Fund For Artists

$1 Million Fund For Artists: Overview

Forging an innovative collaborative effort between Bay Area Community Foundations, individual donors, and the Irvine, Hewlett, Surdna, and Ford Foundations, the Fund For Artists supports the endeavors of individual artists through commissions, artists' residencies, awards, advocacy, workshops, promotional instruction, and networking support. The San Francisco Foundation strongly believes in the importance and value of our local artists and their work. We are dedicated to giving a voice to artists within our community.

For more information on the Bay Area arts scene, please download this survey of local artists: Information for Artists III (PDF) by Joan Jeffri.

For insight and perspective, read this in-depth interview with Bay Area choreographers Brenda Way and Alonzo King by our program officer for arts and culture, John Killacky.

Listen here as John Killacky gives a perspective on KQED explaining the value of local arts and artists in our community.

The San Francisco Foundation Bay Area Documentary Fund

Many award-winning documentaries have emerged from the San Francisco Bay Area. In recognition of this fine tradition, we have created The San Francisco Foundation Bay Area Documentary Fund. Four or five awards ranging from $20,000 to $25,000 will be distributed annually to support documentary projects in early production phases by experienced filmmakers with an esteemed body of previously created work. TSFF is interested in documentaries exploring issues that have been historically underexposed, misinterpreted, or ignored and that are pertinent to the five Bay Area counties. Individual filmmakers must be fiscally sponsored by a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization based in the five county Bay Area.

37 applications were received for the 2009 San Francisco Foundation Bay Area Documentary Fund and 5 films were funded.

NEXT APPLICATION DEADLINE: More information about the 2010 San Francisco Foundation Bay Area Documentary Fund will be available in Fall 2010.

2009 Awardees

• Eugene Corr's From Ghost Town to Havana, a feature-length documentary following the lives of six boys as they travel from West Oakland to Havana, Cuba to play baseball with six Centro Habana boys.
  
• Megan Gelstein's Green Shall Overcome, a feature-length documentary about Van Jones and the green collar economy.
• Peter Nicks' The Waiting Room, a feature-length documentary film revealing how the health care crisis affects those most at risk during this unique time and how the physical waiting room is a symbol of their plight.
• Tamara Perkin's The Trust, a documentary that explores how and why children follow their families into generational cycles of poverty and recidivism.
• Ken Paul Rosenthal's Crooked Beauty, an experimental documentary on mental illness.

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The Fund For Artists Arts Teacher Fellowship Program (FFAATF)

A retired grant program, FFAATF was a regional initiative to support the artistic revitalization of outstanding arts teachers in Bay Area middle and high schools. Arts teachers often lack time and resources to reconnect with other arts professionals and with the artistic processes they teach, FFAATF allowed fellows to design individualized courses of study that fostered their own creative work and to interact with other professional artists in their fields.

Modeled upon Surdna Foundation’s Artist Teacher Fellowship Program, FFAATF approached artistic development as a means to enhance arts teachers’ effectiveness and to directly benefit young people.

This program was part of the Fund For Artists partnership with the East Bay Community Foundation and The San Francisco Foundation and was supported by the Surdna Foundation.

To see past Arts Teacher Fellowship Program Awardees, please visit the Arts Awards Archive.

Fund For Artists Matching Commissions

Now in its third year at The San Francisco Foundation, the Fund For Artists Matching Commissions seek to support the development of new work by Bay Area artist and at the same time help small- to mid-sized arts groups diversify funding by attracting individual donors. As of March 2009, Matching Commissions through The San Francisco Foundation, East Bay Community Foundation, and the Marin Arts Council have received donations from 1,748 donors and generated more than $502,242 for 150 artist-run organizations and artist-driven projects in the five-county Bay Area.

This year, The San Francisco Foundation is again challenging organizations in San Francisco, San Mateo, and Marin Counties to raise up to $5,000 in matching funds from individual donors. The East Bay Community Foundation will offer Matching Commissions to Alameda and Contra Costa Counties. Selected applications will have up to three months after notification to raise matching dollars from individuals.

HOW TO APPLY: Applications for the 2010 Fund For Artists Matching Commissions will be available Grantee Center in Summer 2010.

2009 Awardees

Brian Thorstenson / Alternative Theater Ensemble

Anthony Brown / Fifth Stream Music

Amy Seiwert / im’ij-re

Seng Chen and Allan Manalo / Kearny Street Workshop

Alexis Alrich, Moses Sedler, and Katrina Wreede / Mill Valley Philharmonic

Travis Meinolf / Museum of Craft and Folk Art

Marcus Shelby / Peninsula Ballet Theatre

Ali Liebegott / RADAR Productions

Gail Wight / San Francisco Center for the Book

Gabriela Frank / San Francisco Chamber Orchestra

Beth Custer / San Francisco Cinematheque

Joanna Haigood / Zaccho Dance Theatre

To see past Fund For Artists Matching Commissions Awardees, please visit the Arts Awards Archive.

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Shenson Performing Arts Fellowships

A pre-selected group of arts organizations that provide excellent professional-track performing arts training and performance opportunities were invited to nominate an exemplary pre-professional performing artist (above 18 yrs of age) for a $5,000 award to assist with their professional advancement. Fellowships were based on the nominee’s artistic merit and their potential for future excellence and impact in his or her performing arts discipline.

The Drs. Ben and A. Jess Shenson Foundation at The San Francisco Foundation was established in 1995 by brothers Ben and A. Jess Shenson who were passionate about encouraging pre-professional students in the performing arts. These fellowships will be awarded in their memory.

The Shenson Fellowships are awarded through nominations by select arts teaching organizations, and no general public applications are available.

2009 Awardees:

• Actor Emily Kitchens with American Conservatory Theater

• Soprano Leah Crocetto with San Francisco Opera

• Kathak dancer Farah Yasmeen Shaikh with Chhandam Chitresh Das Dance Company

• Baritone John Smalley with Community Music Center

• Pianist and conductor Yuchi Chou with San Francisco Conservatory of Music 

• Literary artist, actor, and musician Daveed Diggs with Youth Speaks

To see past Shenson Performing Arts Fellowships Awardees, please visit the Arts Awards Archive.

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