2012]
Project Dates: 02/17/2012 through 02/17/2013
Project Web Site: www.epiphanydance.org

Golden Thread Productions is earning a reputation for introducing U.S. audiences to important Middle Eastern playwrights. Its signature program is the ReOrient Festival, which stages 10 short plays and hosts a weekend-long forum about theater from the Middle East. Every three years, a grant from the Fund matches an award from the National Endowment for the Arts to support this distinctive, cross-cultural program.
Grant Amount: $15,000 [2012]
Project Dates: 05/01/2012 through 05/01/2013
Project Web Site: www.goldenthread.org

Grantmakers in the Arts is the national service organization serving arts philanthropy. One of its major activities is an annual conference for its members. The 2012 conference, “Forging Connections,” emphasized the themes of cultural pluralism, building livable communities, and developing leadership. Among activities that resonated with the Fund's goals were pre-conference sessions on supporting artists from recent immigrant communities. Additionally, the broader arts field benefits from papers and podcasts posted on Grantmakers in the Arts' website and from research made available through its freely accessible digital library.
Grant Amount: $5,000 [2012]
Project Dates: 07/17/2012 through 07/17/2013
Project Web Site: www.giarts.org

City departments and activists in San Francisco's Tenderloin seek to rebuild their neighborhood's economic base, stimulate foot traffic, and discourage illegal activity through an arts-based economic development plan. Together, as the nonprofit North of Market Neighborhood Improvement Corporation, they have worked with the Mayor's Office of Workforce and Economic Development, Grants for the Arts, and others to kick-start their efforts. The Corporation's proposed project would sustain community planning at a time when city finding is in decline. Its goals are to increase the presence and accessibility of arts programming to a wide range of Tenderloin and mid-Market residents (with an emphasis on youth), and to revive a devastated commercial corridor.
Grant Amount: $50,000 [2012]
Project Dates: 04/05/2012 through 04/05/2013
Project Web Site: www.tedpsf.com

Recently, the Oakland Museum of California reorganized its exhibitions to enhance the experiences of its visitors. Being successful in these efforts, the Museum continues to experiment with ways to increase access to and participation in its programs. It will produce five free open-air programs, for example, and begin providing discounted gallery access on Friday evenings. It is hoped that these offerings will appeal to families with children, particularly to those families residing in the Museum's immediate neighborhood. The Fund supports these efforts by the Museum to engage the community in cultural experiences.
Grant Amount: $50,000 [2012]
Project Dates: 07/10/2012 through 07/10/2013
Project Web Site: www.museumca.org

Featuring an attractive theater, dance space, galleries, and classrooms, Rhythmix Cultural Works is one of only a few nonprofit arts organizations located on the island of Alameda. It serves as an accessible, affordable cultural hub for that community. Rhythmix has a strong track record for presenting world music and special events, such as its Island Arts Concert Series, which features outstanding musicians from island cultures around the world.
Grant Amount: $15,000 [2012]
Project Dates: 12/10/2012 through 12/10/2013
Project Web Site: www.rhythmix.org

San Francisco Performances engages four internationally renowned touring artists to serve as artists-in-residence, supporting them in performing and teaching in local school and community settings. These artists' activities—ancillary to their other performances—are shaped to match their skills. For example, the Beijing Guitar Duo teaches the history of guitar in Cantonese and also trains local guitar players to mentor music students year-round. This program allows students to encounter world-class artists in intimately scaled settings. Audiences also enjoy free, informal “Concerts in Conversation” at the San Francisco Community Music Center.
Grant Amount: $50,000 [2012]
Project Dates: 07/10/2012 through 07/10/2013
Project Web Site: www.sfperformances.org

The Stern Grove Festival Association's robust, free program reaches approximately 88,000 people each year. 2012 marks the Festival's 75th anniversary and it will be celebrating with high-profile performances and new marketing investments. The Association will encourage Festival audiences to engage using new technologies and social media. An enhanced website, mobile applications, and short documentaries made with Festival audiences, artists, and volunteers will be created and shared. Recordings of performances will also be made available for download. The Festival combines these new strategies to promote free access to quality performing arts.
Grant Amount: $50,000 [2012] , $25,000 [2013]
Project Dates: 07/10/2012 through 07/10/2014
Project Web Site: www.sterngrove.org

In 1858, in response to a poll tax, several violent incidents, and discriminatory laws, 800 African Americans left San Francisco for British Columbia. In the autumn of 2010, Zaccho Dance Theater re-enacted this exodus through a performance that moved down Market Street to the Bay. The Theater also published and widely distributed a newsprint piece that profiled some of those prominent African Americans who left San Francisco in the 19th Century. Sailing Away, as the performance was called, was very well received. This grant from the Fund helps Zaccho to restage Sailing Away and to produce community conversations about African American out-migration.
Grant Amount: $35,000 [2012]
Project Dates: 04/06/2012 through 04/06/2013
Project Web Site: www.zaccho.org

Advocates for Indigenous California Language Survival works with the Linguistics Department at the University of California at Berkeley to host weeklong workshops that help preserve indigenous languages. Select groups of California Natives who have no remaining speakers of their languages and who want to bring their languages back into use are invited to participate. Among the 25 to 30 participants of these biennial workshops, three from the Fund's geographic area regularly attend. These participants represent Coast Miwok, several Ohlone, and Patwin languages. The University of California is the world center for this work, housing field notes, tape recordings, and other resources. The University also provides linguistic and other scholarly mentorship to native groups to help keep their culture from extinction.
Grant Amount: $5,000 [2012]
Project Dates: 05/04/2012 through 05/04/2013
Project Web Site: www.aicls.org

