Applications Open for a New Downtown SF Artist Grant

Update, Jan. 7, 2025:

The Svane Family Foundation opened applications for its latest artist grant, Culture Forward, which funds creative projects aimed at drawing families, students and young professionals to downtown San Francisco. Artists and organizations that have fiscal sponsorship through a nonprofit can apply on an ongoing basis starting today.

Proposals with grant amounts ranging from $10,000–$100,000 will be reviewed on a rolling basis for projects in the Financial District, SoMa, the Tenderloin, Civic Center, Mid-Market, Union Square, Tenderloin, Chinatown and Mission Bay, and those who get rejected can reapply after three months.

Original story, Oct. 24, 2024: 

Artists with a vision for downtown San Francisco may have the chance to bring their projects to life when the Svane Family Foundation opens applications for a new grant early next year.

On Thursday, the foundation, headed by former Zendesk CEO Mikkel Svane, announced its new initiative called Culture Forward, which will award a total of $5 million for an unspecified number of creative projects. Applications open in January 2025, and funding will be given out every quarter from March 2025 to the fall of 2027.

In an email to KQED, a foundation spokesperson said that the structure of the grant will be revealed closer to the application launch date, and that artists, creatives and organizations in and outside of the Bay Area are welcome to apply. The Svane Family Foundation has previously supported Bay Area artists with $10,000 grants during the pandemic, as well as a million-dollar gift to the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco to acquire 42 works by Bay Area artists from historically underrepresented backgrounds.

Culture Forward, which Mayor London Breed endorsed in a statement, arrives at a time when the city and private foundations turn their focus towards revitalizing downtown San Francisco. In March, Breed set a goal to bring 30,000 new residents and students to the downtown area by 2030.

Over the summer, Breed announced the creation of new “entertainment zones” where business can sell alcoholic drinks to go during special events. San Francisco’s first entertainment zone on Front Street celebrated its first event, Oktoberfest, in September, and has a Halloween party called Nightmare on Front Street planned for Oct. 31. Breed recently proposed legislation for four new entertainment zones that could take effect in December if passed.

Another city-backed initiative, Market Street Arts, has been funding downtown creative projects. In addition to sponsoring a first-Thursday street performance series called Unstaged, it turned a former cocktail bar into an experimental music venue where the ensemble Living Earth Show is currently curating a performance series.

Another city-funded block party, Bhangra and Beats Night Market, holds its final event of the season on Nov. 15 for the inaugural citywide celebration of Diwali.