Fleishhacker Foundation Increases Grantmaking in Response to Pandemic
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Fleishhacker Foundation Increases Grantmaking in Response to Pandemic
More than $600,000 awarded to help hard-hit Bay Area arts organizations, artists, K-5 literacy programs, students, and families.
May 20, 2020. San Francisco, CA – The Fleishhacker Foundation announced today that it is increasing its grantmaking by 25% and changing its existing grant awards to general support in response to the devastating impact of COVID-19 on the Bay Area community.
“This is a time for bold action,” said Fleishhacker Foundation Board President, John Ehrlich. “Although we lost nearly a quarter of our assets during the market downturn, we are increasing our giving by 25%. We believe this historic moment calls for Bay Area foundations and those with donor advised funds to commit to a greater level of giving in the community.”
Toward these ends, the Foundation has awarded more than $600,000 in new grants, including nearly $375,000 in unrestricted support to a diverse array of small to mid-sized Bay Area arts organizations that are struggling from a loss of income due to COVID-19-related closures. The Foundation has a long history of being an early and consistent funder of vibrant, community-based arts organizations with annual budgets between $100,000 and $2.5 million.
It has also committed an additional $95,000 to support pooled emergency-relief funds for local artists, arts workers, and arts groups, including the Performing Arts Worker Relief Fund, the East Bay/Oakland Relief Fund for Individuals in the Arts, the Safety Net Fund, and the Emergency Loan Program of Northern California Grantmakers’ Arts Loan Fund.
In addition, the Foundation has awarded $140,000 to Bay Area educational organizations that are providing vital literacy services to disadvantaged K-5 students as well as to COVID-19-response initiatives of The Oakland Public Education Fund and Spark* SF Public Schools. These new initiatives support the provision of meals, internet access, digital devices, and other services to students and families in need.
Today’s announcement follows a notice issued by the Foundation last month lifting restrictions on its existing grant awards, allowing organizations to direct funds toward their most urgent needs.
“We are committed to remaining as flexible and helpful to our grantees as possible during this pandemic,” said the Foundation’s Executive Director, David Blazevich. “Throughout this crisis, we have been inspired by our grantees’ diligence and creativity as they adjust program plans and develop new ways to serve the community. Providing unrestricted support allows them to innovate and quickly respond to evolving needs. We are also simplifying reporting requirements to help ease administrative strain during this challenging time.”
Since COVID-19-related closures and ongoing social-distancing measures may limit public gatherings for some time, the Foundation has placed a hold on its regular Small Arts Grants and Special Arts Grants programs, which support performances, exhibitions, and other presentations by local arts groups.
“Given the circumstances, we believe providing general support to more than 75 exceptional, community-based grantees is the most helpful thing we can do for them,” said the Foundation’s Vice President, Robin Strawbridge. “We also believe that it’s critical to invest in pooled funds that provide rapid-relief to people who are suffering from the economic impact of the crisis, like the Performing Arts Worker Relief Fund. This Fund is a collaborative initiative of three important arts service organizations that we support through our Christine Elbel Lynchpin Grant Program: Theatre Bay Area, Dancers’ Group, and InterMusic SF.”
“The interconnected nature of the performing arts requires a broad definition of community,” said Cory Combs, Executive Director of InterMusic SF, a nonprofit dedicated to supporting the professional and artistic growth of Bay Area musicians. “Alongside Theatre Bay Area and Dancers' Group, we hope to directly aid as many artists and art workers as possible during this unprecedented work interruption. We also hope the Foundation's generous contribution will inspire others to follow suit, allowing the Fund to reach more individuals in need during this crisis.”
