Photo credit: Joyce Xi Photography; Mural created by Civic Design Studio and two other partner organizations.
Nine Local Funders Contribute to Joint Effort Addressing Unplanned Funding Reductions
Oakland, CA – East Bay Community Foundation (EBCF) is pleased to announce the creation of a $600,000 emergency pooled fund to support arts and culture in Oakland this summer. The public-philanthropic partnership will channel contributions from nine foundations to 24 local arts and culture organizations. The goal of this one-time grantmaking initiative is to support the ongoing stability of Oakland-based arts and culture organizations that were impacted by unforeseen, mid-year budget cuts to the City of Oakland’s Cultural Affairs Division.
The emergency pooled fund will provide one-time grants of up to $28,500, collectively supporting over 600 Oakland-based artists and 10,000 arts and cultural activities. The funded organizations offer performances, exhibitions, classes, and workshops citywide in parks, libraries, and schools as well as theaters and galleries, building community and uplifting Oakland’s diverse stories.
Grant recipients initially received funds from the City of Oakland’s Organizational Assistance Program in Fiscal Year 2023-24 and were recommended to receive a second year of funding in Fiscal Year 2024-25. The emergency pooled fund will fill the second-year funding gap. All grants will go to organizations that are deeply rooted in Oakland with skilled artists and culture bearers, robust community engagement, and an ongoing commitment to addressing racial and economic disparities.
“EBCF understands the unique role that artists and culturemakers play in our society,” said Brandi Howard, President and CEO of EBCF. “Arts and culture unlock the human spirit and bring people together. They strengthen our communities, bolster our economy, and power our movements for change. In this moment, when so many things are in disarray, we are proud to support the people that make the East Bay special.”
“Oakland’s cultural organizations are more than businesses — they are the heartbeat of our neighborhoods,” said Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee. “They are where stories are shared, movements are born, and communities are knit together. As partners, we can support the deep impact of arts and culture on the lives of Oaklanders, and I’m grateful to all who contributed.”
The City of Oakland’s Cultural Affairs Division worked closely with representatives of the nine foundations to coordinate this effort, led by Acting Cultural Funding Coordinator Pamela Mattera and former Cultural Funding Coordinator Raquel Iglesias. The resulting pooled fund will leverage EBCF’s expertise and ensure efficient deployment of grants to arts organizations previously selected by the City.
The following foundations have committed funds:
- East Bay Community Foundation
- Akonadi Foundation
- Anonymous
- Fleishhacker Foundation
- Gerbode Foundation
- Hellman Foundation
- Kenneth Rainin Foundation
- San Francisco Foundation
- Stupski Family Fund
Grant recipients include:
- API Cultural Center, Inc.
- Attitudinal Healing Connection, Inc.
- Cantare Con Vivo
- Chapter 510 INK
- Creative Growth Art Center, Inc.
- DANCE ELIXIR
- Destiny Arts Center
- Diamano Coura West African Dance Company
- Dimensions Dance Theater, Incorporated.
- East Bay Performing Arts
- EastSide Arts Alliance, Inc.
- Friends of Peralta Hacienda Historical Park
- Kitka, Inc.
- Living Jazz
- Museum of Children’s Art
- Music Is Extraordinary, Inc.
- Oakland Interfaith Gospel Choir, Inc.
- Oaktown Jazz Workshops
- Prescott Circus Theatre
- Project Bandaloop
- Purple Silk Music Education Foundation, Inc.
- Sarah Webster Fabio Center for Social Justice
- The Crucible
- Ubuntu Theater Project, Inc.
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East Bay Community Foundation (EBCF) envisions an East Bay where everyone has the economic freedom to dream, heal, and belong. EBCF partners with donors, community organizations, foundations, government, and corporations to eliminate barriers, advance equity, and transform our community for all who call the East Bay home. In 2024, EBCF’s Campaign for a Just East Bay strategically invested $4.2 million in East Bay community organizations, and their community of fund advisors awarded grants totaling $108 million – 62% of which supported work happening in the Bay Area. Learn more about EBCF’s impact in the community at www.ebcf.org.
Akonadi Foundation’s mission is to support the development of powerful social change movements to eliminate structural racism and create a racially just society. With an emphasis in Oakland, Akonadi Foundation works alongside community partners to remove barriers and create a community where every individual, particularly those who have been historically marginalized, can find belonging and have the opportunity to dream and flourish. Over the last two decades, the Foundation has given over 1,800 grants totaling $43 million to nonprofit organizations, primarily in the Bay Area as well as across the country. For more information on the foundation, visit: Akonadi.org.
The Fleishhacker Foundation was established in 1947 to improve the quality of life in the San Francisco Bay Area. It advances its mission by making grants to local artists and community-based organizations in two main areas: Arts & Culture and Social Justice. The Foundation invests in social justice initiatives to promote equity and fairness, with a current focus on programs that uplift LGBTQ+ youth in the Bay Area. Arts grants are awarded to small to mid-sized local visual and performing arts organizations, arts services organizations, and films by Bay Area filmmakers. The Foundation also provides unrestricted grants to visual artists in the Bay Area through its Eureka Fellowship Program. For more information, visit www.fleishhackerfoundation.org or follow the Foundation on Facebook and Instagram.
The Gerbode Foundation invests in programs and projects with significant impact potential, primarily in the San Francisco Bay Area and Hawai’i. The foundation’s focus areas include advancing truth, justice, protecting the environment, supporting the arts, and strengthening the philanthropic process and nonprofit sector. Grants empower courageous leaders and visionary artists who create positive change in their communities and inspire others to transform the world.
Kenneth Rainin Foundation is a family foundation that collaborates with creative thinkers in the Arts, Education and Health. The Foundation believes in taking smart risks to achieve breakthroughs. It supports visionary artists in the Bay Area, creates opportunities for Oakland’s youngest learners, and fund researchers on the forefront of scientific discoveries. Since 2009, the Foundation has awarded over $61 million in funding to support individual artists and small to mid-size Bay Area arts organizations that are pushing the boundaries of creative expression.
The San Francisco Foundation’s mission is to mobilize resources and act as a catalyst for change to build strong communities, foster civic leadership, and promote philanthropy in the San Francisco Bay Area. We envision a Bay Area where all artists and cultural workers are economically secure, civically engaged, and rooted in vibrant communities.