“Civic arts and culture programs are a truly vital component of a just, equitable, and inclusive future because they connect us to our history and our humanity. Artists and cultural practitioners give us the power to dream of what is possible, the inspiration we need to heal ourselves, and the understanding that we belong here.”
–Brandi Howard, President & CEO, East Bay Community Foundation
Review Process & Criteria
The Fund’s peer readers and panelists will be cultural leaders and activists who understand the historical grounding and cultures of a wide range of BIPOC communities in Oakland. In assembling the readers and panelists, the Fund has a goal of creating a thoughtful mix of racial, ethnic, age, and gender considerations that is inclusive of LGBTQ+ people of color.
Letters of Interest will be assessed based on the following criteria:
Potential impact of the proposed policy change for a just Oakland
- The strength of the vision of social transformation for Oakland and the actions prompted by it, and the clarity and resonance of the policy ideas for the issue areas to be addressed
- The strength of the capacity or track record of the partners to make positive social change
Depth of understanding of the importance of culture and aesthetics to equity and social change
- The strength of the proposed partnerships with artists/cultural practitioners
- The relevance and resonance of the cultural/aesthetic practices, values, and vision proposed and their relation to the participating communities
Quality of relationship and engagement between the collaborative partners and the community(ies) centered in the collaboration
- The depth of the engagement and relationship of the collaborative partners and the community(ies) centered in the work
In addition to these criteria, factors such as geographic, cultural, and issue diversity may also be considered in selecting those invited to submit a full proposal.
Program Timeline
Fund applications are now closed and will reopen in Spring or Summer 2026.