The Alliance for California Traditional Arts is California's leading organization in the complex traditional arts field. Its serves California native artists and generations of immigrants who practice and transform traditional art forms. With support from the Fund, the Alliance will operate three re-granting programs: Living Cultures Grants produce projects and classes; Master-Apprentice grants support sharing knowledge across generations; and the Traditional Arts Development Program assists artists and groups in learning practical skills.
Grant Amount: $120,000 [2012]
Project Dates: 07/10/2012 through 07/10/2013
Project Web Site: www.actaonline.org

The Arab Cultural and Community Center offers culturally sensitive social services, educational programs, and cross-cultural events serving the Arab immigrant and broader community. Its cultural program engages the pluralistic array of Arab community members in the region, representing many different religious, national, ethnic, and professional backgrounds. In 2013, the Center will offer monthly programs on site and five larger-scale events off-site. Through these cultural programs it seeks to attract and engage more of the low-income Arab immigrants who take advantage of its social service offerings.
Grant Amount: $10,000 [2012]
Project Dates: 08/28/2012 through 08/28/2013
Project Web Site: www.arabculturalcenter.org

A growing number of Mexicans and Central Americans of Mayan descent are immigrating to the Bay Area. This population is not well served by agencies that target Spanish speakers. Asociacion Mayab offers social services and cultural programs for immigrants of Mayan descent. This grant from the Fund supported an intensive summer program in Mayan language and culture for youth, helping participants aged 8 to 15 to learn about the culture, traditions, and history of their community.
Grant Amount: $6,200 [2012]
Project Dates: 06/13/2012 through 06/13/2013
Project Web Site: www.asociacionmayab.org

Performers of Kathak, one of the eight forms of Indian classical dance, tell stories through stylized movements and percussive footwork. Pandit Chitresh Das's Chhandam Chitresh Das Dance Company is the largest Kathak institution in North America. This grant from the Fund supports the second-phase of the company's capacity-building plan. It will help to expand office staff, launch a marketing campaign, and support six leading dancers in developing and performing their own Kathak solos. This is an important step in sustaining the tradition of Kathak dance.
Grant Amount: $40,000 [2012]
Project Dates: 05/21/2012 through 05/21/2013
Project Web Site: www.kathak.org

Gamelan Sekar Jaya is a widely acclaimed company in the Balinese arts world. It sustains the authenticity of its work by hosting master musicians and dancers from Bali who mentor local artists, lead classes, and shape Gamelan Sekar Jaya performances. Its artists-in-residence project gives local Balinese and Indonesian immigrants an opportunity to witness, study, and perform traditional art forms.
Grant Amount: $10,000 [2012]
Project Dates: 09/18/2012 through 09/18/2013
Project Web Site: www.gsj.org

The Oakland Asian Cultural Center has partnered with the Ger Youth Center—a grassroots, Mongolian-run organization—to host cultural events and arts education classes for youth. These classes and events—specifically designed to appeal to the area's low-income immigrant Mongolian community—add diversity to Oakland Asian Cultural Center programming and help preserve Mongolian cultural traditions. A Mongolian festival is expected to draw hundreds of community members.
Grant Amount: $10,000 [2012]
Project Dates: 12/12/2012 through 12/12/2013
Project Web Site: www.oacc.cc

The San Francisco Bay Area is home to hundreds of ethnic dance companies—many small, managed by volunteers, and composed of first- and second-generation immigrants. World Arts West supports these companies by producing San Francisco's Ethnic Dance Festival. It also delivers services that preserve and present ethnic dance. General support from the Fund helps World Arts West to attend to its very diverse constituency, keeping immigrant-based dance companies strong.
Grant Amount: $50,000 [2012]
Project Dates: 04/05/2012 through 04/05/2013
Project Web Site: www.worldartswest.org

In April 2013, the Veteran's Building will close for two years for remodeling and a seismic upgrade. This will displace many civic and cultural organizations that rely on Herbst Theater, including City Arts & Lectures. Nourse Auditorium—a nearby 1,800-seat theater with good acoustics, unobstructed views, and considerable charm—is available to fill the void. Nourse, however, needs new seats, stage curtains, carpeting, emergency exits, and lighting and sound equipment. This capital project will refurbish Nourse Auditorium to serve the production needs of City Arts & Lectures as well as those of a plethora of other cultural organizations displaced by the closure of the Herbst.
Grant Amount: $100,000 [2012]
Project Dates: 07/10/2012 through 07/10/2013
Project Web Site: www.cityarts.net

Destiny Arts Center uses dance, theater, and martial arts training to end isolation, prejudice, and violence in the lives of Oakland youth. In 2011, more than 400 youth attended classes at the center and ten times that number of students were reached through its Artists in Schools programs. Destiny is in the closing phases of a capital campaign to acquire and build out a permanent center for its program in North Oakland. This capital grant from the Fund supports Destiny Arts Center's quality programming, which benefits the socio-economically diverse Oakland youth in the Longfellow/Gaskill communities of North Oakland.
Grant Amount: $100,000 [2012]
Project Dates: 11/29/2012 through 11/29/2013
Project Web Site: www.destinyarts.org

San Francisco Jazz Organization, world renowned for its annual festival, is nearing completion of a new jazz center in the Civic Center area of San Francisco. The building features an adjustable concert hall, an 80-seat ensemble room, plus rehearsal and educational spaces. This capital grant from the Fund helps SFJAZZ to open its new center and to continue to provide benefits to residents of its new neighborhood. These benefits include hiring from within the local community, staging low-cost family matinees, and providing free space for community events.
Grant Amount: $60,000 [2012] , $95,000 [2013] , $95,000 [2014]
Project Dates: 11/29/2012 through 11/29/2015
Project Web Site: www.sfjazz.org