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Mayor Lurie, Grants for the Arts Award More Than $14 Million in Funding to Support San Francisco's Arts and Culture Community, Drive Economic Recovery
09/17/2025
[ Article originally appeared in www.sf.gov ]
Mayor Daniel Lurie awarded more than $14 million in funding for local arts and culture organizations through the city’s Grants for the Arts (GFTA) program. The program, overseen by City Administrator Carmen Chu, will provide critical operating support to more than 260 organizations of all sizes, ensuring that arts and culture remain accessible and vibrant across San Francisco. The support for San Francisco’s artists, arts organizations, and cultural centers builds on Mayor Lurie’s work to drive the city’s economic recovery, as a strong arts community plays a critical role in the city’s comeback. Just last week, the mayor announced his Heart of the City executive directive to continue to accelerate San Francisco’s comeback and revitalize the city’s downtown. The mayor is working to energize public spaces, standing up new entertainment zones across the city to bring vibrancy and life to San Francisco’s streets. Last year, GFTA grantees welcomed 34.5 million attendees to nearly 55,000 events—an increase of 1.5 million attendees compared to the prior year—underscoring the strength of San Francisco’s arts organizations and the city’s continued comeback. “A strong arts and culture community is essential to San Francisco’s recovery,” said Mayor Lurie. “The organizations recognized today bring culture, performances, and experiences to our city—helping to drive our economic comeback by bringing our neighborhoods to life. Congratulations to all of our grant recipients and thank you for the contributions you make bringing energy back to San Francisco’s communities.” “From iconic parades and street festivals to first-class performances and exhibitions, our artists and culture programs bring people from around the world to San Francisco,” said City Administrator Carmen Chu. “Over the last few years, we've listened to our arts community and heard loud and clear about the importance of stability and support for ongoing operations. This $14 million investment in arts programming reaffirms our commitment and understanding of how art fuels our economy, but more importantly, how art fuels and nourishes our hearts.” Since its founding in 1961, Grants for the Arts has provided more than $400 million in support for San Francisco’s nonprofit arts and cultural community. Last year, in response to grantee feedback, GFTA transitioned from a one-year grant to a two-year grant for the first time in the program’s 64-year history. In the first year of this grant, GFTA distributed more than $14 million across 266 organizations. The program is funded by hotel tax revenue, and today’s announcement, following a Controller’s Office report on hotel tax performance, means grantees will receive sustained levels of funding in their second year of the grant. “In a time when arts and culture funding is being scaled back across the country, we’ve witnessed the extraordinary strength and dedication of San Francisco’s artists, arts organizations, and cultural leaders who have continued to uplift and connect our communities through immense challenges,” said Kristen Jacobson, Director of Grants for the Arts. “This over-$14 million investment is more than just financial support—it's a declaration that we believe in their power to inspire, heal, and unite. As the city continues to grow and rebound, we know that a thriving arts and culture sector is essential not only to our city’s renewal, but also to ensure that San Francisco remains a beacon of creativity and cultural vibrancy for the world.” For the complete list of GFTA’s Fiscal Year 2025 and 2026 grants, please visit the Grants for the Arts website. Photographs of current GFTA-supported organizations are available here. “Thanks to critical funds from Grants for the Arts, in our 2025 fiscal year, American Conservatory Theater was able to produce bold and influential work on our stages, including the world-premiere hip-hop musical CO-FOUNDERS, to a Bay Area audience of over 200,000; bring the transformative power of theater to 20,000 young people across schools and community centers, providing many with their first live performance of a professional play or musical; and train and empower the next generation of artists to stir and inspire us,” said Pam MacKinnon, American Conservatory Theater Artistic Director. "GFTA funds help SF Ballet deepen its commitment to San Francisco's diverse and vibrant communities," said Jasmine Yep Huynh, SF Ballet Director of Education. "In FY25, we reached over 240,000 audience members with timeless classics and innovative works. Over 10,000 youth participated in our free education programs that foster creativity, connections, and belonging, including field trips, family programs, sensory friendly performances, and our Dance in Schools & Communities program for SFUSD. GFTA's support helps us continue to bring people together across neighborhoods, backgrounds, and abilities while celebrating San Francisco's cultural impact through dance." “Through GFTA funding, the SF Chinese Chamber of Commerce has continued to be a vital conduit for cultural exchange, economic vitality, and community pride—championing the vibrant spirit of San Francisco’s diverse neighborhoods,” said Donald Luu, President of the Chinese Chamber of Commerce. “The chamber successfully organized and expanded the 2025 Chinese New Year Festival and Parade—one of the largest Asian cultural celebrations outside of Asia. GFTA funding helped enhance artistic programming, showcasing traditional and contemporary Chinese performing arts, including lion dances, martial arts, and multicultural performances that highlighted San Francisco’s unique tapestry of communities.” “GFTA funds were particularly critical in the last year as we navigated dual challenges of ballooning production costs and a decline in sponsorships, donations, and concessions sales,” said Suzanne Ford, Executive Director of SF Pride. "This funding is a vital component of covering the costs of the non-negotiable large-scale outdoor event production. Our celebration features two days of local performing and cultural arts, over 100 hours of staged entertainment across 10 stages and community spaces, for a two-day celebration that brings together the diverse and intersectional LGBTQ community from all over the city and the nine Bay Area counties, and draws people from all over the country and world for a unique San Francisco experience.” “GFTA’s support has been vital to CAST’s mission of creating permanently affordable spaces for San Francisco’s arts and cultural communities. In FY24–25, this enabled CAST to advance real estate projects, deepen partnerships with organizations, and lay the groundwork for lasting cultural infrastructure across the city,” said Ken Ikeda, CEO of Community Arts Stabilization Trust. “GFTA’s investment helps CAST not only to sustain operations but to reimagine what’s possible: a city where cultural workers can afford to stay, create, and lead. We’re grateful for GFTA’s commitment to cultural equity and proud to help shape San Francisco’s creative future.”
“GFTA funds enable San Francisco Women Artists to continue its year-round programming promoting women artists, including artists of color and those historically excluded, bringing to our organization a diverse mix of talented artists from varied backgrounds, cultures and ethnicities, fostering inclusion and economic empowerment,” said Pam Borelli, Executive Director of San Francisco Women Artists. “As we celebrate our 100th anniversary this month, SFWA continues to be a welcoming community, providing a community of artists with exhibition opportunities where they may be both recognized and valued.” Back To News |
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