At Grants for the Arts (GFTA), our mission is to promote the diverse and unique communities of San Francisco by supporting the arts through equitable grantmaking.

This mission is accomplished through General Operating Support (GOS) grants that fund general operating expenses of San Francisco’s arts and cultural nonprofits with their primary purpose being one of the following: 

• Arts Programming: A season or series of public performances or display of art works in San Francisco. 
• Parades and Festivals: Expand cultural experiences through the form of parades or festivals in San Francisco public spaces. 
• Capacity Building and Regranting:  
• Capacity building support and/or technical assistance for San Francisco-based artists and/or nonprofit arts and culture organizations. Areas of support can include but are not limited to:

Eligibility

In order to be eligible for funding consideration, applicants must meet all of the following minimum qualifications. Applicants must:   

1. Be a current ‘Supplier’ with the City of San Francisco by the time a grant award is made, if awarded.  
2. Possess 501(c)(3) status; or have a valid fiscal sponsor that has 501(c)(3) public charity designation from the IRS  
3. Not be a governmental entity;  
4. Maintain a San Francisco corporate address;  
5. Have presented a season or series of public performances or presentations of artworks in San Francisco for at least three consecutive years at the time of application or have provided capacity building support and/or technical assistance for San Francisco-based artists and/or nonprofit arts and culture organizations for at least three consecutive years at the time of application;  
6. Have a mission that is clearly focused on the development, production, presentation and/or support of arts, youth arts, and/or cultural activities in San Francisco; 
7. Be prepared to present a season or series of public performances or presentations of artworks in San Francisco within FY24 or be prepared to provide capacity building support and/or technical assistance for San Francisco-based artists and/or nonprofit arts and culture organizations within FY24;  
8. Be in compliance with GFTA, other City Departments and programs, and GFTA fiduciary partners and grantees;  
9. Demonstrate certain administrative and fiscal qualities, as evidenced by: a) Receiving non-GFTA sources of funding and b) Maintaining insurance policies required by the City;
10.  Not be in default on any grants or loans from:(1) Grants for the Arts; (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, San Francisco Arts Commission); (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 GFTA has fiduciary relationships with these particular organizations;
11. 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, applicant must provide documentation to the City demonstrating its good standing with applicable legal requirements. If applicant will use any nonprofit to perform the agreement, applicant 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.