The Dream Keeper Initiative is a new, citywide effort to reinvest $60 million annually from law enforcement into San Francisco’s Black and African-American communities.
Donor Name: San Francisco Arts Commission
State: California
City: San Francisco
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 08/14/2023
Size of the Grant:
- For Artists: Up to $50,000
- For Arts Organizations: $100,000
Grant Duration: 18 months
Details:
This initiative is part of Mayor London N. Breed’s roadmap for reforming public safety and addressing structural inequities in San Francisco.
The Dream Keeper Initiative seeks to address and remedy racially disparate policies so that the dreams of young African-Americans and their families are no longer deferred, and they have the needed resources and support to thrive in San Francisco. The Dream Keeper Initiative aims to break the cycle of poverty and involvement in the criminal justice system for the families in City programs and ensure that new investments, including in youth development, economic opportunity, community-led change, arts and culture, workforce, and homeownership, are accessible to San Francisco’s families who are most in need.
Purpose
- To increase the number of cultural spaces designed and curated by Black people.
- To Increase the number of Black artists and producers contributing to the art culture in San Francisco.
- To invest in the stabilization and growth of Black artists, producers, creatives, and organizations serving the Black communities in San Francisco.
Funding Categories
- Arts Organizations: Support up to $100,000 for San Francisco-based arts organizations dedicated to advancing stories with a focus on the Black experience. Activities may include workshops and classes, performances, special events and general community engagement.
- Artists: Support up to $50,000 for San Francisco-based artists deeply connected to and rooted in San Francisco’s Black communities whose work focuses on the Black experience. Activities may include any genre or discipline and must have a public benefit component. Projects funded in this category must have a demonstrated public benefit, something that is open and accessible to the general San Francisco based public. This can be through a virtual or in person public event, or through other means as imagined and realized by the artist, which benefit the City of San Francisco, its neighborhoods and communities.
- Current San Francisco Arts Commission Dream Keeper Initiative Grantee Organizations: Support up to $250,000 for the next phase of your current Dream Keeper Initiative project. Explain your vision for the next iteration of the project and how this additional funding will take your project or organization to the next level.
Funding Information
- Dream Keeper Initiative maximum grant amounts are up to $50,000 for Artists and $100,000 for Arts Organizations that are not current SFAC Dream Keeper Initiative Grantees; and $250,000 for Arts Organizations that are current SFAC Dream Keeper Initiative Grantees over 18 months.
- The anticipated maximum amount for a Dream Keeper Initiative grant is $250,000 based on current budget availability. Should additional City funding become available, award amounts could increase by up to $1,000,000 for one additional year. The San Francisco Arts Commission reserves the right to reissue these guidelines and request for applications.
Project Requirements
Arts organizations and Fiscal Sponsor organizations: Organizations that exceed the $3,000,000 annual operating revenue limit due to re-granting and/or non-arts related emergency COVID response funds must verify their operational budget without pass-through funds at the time of application. Applicants must upload audited financials from the most recently completed fiscal year demonstrating the dollar amount of pass-through funds.
Eligibility Criteria
Artists
- The applicant must be a continuous resident of San Francisco since August 2021. Documentation demonstrating San Francisco residency must be submitted with the application.
- Verifiable proof of San Francisco corporate address: This may be in the form of a utilities bill (water/sewage, power gas/electricity or internet), telephone/cell phone bill, bank or credit card statement, signed lease agreement or mortgage statement.
- Documents should be no more than three (3) months old and must include the applicants name.
- If approved for funding applicants must live in San Francisco during their entire grant term.
- The applicant must be at least 18 years old.
- The applicant must have a practice that provided a public benefit and was publicly accessible virtually or in person, to the City of San Francisco, its neighborhoods and communities within the last two years. Please see the instructions document for further information on the San Francisco Art Activities requirement.
- The applicant may be in any phase of their artistic career.
- The applicant cannot be enrolled as a full-time student at the time of the application or during the grant period.
- The applicant cannot be a City & County of San Francisco Employee, this includes teachers with the SFUSD.
- Projects working with vulnerable populations: THE APPLICANT MUST APPLY WITH A FISCAL SPONSOR IF THE PROPOSED PROJECT INVOLVES WORKING WITH VULNERABLE POPULATIONS WHO ARE DEFINED AS: MINORS UNDER THE AGE OF 18, SENIORS OVER THE AGE OF 65 OR DEVELOPMENTALLY DISABLED POPULATIONS. If funded, the fiscal sponsor must provide sexual misconduct insurance.
