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Grants

The Community Investments program supports San Francisco-based artists, arts organizations, and communities with an equity lens through grants, technical assistance, arts education initiatives, and community-based Cultural Centers. Please sign up for our newsletter to stay informed about any grant program updates.

For the 2025-2026 grant cycle, the San Francisco Arts Commission has awarded $10.4 million to support 151 grantees, including more than $7.5 million in grant funding awarded to 98 individual artists and 47 arts nonprofit organizations, and nearly $3 million in funding support has been awarded to support cultural centers.

Read the full press release to learn more

View SFAC's full list of grantees, award and project summaries:

Advance Payment Policy

On Tuesday, September 9, 2025, SFAC presented a webinar orientation to help explain the Advance Payment Policy compliance requirements and processes associated with SFAC's FY26-27 grant opportunities.

Please see these files for more information on the policy, 

Advance Payment Policy (PDF)

Advance Payment FAQ (PDF)

Advance Payment Policy Orientation webinar materials:
Presented virtually on Zoom
Tuesday, September 9, 2025 at 6:00 P.M. - 7:00 P.M. 
See the presentation slides (PDF)

The recording of this session with ASL interpretation is available here (Vimeo).
Bitly link to the recording link on Vimeo: https://bit.ly/sfacadvancepaymentwebASL
Password: FY26AdvancePaymentASL 

The recording of this session with the presentation slides and speakers, without ASL interpretation is available here (Vimeo).
Bitly link to the recording link on Vimeo: https://bit.ly/sfacadvancepaymentweb
Password: FY26AdvancePayment 

For more information on the Advance Payment Policy, email SFAC's Community Investments team at sfac.grants@sfgov.org.

Questions

SFAC is committed to providing information about the grants program. We have included a formal questions procedure for this year’s guidelines. Per SFAC's formal questions procedure,  You can review the second version of the Frequently Asked Questions pdf (as of 10 a.m. October 10, 2025) here. 

Duplicate questions are not addressed in the updated (by October 10, 2025) Frequently Asked Questions pdf. 

Any questions submitted to SFAC staff after October 9, 2025, will be responded to on an ongoing basis by SFAC staff. 

Grant Categories

Artistic Legacy Grant (ALG)

The Artistic Legacy Grant (ALG) acknowledges the impact of an artist who has been living and practicing their craft in San Francisco for the last 25 consecutive years or more. This grant category aims to uplift and celebrate an artist who has contributed to San Francisco’s diverse arts and culture ecosystem.

Through their artistic practice, the applicant artist is a vital member of their respective community(ies), has a history of deeply engaging with San Francisco communities including one or more of the historically underrepresented communities highlighted in the 1993 Cultural Equity Endowment Legislation, has a history of working to educate the broader community on the importance of their culture and/or artistic genre, and seeks to preserve their artistic legacy.  

The Artistic Legacy Grant provides San Francisco based artists up to $100,000 over 25 months/2 years. Projects must take place between JULY 1, 2026 — JULY 31, 2028 

For questions, contact Program Officer Jennifer Chu at jennifer.chu@sfgov.org or (415) 535-7305.

Arts Impact Endowment (AIE)

For the next five years (2024-2029), Arts Impact Endowment (AIE) funds are focused on Keeping Artists in San Francisco. This theme comes from the 2024-2029 Cultural Services Allocation Plan (CSAP). AIE addresses needs in the arts community by keeping artists and arts workers from being displaced. It does this by funding:

  • Their work
  • Their working environments
  • Their connections to the communities that nurture them
  • The organizations and ecosystem that support them

The CSAP for the AIE 2024-2029 will support three broad areas of funding channels, connected to a single theme of Keeping Artists in San Francisco. Racial and social justice is the primary lens for all program design. 

Provides San Francisco-based artists up to $50,000 and San Francisco-based arts organizations between $50,000 to $100,000 depending on the funding area. Grant terms are 25 months. Projects and activities must take place in San Francisco and provide a public benefit to the City of San Francisco and its communities. Creation of work and any related public benefit must take place between July 1, 2026 and July 31, 2028.

The three funding channels are: 

General Support 1: Ongoing work: What this funds:

  • Artists: basic needs
  • Organizations: general operations  

    Maximum grant request amount:  $50,000 Artists and $100,000 Organizations

Resilience & Growth = General Support 2: Growth & Planning  What this funds:

  • Artists: equipment purchase of $10,000 or more for a single item, professional development, capital (not labor).
  • Organizations: equipment purchase of $10,000 or more for a single item, organizational development, professional development for staff, capital (not labor).

    Maximum grant request amount:  $50,000 Artists and $75,000 Organizations

​New Creative Opportunities = Project Support What this funds:

  • Artists: artistic works and/or activities, research and development, a phase or portion of a larger project.
  • Organizations: artistic works and/or activities, research and development, a phase or portion of a larger project.

    Maximum grant request amount:  $50,000 Artists and $50,000 Organizations 

For questions about this grant category, please contact:

General Support 1: Ongoing Work

General Support 2: Growth & Planning:

New Creative Opportunities = Project Support

Cultural Equity Initiatives (CEI)

The Cultural Equity Initiatives (CEI) grant program will not be offered during FY 2025-2026. Applicants looking for the Cultural Equity Initiatives grant category are encouraged to apply to the Arts Impact Endowment grant category (if eligible).

For questions, contact Program Officer Jennifer Chu at jennifer.chu@sfgov.org or (415) 535-7305.

San Francisco Artist Grants (SFA)

The San Francisco Artist Grants (SFA) category will not be offered during FY 2025-2026.  Applicants looking for the San Francisco Artist Grant grant category are encouraged to apply to the Arts Impact Endowment grant category (if eligible).

For questions, contact Program Officer Jen Atwood at jennifer.atwood@sfgov.org or (415) 252-2271.

Special Project Grants (SPX)

Each year at the beginning of the new fiscal year in July, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors releases a list of budget amendments, commonly known as "addbacks." These are funds that elected officials allocate to various City departments for citywide programs as well as for services and resources in their respective districts. The San Francisco Arts Commission conducts an open and transparent request for proposals for allocations that we receive through the addback process. This competitive process is utilized throughout the City for the allocation of public funds.

In addition to addback funds, the Special Project Grant category also includes funds from other City departments mandated for arts focused work. The allocations in Fiscal Year 2025-2026 address a range of arts activities related to neighborhood and/or community-focused engagement and arts access. Many of these allocations align with the legislative mandates of the Cultural Equity Endowment. These grants are one time opportunities and based on specific project goals shared by the funding source.

Supervisor District numbers can be found at: http://propertymap.sfplanning.org/

Purpose and Funding Categories:

1. SOMA Pilipinas Cultural District Support for Arts and Cultural Programming: Support for up to $145,000 for 25 months for an arts and culture nonprofit located in SOMA Pilipinas (see map) that is dedicated to a long-term programming vision for a new narrative focused on culturally relevant placemaking.

2. Citywide Night of Ideas Curation: Support up to $120,000 for 31 months for a nonprofit arts and cultural 501(c)(3) organization or fiscally sponsored entity to curate performances for the San Francisco Public Library’s Night of Ideas, scheduled for dates in Spring 2026, 2027 and 2028.

Applicants may only apply for funding specific to those geographic areas or communities outlined within these guidelines. For questions about this grant category, please contact Senior Program Officer, Anne Trickey (they/them) at anne.trickey@sfgov.org or 415-806-5884.