The Zoo Labs: FUND is a grant and investment program designed to support Bay Area entrepreneurs who are building businesses that center music.
Donor Name: Center for Cultural Innovation (CCI)
State: California
County: Alameda County (CA), Contra Costa County (CA), Marin County (CA), Napa County (CA), San Francisco County (CA), San Mateo County (CA), Santa Clara County (CA), Solano County (CA), Sonoma County (CA)
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 07/07/2025
Size of the Grant: $10,000 to $100,000
Grant Duration: 1 Year
Details:
Zoo Labs supports music creators whose work is rooted in bold innovation, lived experience, and community expression – empowering them to fully own and expand their creative paths. It bridges the worlds of music and business by providing artist-tailored entrepreneurial training. It also supports Bay Area creatives through unrestricted funding and a strong professional network, investing in their power to build lasting legacies that drive cultural vibrancy and economic growth.
By providing funding, mentorship, and educational resources, the FUND helps creative business owners in the Bay Area begin or scale their ventures in ways that contribute to cultural enrichment, economic empowerment, and community benefit.
The FUND prioritizes culturally-rooted artists (i.e., artists whose work is deeply influenced by their cultural heritage, traditions, and community experiences, and who draw upon the stories, symbols, practices, and values of their cultural background to inform their art) who face challenges or structural hurdles to accessing capital, and aims to create more opportunities in the local creative economy. Investing in these businesses fosters innovation, preserves cultural and artistic expression, and generates jobs. It also works against displacement by creating stable economic opportunities that enable individuals to thrive in the Bay Area. Through this support, Zoo Labs: FUND advances a fair and sustainable creative ecosystem for the public good.
Funding Information
- Zoo Labs: FUND will make available $230,000 in unrestricted grant to Bay Area culturally-rooted artist teams with a music business.
- Grants will be in the amounts of $5,000, $15,000, $25,000, and $50,000.
- Seed Funding: Teams that request $5,000 are newly formed, have worked on the business for two consecutive years or less, and earn little to no revenue from it.
- Startup Funding: Teams that request $15,000 are starting to gain traction. They have worked together on the business for two to five consecutive years and are earning little to no revenue from it.
- Self-sustaining Funding: Teams that request $25,000 have traction. They are on the cusp of realizing self-sustaining, revenue-generating activities, have worked together on the business for five consecutive years or more, and are earning some revenue from the business.
- Next Level Funding: Teams that request $50,000 are established, ready to expand or further innovate, have worked together on the business for five consecutive years or more, and are earning a steady stream of revenue from the business.
Grant Period
September 2025 – September 2026.
Eligibility Criteria
To be considered for funding, applicants:
- Must be teams of two or more people, with at least one culturally-rooted artist member;
- Must be launching or have an already established business with a focus on music;
- Must reside full-time in Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Solano, or Sonoma County;
- Can be any age; however, if any member of the team is 18 years old or younger, CCI staff must be contacted to discuss the team’s eligibility;
- Can be a previous grantee; however, first-time award recipients may be prioritized; and
- Cannot have a conflict of interest (family or financial relationship) with the board, staff, or directors of Center for Cultural Innovation, Zoo Labs, or Intersection for the Arts.
For more information, visit CCI.
