Small Arts Grants

Applicants must be:

• An arts and culture organization incorporated as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit (including fiscal sponsors applying on behalf of a sponsored arts group or filmmaker).

• Located and primarily offering programming in San Francisco, Alameda, or Contra Costa counties, with its registered mailing address with the IRS in one of these three counties.

• Able to demonstrate an artistic presence in the Bay Area for at least three years.

• Planning to produce and present new work by Bay Area artists in the disciplines of dance, music, theater, visual arts, interdisciplinary arts, or film between May 15, 2027, and April 15, 2028.

• Of an annual operating budget size under $500,000 during the time period above.

• An organization that financially compensates artists for their work.

• An organization that evidences strong support from the community and its Board of Directors. (Please see the review criteria below for details.)

Not eligible are:

• Organizations that applied to the Fleishhacker Foundation for funding consideration during its fall 2026 review cycle, whether or not they received support, except for fiscal sponsors applying on behalf of multiple groups.

• Organizations that are primarily performance venues, exhibition spaces, presenters, or film festivals that do not produce their own work.

• Organizations and groups with more than 50% of their annual expense budgets directed toward educational programs, youth training in the arts, youth ensembles and performances, exhibitions of youth artwork, and/or productions designed for youth.

• Organizations and groups whose primary purpose is to present historical works by artists who are no longer living.

• Organizations and groups whose fundamental purpose or benefit is primarily in the fields of social services, health, youth, or community development.

• Organizations that are registered and primarily operate as for-profit corporations, even if they have a fiscal sponsor.

• Individual artists.

The Fleishhacker Foundation is not able to consider requests for exceptions to the eligibility requirements detailed above.

The most important considerations in assessing Small Arts Grants requests are:

• Does the organization have a history of successfully producing and presenting innovative new work by Bay Area artists?

• What are the organization’s artistic plans and projects for the coming year, and what are its contributions to the local arts community and the Bay Area at large?

• Does the organization represent and engage artists from historically marginalized groups and/or under-resourced communities in a meaningful way?

• How viable are the organization’s artistic plans?

• Are artists reasonably compensated?

• What are the financial needs of the organization?

• Is there strong evidence of Board and community support, specifically, what percentage of Board members made financial contributions, and what other income has been raised or generated within the last year?

• Does the organization use its resources efficiently, seeking to collaborate and share resources when appropriate?

The Foundation accepts proposals from fiscal sponsors on behalf of fiscally sponsored organizations and groups through its Small Arts Grants program to allow important creative voices working outside of the 501(c)(3) nonprofit structure to be eligible for consideration.

When using a fiscal sponsor, the fiscally sponsored organization must have entered into a written agreement with a sponsoring 501(c)(3) nonprofit that clearly delineates responsibilities for accounting, fiscal oversight, and grant reporting. A signed letter of sponsorship summarizing the specific nature of this agreement must accompany the application.

To be eligible for a grant, the sponsoring nonprofit’s mission and ongoing programming must be consistent with those of the sponsored group. There is no upper limit for a fiscal sponsor’s annual operating budget.

Applicants using a fiscal sponsor should follow the instructions detailed in the “Apply” section below and provide the requested information and attachments for their own organization rather for their fiscal sponsor.

Fiscally sponsored applicants will also need to provide contact information for their fiscal sponsor. If the sponsored group has an advisory board, a listing of its members should also be provided.

In the event of a favorable decision, the fiscal sponsor will be the Foundation’s grantee.

Eligibility:

The Fleishhacker Foundation’s Small Arts Grants program supports film projects with budgets under $750,000 directed by filmmakers residing in San Francisco, Alameda, and Contra Costa counties.

Applications are only accepted for the post-production phase of the project when a full rough cut is complete and available. Before applying, filmmakers should have raised and spent at least 50% of their project budget.

Film projects proposed for the spring 2027 review cycle must be scheduled to be in post-production between May 15, 2027, and April 15, 2028. The Foundation does not provide support for completed films.

Filmmakers are funded at any point in their careers, but grants are not awarded to film students. Only films directed by residents of San Francisco, Alameda, and Contra Costa counties are considered.

Filmmakers may only apply once for any given film project, and only if they have already secured a fiscal sponsor or are applying with a nonprofit production company.

If applying with a fiscal sponsor, the mission of sponsoring organization must correlate with that of the film project.

Apply:

The Foundation only accepts online applications and now has a separate application process for filmmakers, which is detailed in this section.

Applications are due by January 15, 2027.

To apply, please create an account on our online portal if you do not yet have one. Choose a username and password and follow the online instructions. Please note your login information, since you will need it every time you access the portal. Then, complete your grant application, choosing the Small Arts Grants Program (Film Project Support Only) application type.

You may save and return to your draft using your login information, but applications may not be edited once they have been submitted.

To review a film application, the Foundation will need the following information. (Please note that character-count limits include spaces.)

1. The film’s title and a brief, one-sentence description. Examples can be found on the recent Small Arts Grants page of our website here. (Up to 350 characters.)

