The San Francisco Foundation and Bay Area receive $7.7 million in grants from the Wallace Foundation

The San Francisco Foundation is pleased to announce that The Wallace Foundation has named The San Francisco Foundation, Grants for the Arts, and the Bay Area as their 2007 partners for their innovative arts initiative. Philadelphia is the other city selected this year. This innovative, far-reaching, multi-year model of arts funding is designed to foster growth in public attendance and participation in San Francisco and the greater Bay Area. Eleven San Francisco Arts Organizations will receive $6.3 million, and another $1.47 million will support audience-building in the nine Bay Area counties. These Excellence Awards and regional program support represent one of the largest single arts funding initiatives in national nonprofits arts philanthropy in recent years and is a visionary partnership of a major national foundation, arts organizations, a local community foundation and public arts agencies. The awards were announced on October 30th at City Hall by Mayor Gavin Newsom, The San Francisco Foundation CEO Dr. Sandra Hernández, and The Wallace Foundation President Christine DeVita. The San Francisco Girls Chorus performed to kick off the event.

In recognition of their commitment to community and audience building activities, The Wallace Foundation has given its prestigious Excellence Awards to Alonzo King’s LINES Ballet, the Center for Asian American Media, the Contemporary Jewish Museum, the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, ODC/San Francisco, San Francisco Girls Chorus, SF JAZZ, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, San Francisco Opera, World Arts West, and the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, which will receive grants ranging from $275,000 to $750,000.

Read the news release in our Press section.