General Operating Support (GOS) grants provide funds to cover an organization's overall mission and day-to-day operations, such as staff salaries, rent, utilities, and administrative costs, rather than being restricted to a specific project or program.

GOS Grant Types

Applicants may apply to one 2026–2028 GOS grant type only:

• Inspire Visits and Advance Economic Impact Grant Type supports arts and culture nonprofit organizations in San Francisco that produce wide-reaching performances, parades, festivals, and activations helping to drive attendance, attract visitors, create jobs, and strengthen local businesses while keeping San Francisco's spirit vibrant, diverse, and alive.
• Enhance Our Cultural Identity Grant Type supports organizations that preserve, celebrate, and evolve the city’s diverse traditions, histories, and artistic expressions. Through performances, exhibitions, parades, festivals, neighborhood activations, and other public programs, these organizations foster a sense of belonging and cultivate connection and cultural pride. The grant type supports organizations that strengthen civic ties, amplify underrepresented voices, and spark cultural innovation - ensuring San Francisco remains vibrant, inclusive, and deeply rooted in its diverse cultural heritage.
• Invest in Our Arts Ecosystem Grant Type supports organizations that strengthen and sustain San Francisco’s arts ecosystem by providing capacity-building support for other arts and culture organizations and artists. By supporting artist career longevity, cultivating emerging artists and leaders, strengthening operational stability, increasing arts access and visibility, or fostering innovation and collaboration within and beyond the sector, this work creates lasting impact and ensures the longevity and vitality of the city’s cultural community.

Key Eligibility:

Applicant organizations must:

• be a 501(c)(3), 501(c)(4), or 501(c)(6) nonprofit organization or a project that is fiscally sponsored by 501(c)(3), 501(c)(4), or 501(c)(6) nonprofit organization in good standing with relevant federal and state agencies
• operate within San Francisco limits
• have a mission that is clearly focused on the development, production, presentation and/or support of arts, youth arts, and/or cultural activities in San Francisco.

For more minimum qualifications and eligibility requirements, please read Section 3: Minimum Qualifications & Eligibility Requirements in the 2026–2028 Grant Cycle Guidebook

Grant Term:

Two years: July 1, 2026–June 30, 2028

Funding Range:

$10,000–$450,000

Read Section 2: 2026-2028 General Operating Support Grants in the 2026–2028 Grant Cycle Guidebook to learn more.

See GFTA RFP Overview translated in the following languages:

• Español
• 中文
• Tagalog
• tiếng Việt

GFTA is offering two, one-time Supplemental Grants to arts and culture organizations navigating urgent conditions.

Voluntary Arts Contribution Fund (VACF) Grant

Supports equipment acquisition, facilities maintenance, and capital improvements that strengthen organizational stability.

Key Eligibility:

Applicant organizations must:

• be current FY26 grantee partners
• operate a physical arts or administrative space in San Francisco, secured through ownership or a lease/rental commitment with a minimum term of three years or longer.
• have an operating budget under $1,000,000 if applying for equipment acquisition or facilities management support
• have an operating budget under $5,000,000 if applying for capital improvement support

Only applicants awarded 2026–2028 GOS funding will be eligible to receive a Voluntary Arts Contribution Fund Grant.

Grant Term:

One year: July 1, 2026–June 30, 2027

Funding Range:

$10,000–$20,000

Arts Sector Response Grant (ASRG)

Support for nonprofit arts and cultural organizations who have experienced significant federal, state, and/or local funding loss.

Key Eligibility:

• Applicant organizations must be current FY26 grantee partners with an annual operating budget under $5,000,000

Only applicants awarded 2026–2028 GOS funding will be eligible to receive an Arts Sector Response Grant.

Grant Term:

One year: July 1, 2026–June 30, 2027

Funding Range:

Up to $10,000 based on budget size.

Read Section 6: Supplemental Grants in the 2026–2028 Grant Cycle Guidebook to learn more.

See GFTA RFP Overview translated in the following languages:

• Español
• 中文
• Tagalog
• tiếng Việt

Use the Grant Eligibility and Selection Tool to check your eligibility and explore the grant types you may wish to consider.

Results are based solely on your responses and are intended as guidance only - they are not recommendations. You are responsible for reviewing the full 2026–2028 Grant Cycle Guidebook and using your own judgment to determine the most appropriate GOS grant type for your organization.

Read the full 2026–2028 Grant Cycle Guidebook to:

• Review all grant opportunities
• Determine your eligibility
• Understand key dates, details, and requirements for your application

Use a word document template to prepare your responses in advance.

General Operating Support (GOS) Grant Application Templates:

• Inspire Visits and Advance Economic Impact Grant Type
• Enhance Our Cultural Identity Grant Type
• Invest in Our Arts Ecosystem Grant Type

Supplemental Grant Application Templates:

• Voluntary Arts Contribution Fund (VACF) Grant
• Arts Sector Response Grant (ASRG)

DEADLINE TO APPLY: June 30, 2026

LINK TO ONLINE APPLICATION: https://digital.forms.sf.gov/gfta-fy27-gos-application

LINK FOR CURRENT FY26 GFTA GRANTEE PARTNERS: Current grantee partners must submit your application through  your organization’s unique link. Do not submit your application through the link above. Contact  gfta-program@sfgov.org if you are unable to locate your link.

GFTA is offering virtual application workshops and technical assistance sessions throughout the application period.

• Virtual Application Workshops provide an overview of grant types, minimum qualifications, and evaluation criteria.
• Virtual Technical Assistance Sessions are drop-in sessions where you can get live help with GFTA’s online application system, Zite.

Learn more and register here.

Submit your RFP questions through the GFTA RFP Question Form or ask during an application workshop. GFTA will accept questions from May 15 to June 18, 2026 (5:00 pm) and post answers weekly in the RFP questions and answers section of this webpage. Please check regularly for updates.

Submitted questions and answers will be updated weekly and posted publicly here between May 25 and June 22, 2026.

Need help with the online application? Technical support is available through the submission deadline.

Learn more about GFTA's realigned grantmaking priorities and how they've informed our 2026-2028 RFP.

• Link to recording of the in-person gathering (April 29, 2026)
• Link to recording of the virtual gathering (May 6, 2026)