Grant Programs: The Arts

The purpose of the Arts grantmaking area is to enable Bay Area residents to realize the full potential of the arts to build cross-cultural understanding and enrich individual lives. The program's goals focus on Arts Education, Preservation of Cultural Heritage, Cultural Commons, and The Creative Work Fund.

Arts Education: To increase creative opportunities for children and youth who otherwise have limited access to studying the arts or to interacting with working artists, including:

• Programs in public schools, led by professional artists and arts educators and addressing state and district arts education standards.
• After-school programs serving immigrant and low-income populations or bringing together young people from a range of backgrounds.
• Programs employing exemplary youth development and youth leadership principles.
• Projects strengthening systems through which arts education programs are delivered to children and youth.
• Programs through which artists share their skills, knowledge, and leadership with children and youth.

Preservation of Cultural Heritage: To strengthen nonprofit organizations dedicated to the preservation of cultural heritage, particularly those that are based within and dedicated to sustaining arts traditions in recent immigrant communities. This may include capacity building grants for:

• Organizations fostering the preservation and generational transfer of cultural traditions
• Organizations in which artists share their skills, knowledge, and leadership within their culturally distinct communities
• Organizations strengthening social networks among recent immigrants through the creation and presentation of art
• Organizations increasing public awareness and appreciation of artistic practices from recent immigrant communities

Cultural Commons: Fostering shared understanding and a stronger sense of community through participation in the arts.

• Programs that reach large audiences representing a true cross-section of local residents for shared arts experiences
• Programs that use the arts to foster cross-cultural understanding and inclusiveness by engaging participants with different backgrounds and life experiences

The Creative Work Fund: Fostering partnerships between artists and nonprofit organizations to create new work and engage the public in new ways.