- Applicants must not be in default on any grants or loans from: (1) SFAC; (2) other City departments (including, but not limited to, the Department of Children, Youth and Their Families, Office of Economic and Workforce Development, Mayor’s Office of Housing and Community Development, and Grants for the Arts); (3) Northern California Grantmakers Arts Loan Fund; (4) Community Vision Capital and Consulting; (5) Community Arts Stabilization Trust; and/or (6) the Center for Cultural Innovation. This default clause was expanded due to the fact that SFAC has fiduciary relationships with these particular organizations.
- It is anticipated that successful proposals will be for a term of eighteen months beginning in fiscal year 2023-2024 with a possible extension for up to one additional year based on extenuating circumstances as determined by the Arts Commission in consultation with the grantee. Any extension is subject to Arts Commission approval and funding appropriation. The Arts Commission reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to not exercise an extension option.
- The individual must be willing and able to meet the requirements associated with receiving funds from the City and County of San Francisco. In order to receive a grant payment from the San Francisco Arts Commission, the individual must become a registered, compliant supplier and meet the City of San Francisco’s insurance requirements.
Organizations
- The applicant organization must be a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and in good standing with the IRS under Internal Revenue Code Section 501(c)(3).
- The applicant organization must be in good standing with the California Franchise Tax Board.
- The applicant organization must be in good standing with the California Attorney General’s Registry of Charitable Trusts.
- To receive a grant under this Solicitation, any nonprofit applicant must be in good standing with the California Attorney General’s Registry of Charitable Trusts by the time of grant execution and must remain in good standing during the term of the agreement.
- Upon request, the applicant must provide documentation to the City demonstrating its good standing with applicable legal requirements.
- If applicant will use any nonprofit subcontractors/subgrantees/subrecipients to perform the agreement, proposer will be responsible for ensuring they are also in compliance with all requirements of the Attorney General’s Registry of Charitable Trusts at the time of grant execution and for the duration of the agreement.
- The applicant organization must be in good standing with the California Secretary of State.
- The applicant organization must be San Francisco-based.
- The organization must demonstrate a San Francisco corporate address. Documentation demonstrating a San Francisco corporate address must be submitted with the application
- Verifiable proof of San Francisco corporate address: This may be in the form of a utilities bill (water/sewage, power gas/electricity or internet), telephone/cell phone bill, bank or credit card statement, signed lease agreement or mortgage statement.
- Documents should be no more than three (3) months old and must include the applicant organization’s name.
- If using a fiscal sponsor, the Applicant Organization’s address must be different from their fiscal sponsor.
- The applicant organization must articulate a consistent programmatic history and public benefit to the City of San Francisco, its neighborhoods and communities over the last two years (since August 2021). Please see the instructions document for further information on the San Francisco Art Activities requirement.
- The applicant organization’s mission statement must be clearly focused on the development, production, presentation and/or support of arts activities and/or youth arts activities in San Francisco, with a focus on Black and African-American communities.
- The applicant cannot be part of another City agency or department.
- The organization’s annual operating revenue must not exceed $3,000,000.
- Applicants must not be in default on any grants or loans from: (1) SFAC; (2) other City departments (including but not limited to the Department of Children, Youth and Their Families, Office of Economic and Workforce Development, Mayor’s Office of Housing and Community Development, Grants for the Arts); (3) Northern California Grantmakers Arts Loan Fund; (4) Community Vision Capital and Consulting; (5) Community Arts Stabilization Trust; and/or (6) the Center for Cultural Innovation. This default clause was expanded due to the fact that SFAC has fiduciary relationships with these particular organizations.
- It is anticipated that successful proposals will be for a term of eighteen months beginning in fiscal year 2023-2024 with a possible extension for up to one additional year based on extenuating circumstances as determined by the Arts Commission in consultation with the grantee. Any extension is subject to Arts Commission approval and funding appropriation. The Arts Commission reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to not exercise an extension option.
- Financials: The applicant organization’s Profit and Loss Statements and Balance Sheets for the two most recently completed fiscal years are required to upload with the application.
- The organization must be willing and able to meet the requirements associated with receiving funds from the City and County of San Francisco. In order to receive a grant payment from the San Francisco Arts Commission, the organization must become a registered, compliant supplier and meet the City of San Francisco’s insurance and business tax requirements.
- If the applicant/organization plans to work with a fiscal sponsor, a contractual arrangement between the applicant and the fiscal sponsor must be confirmed prior to the San Francisco Arts Commission’s grant application process. SFAC requires either a fiscal sponsor form; or proof of the fiscal sponsor agreement at the time of application.
- Applicants/organizations cannot retroactively work with or change fiscal sponsorship after a grant application is approved for funding.
For more information,, visit SFAC.
