A man and woman dancing in indigenous garb

Arts and Culture for Social and Racial Justice

Moments of profound crisis call for profound imagination. Imagination allows us to see beyond a troubled past and bewildering present to a brighter, uncharted future.

What collaborative ideas, designs, and tools will help craft the inclusive, fair, and just East Bay we dream of?

To answer that question, we turn to our visionaries, artist activists, and resilient culture-keepers to help us imagine new landscapes, rewrite narratives, liberate unrealized potential, recover old wisdoms, and spark radical hope.

Supporting Cultural Strategies

We recognize the ability of the arts to both inspire and unify communities. We believe in the power of culture and art to both increase civic engagement for social change and build stronger communities and neighborhoods. EBCF has been a long time proponent of the arts as is demonstrated through our partnerships with our generous donors and fellow foundations that work to support the arts across Alameda and Contra Costa counties. Storytelling, arts, and cultural practices have always been important tools for survival, healing, and resistance. These creative expressions build community resilience and power, and they give voice, agency, and visibility to communities most harmed by oppression.

Initiatives

Lake Merritt at sunset

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Belonging In Oakland: A Just City Cultural Fund

Belonging in Oakland: A Just City Cultural Fund is a multi-year program to fund Oakland cultural practitioners of color to radically reimagine a racially just city.

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Large mural on the side of a building

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East Bay Fund for Artists

Since its creation in 2003, the East Bay Fund for Artists has partnered with more than 9,500 community donors and more than 200 organizations to commission new works by over 300 local artists.

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Related Staff

Portrait of Debrah Giles

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(she / her)

Senior Program Director

dgiles@eastbaycf.org

Debrah Giles is a philanthropic and non-profit management professional that serves as a Program Director for the East Bay Community Foundation in Oakland, CA. She specializes in supporting initiatives within EBCF that foster education, youth development, and arts and culture.  In her role, she leads the foundation’s program strategy and grantmaking focused on arts and culture for social and racial justice, serves as the Senior Program Officer for the Clorox Company Foundation’s Responsive Grantmaking Program, and continues to lead the work that focuses on boys & men of color.

Before joining the East Bay Community Foundation, for nearly 15 years, Debrah worked for Sun Microsystems in their Global Community Development Group (Foundation). At Sun Microsystems, she managed all aspects of their national and regional grant-making programs and develop strategies to improve their grant-making procedures. During her tenure with Sun, she also developed and guided major funding programs, including their international disaster relief program, multi-year educational grants, and global gift matching programs.

Debrah received her bachelor’s degree in Business Management from St. Mary’s College. She is a native of Oakland.

Contact Debrah Giles

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Featured News

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Debrah Giles: Championing Arts, Culture, and Community Power in the East Bay

Celebrating 14 Years of Leadership at East Bay Community Foundation At East Bay Community Foundation (EBCF), we believe that arts …

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MOCHA > Creating Creative Problem-Solvers

Welcome to another feature in EBCF’s community partner spotlight series. As part of our Arts and Culture for Social and …

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East Bay Fund for Artists Announces 2024 Awardees

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Media Contact: Bilen Mesfin Packwoodbilen@change-llc.com East Bay Fund for Artists Announces 2024 Awardees Over $300,000 Awarded in Grants …

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