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The Foundation accepts proposals only for its Community Arts Program. All other programs are initiated by the Foundation.

COMMUNITY ARTS PROGRAM CRITERIA:

Non-profit community arts organizations doing their work in San Francisco, Contra Costa, and Alameda counties, representing the fields of dance, theater, visual arts, music, festivals, poetry, literature, and publications are eligible to apply. Films and videos are not eligible.  Youth-performed or youth-oriented programs are not eligible.

The Community Arts program supports mainly performance-oriented requests that represent contemporary, cutting-edge new work.  Traditional work such as the performance of Mozart’s music, a production of a Broadway play/musical, the performed reading of the works of a traditional poet like Carl Sandburg would not be eligible.

GENERAL INFORMATION FOR ART GRANT REQUESTS:

  • Grant decisions are made by a panel of local artists
  • Grants are only awarded to non-profit organizations or to 501 (c) (3) fiscal sponsors; individual artists must work under a fiscal sponsor in order to be funded
  • Grants range in size from $1000 to $7500
  • Organizations may receive only one grant per calendar year (this does not apply to organizations acting as fiscal sponsors)
  • We encourage you to review last year’s arts grants by viewing our Annual Report on-line

APPLICATION DUE DATES:

These are postmarked deadline dates. Requests must be postmarked by the appropriate deadline date and sent by U. S. mail; we no longer accept requests sent via UPS/ Fed Ex, messenger, or hand deliveries.

Mail Art Grant Requests to: Attn: Linda Howe, Zellerbach Family Foundation, 575 Market Street, Suite 2950, San Francisco, CA 94105.

Dates for calendar year 2008:

Postmark dates 
February 14, 2008
May 14, 2008
August 14, 2008
November 10, 2008		 Decision made
March 31, 2008
June 30, 2008
September 15, 2008
December 9, 2008

Please choose a deadline with a decision date that corresponds most closely to the date of your performance needs.

If you are a first-time applicant to the Community Arts grants program at the Zellerbach Family Foundation, please contact Linda Howe at 415-421-2629 ext. 11 prior to completing your application. 

APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS AND FORMS: ALL APPLICATIONS MUST CONTAIN THE FOLLOWING:

  1. A complete Grant Application Cover Sheet – this cover sheet is a PDF form that can be filled in and then printed (see link below).

    WARNING!  The information you enter into the PDF form will be lost when you close the document.  BEFORE you close the PDF form, PRINT as many copies of your completed cover sheet as you need.  It is not possible to “save” or submit the completed Cover Sheet as an electronic file.

    Hard copies of all application materials may be requested by calling Linda Howe at
    415-421-2629 ext. 11.
  2. A concise project description
  3. A brief history and mission statement of the organization
  4. A list and a few sentences about the artists and personnel undertaking the actual project work
  5. Financial Information:
    1. Projected income and expense statement for the project for which you are requesting a grant

      - Identify the most essential item in your budget

      - Indicate funds already received, committed, pending, or in-kind
    2. An income and expense statement for the last project performed by you, your group, or your company
    3. An income and expense statement for your company for the previous year or season of performance
    4. The most recent balance sheet for your company
    5. If you are fiscally sponsored, you must submit an organizational income and expense statement for the past year for the fiscal sponsor
  6. List of your own Board of Directors, if applicable
  7. One press clipping about your previous work if you have one. No fliers or promos, please
  8. One letter of support from a professional in the same field. Please plan ahead, this letter is to be submitted with your application
  9. A copy of your 501 (c) (3) or that of your fiscal sponsor
  • All submissions including the press clipping must be single sided on 8 1⁄2 x 11 paper
  • Do not use staples in any of your application materials

SUPPLEMENTAL MATERIALS:

Supplementary materials can strengthen your application. Most performing arts applications will benefit from good work samples.  Because most dance, theater, and music requests are accompanied by work samples, requests without samples may be at a competitive disadvantage.  If you provide work samples, please send two identical samples.

 

RECORDED MEDIA WORK SAMPLES (VHS, DVD, and CD)

Please review all recorded media work samples to ensure that they actually work prior to including them with your application. Send two identical copies marked with the following information:

For all VHS, DVD, and CD work samples:

  • Note on the media cover whether this is a VHS, CD, or DVD
  • Note on the cover what is contained in the work sample.  For example does it portray you in your own work, you in someone else’s work, someone else in your work, etc.
  • Indicate what three-minute segment of the work sample you would like the reviewer to see in the following way:

    VHS: cue the tape to the three-minute portion you want the reviewer to watch.

    DVD: state on the cover which track the reviewer should watch, or how many minutes “in” to forward the DVD.

    CD: state on the cover which track the reviewer should listen to.

RETURN OF WORK SAMPLES: Self-addressed, postage paid envelopes must be included with your application if you want your work samples returned to you.


Click here for the Cover Sheet. This is a PDF document that requires Adobe Reader.