About the Fleishhacker Foundation
The Fleishhacker Foundation is a family foundation located in San Francisco, California. It was established in 1947 by prominent business leader and philanthropist Mortimer Fleishhacker Sr. to improve the quality of life in the San Francisco Bay Area. The Foundation makes grants to local, community-based organizations through two main programs: Arts & Culture and Pre-Collegiate Education. Arts grants are made to support artistic efforts across an array of disciplines, including dance, music, theater, and film, as well as visual, media, and interdisciplinary arts. Education grants are awarded to Bay Area organizations to support K-5 literacy programs serving disadvantaged public school students. The Foundation also offers unrestricted support to visual artists in the Bay Area through its Eureka Fellowship Program.
For more information about the Fleishhacker Foundation visit: www.fleishhackerfoundation.org
2020 Grantee List
ARTS GRANTEES
ABD Productions (Anne Bluethenthal and Dancers)
Alternative Theater Ensemble
Amy Seiwert’s Imagery
Asian Pacific Islander Cultural Center
Aurora Theatre Company
AXIS Dance Company
Bayview Opera House
Berkeley FILM Foundation
Brava! for Women in the Arts
Faye Carol [Intersection for the Arts]
Chinese Culture Center of San Francisco
Circus Bella
CounterPulse
CubaCaribe
Cutting Ball Theater
Dance Film SF
Dancers’ Group
Dancing Cy(i)phers [Dimensions Dance Theater]
Dimensions Dance Theater
Dohee Lee Puri Arts [Dancers’ Group]
Abby Ginzberg [Kovno Communications]
EastSide Arts Alliance
Epiphany Dance Theater
Eugenie Chan Theatre Projects [Intersection for the Arts]
Flyaway Productions
Headlands Center for the Arts
Geoff Hoyle and David Ford [The Marsh]
InterMusic SF
International Indian Treaty Council
Intersection for the Arts
Joe Goode Performance Group
Kearny Street Workshop
Kiandanda Dance Theater [Dancers’ Group]
Landmark Musical Theater
Lenora Lee Dance [Asian Pacific Islander Cultural Center]The LitQuake Foundation
Margaret Jenkins Dance Company
The Marsh
Mercury Soul
Mirabel Pictures (DBA WeOwnTV)
Na Lei Hulu I Ka Wekiu
New Conservatory Theatre Center
Amy X. Neuburg [InterMusic SF]
Oakland Ballet Company
ODC Theater
Opera Cultura
PlayGround
Playwrights Foundation
Pro Arts, Inc.
Queer Women of Color Media Arts Project
Red Poppy Art House [Intersection for the Arts]
Rhythmix Cultural Works
Root Division
San Francisco Cinematheque
San Francisco Mime Troupe
San Francisco Film Society
San Francisco Silent Film Festival
SCRAP
Southern Exposure
Teatro Visión
Theatre Bay Area
Yerba Buena Gardens Festival
Zaccho Dance Theatre
Z Space
EDUCATION GRANTEES
826 Valencia
10,000 Degrees
Alameda County Library Foundation
Bridge the Gap College Prep
Children Rising
Jewish Coalition for Literacy
Oakland Literacy Coalition
Pacifica School Volunteers
Real Options for City Kids (R.O.C.K.)
Redwood City Friends of Literacy
Super Stars Literacy, Inc.
POOLED EMERGENCY RELIEF FUNDS
Performing Arts Worker Emergency Relief Fund [Theatre Bay Area]
To donate or apply: https://www.theatrebayarea.org/page/COVID-19relief-fund
The Center for Cultural Innovation, East Bay/Oakland Relief Fund for Individuals in the Arts
To donate or apply https://www.cciarts.org/EastBayOaklandRelief.htm
The Safety Net Fund [Intersection for the Arts]
To donate or apply: https://www.safetynetfund.io
Emergency Loan Program of the Northern California Grantmakers’ Arts Loan Fund
To donate: https://ncg.org/arts-loan-fund-emergency-covid-19-loans
To apply: https://www.artsloanfund.org
The Oakland Education Fund’s COVID-19 Rapid Response Fund for Oakland Kids & Schools
To donate: https://www.oaklandedfund.org/give/covid-19/
Spark* SF Public Schools’ COVID-Response Fund
To donate: https://www.sparksfpublicschools.org/donate