2. A brief artist statement or statement of purpose. (Up to 1,000 characters.)

3. Information about the filmmaker’s past film work and relevant experience. (Up to 3,500 characters.)

4. A filmography.

5. A narrative description of the film project, its status, and an estimated timeline for completion. (Up to 3,000 characters.)

6. Any readily available, relevant demographic information about the filmmaker(s), production team, and/or intended audience. (Up to 2,500 characters.)

7. A listing of confirmed and pending funding to date.

8. A project budget that includes the entire scope of the film project, including the post-production budget. (Budgets may not include the purchase of major equipment items.)

9. A link to a full rough-cut of the film project. (It will only be viewed by our review committee and must remain active until the end of the review process.)

10. Optional: Up to three supporting documents.

Filmmakers applying with their own nonprofit production company will also need to provide:

1. An organizational budget for the nonprofit production company’s current fiscal year.

2. A Board of Directors list, and

3. The percentage of Board members who made a financial contribution to the nonprofit production company within the past year.

Filmmakers applying with a fiscal sponsor will need to provide:

1. Contact information for the fiscal sponsor.

2. A signed letter from the fiscal sponsor detailing the terms of the organization’s support and their agreement with the filmmaker.

3. The total amount of the fiscal sponsor’s annual operating budget for its current fiscal year.

The review committee will assess the project’s artistic clarity and craft from the rough cut work sample of the film for which funding is sought.

Apply

The Small Arts Grants program guidelines and eligibility criteria have recently changed. Please review the information above carefully before applying.

The Foundation only accepts online applications. There are two grant cycles each year: spring and fall. Application deadlines are generally January 15 for spring decisions and July 15 for fall decisions.

Proposals for the spring 2027 review cycle are due by January 15, 2027.

Applications are accepted for general support for eligible 501(c)(3) and fiscally sponsored arts and culture organizations and film projects only. No other project-specific support is considered for this grant program.

There is now a separate application for filmmakers which is detailed in the “For Filmmakers” section above.

For all others, the Small Arts Grants Program application now aligns with the Common Application for the Arts - Bay Area (The Common App), a new initiative in which participating funders use standardized questions to help create greater efficiency for grant seekers. Further information about The Common App can be found on our website here and at: https://commonappartsbayarea.org.

Your response to each question may be brief. Character limits include spaces and are designed to allow for complete responses, but simple, straightforward answers are best. You are encouraged to cut and paste answers you’ve used for other purposes when possible, such as the organization's website or other proposals.

Applicants using a fiscal sponsor should provide the requested information for their own organization rather than for their fiscal sponsor.

To apply, please go to our online portal here. Create an application account, if your organization does not yet have one. Choose a username and password and follow the online instructions. Please note your login information, since you will need it every time you access the portal.

Then, complete your grant application, choosing the application type: Small Arts Grants Program (General Support). You may save and return to your draft application using your login information, but applications may not be edited once they have been submitted.

Please note that if you have previously applied for a Small Arts Grant, you will need to click “Applied” and then “Apply Again.”

To complete an application, the following will be needed. (Please note that character-count limits include spaces.)

Organizational Information

• The organization’s mission statement. (Up to 2,250 characters.)

• A brief organizational history. (Up to 3,500 characters.)

• A list or summary of current artistic programs, activities, and key recent accomplishments. (Up to 3,500 characters.)

• A brief description of the communities your organization engages and/or serves. (Up to 3,500 characters.)

• The estimated annual total attendance at public events and performances over the past year, separating in-person and online participation, if any.

• Optional: A description of any significant recent or upcoming changes or challenges (organizational leadership, operations, finances, or major shifts in programming), if any. (Up to 3,500 characters.)

General Support Proposal Information

• A description of the organization’s artistic projects between May 15, 2027, and April 15, 2028. Please note that the strength of the artistic projects planned during the period will be a key consideration in the evaluation of your proposal. (Up to 3,500 characters.)

• Optional: A brief description of the organization’s community outreach and other programming plans during the same period, if any. (Up to 3,500 characters.)

• Optional: Organizational priorities not listed above during the same period, if any. (Up to 3,500 characters.)

Where possible, please include specific information about artists, venues, timelines, and goals.

Financial Information and Attachments

• An organizational budget for the fiscal year for which funding is being sought, with itemized income and expenses, including the amount(s) for compensation for artists, clearly separated out (projected).

• An organizational budget for the last completed fiscal year, with itemized income and expenses (actual).

• A list of confirmed and pending foundation, corporate, and government grants for the current year with amounts.

• A Board of Directors list and the percentage of Board members who made a financial contribution to the organization within the last year. Fiscally sponsored organizations may provide a listing of advisory board members, if applicable.

• Up to three video or audio work samples totaling ten minutes of material to review, and an optional image.

• Optional: Up to three supporting documents such as press reviews and program material.

• Required for fiscally sponsored organizations: the additional information described in the “For Fiscally Sponsored Organizations” section above.

An optional organizational budget template is available on the Common App website under Resources for those who might find it helpful. This template is not obligatory, but please feel welcome to use it, if needed.

All applicants will receive written confirmation of receipt of their proposal.

Decisions for the spring cycle will be communicated in May, and decisions for the fall cycle will be communicated in November.

Apply