“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
Application Portal Opens:
Friday, June 23
Application Webinars:
Thursday, July 13
Click here to view the webinar recording.
Click here to view a PDF of the webinar presentation.
For other questions, you can email justcityfund@eastbaycf.org. You can also schedule 15-minute phone appointments on Wednesdays and Thursdays 11:00 am – 3:00 pm PST at: https://calendly.com/anyka/15min.
Letter of Interest Application Deadline:
Monday, July 31, 2023, 5:00 pm
Applications must be submitted online through EBCF’s application platform
Late applications will be not be accepted.
Invitation to Submit a Full Proposal:
Late-August 2023
If you receive an invitation to submit a full proposal, you will have 48 hours to accept or decline it.
Full Proposal Deadline:
Friday, September 22, 2023
Award Notification:
Late October 2023
Grant Period Starts:
November 1, 2023
Peer Learning Activities:
Activities will take place periodically throughout the grant period as determined by the grant recipient cohort in collaboration with the Fund.
Interim Check-In:
Fall 2024, 2025, 2026
The Fund will have a verbal or in-person check-in with grant recipients to discuss progress, learning, adaptations/course corrections.
Sharing the Vision activity:
In the latter half of 2024, 2025, 2026
Sharing the project vision with a broader community is a program requirement. This could be a process-based activity, a work-in-progress showing, or a culminating event (in-person/virtual/ documented, as appropriate) or cultural product.
Grant Period Ends:
October 31, 2026