FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
For more information: Christine Elbel 415 561-5350 celbel@fleishhackerfoundation.org
January 17, 2017 – The Fleishhacker Foundation of San Francisco has announced a new initiative to support the Bay Area’s most crucial arts service organizations. Called Lynchpin Grants, these awards of $10,000 a year for three years will give six arts organizations the financial security of $30,000 each of unrestricted funding.
The six organizations selected for the grants are: The Berkeley Film Foundation, Dancers’ Group, Intersection for the Arts, San Francisco Cinematheque, San Francisco Friends of Chamber Music and Theatre Bay Area. These organizations provide support to the broad dance and theatre communities, traditional and contemporary chamber music ensembles and both documentary and experimental filmmakers.
The Fleishhacker Foundation, founded in 1947, is a family foundation with two grant programs: Arts & Culture, and K-5 Education. Its main focus in the arts is helping local artists create and show new work. Grants are given to smaller and mid-sized organizations in the greater Bay Area with annual budgets between $100,000 and $2,500,000. Funding is usually directed to artists’ fees and production/exhibition expenses. Arts disciplines funded are dance, music, theatre, visual arts, and interdisciplinary arts. The Foundation also funds the post production phase of film projects created by local independent filmmakers.
“During its long history of funding the arts, the Foundation has recognized the importance of arts service organizations to the vitality and health of the Bay Area’s arts community. Our board decided it was time to recognize their consistent programming which helps so many artists and small organizations, so the Lynchpin Grants were launched as a 3-year pilot of general operating support which won’t require a new application each year” said Christine Elbel, the Foundation’s executive director. The initial grant period is 2017 through 2019.
“We define Lynchpin arts organizations as crucial entities providing services to a large number of artists and arts ensembles. They serve as incubators, advocates, presenters, and sometimes as re-grantors to their members and/or fiscally sponsored projects” said Elbel. Characteristics integral to Lynchpin Arts Organizations are:
– having a mission to advance the Bay Area arts community primarily through services to artists,
– serving an arts discipline in a broad way,
– providing services to many artists/ensembles rather than being led by a particular artist,
– having multiple programs which promote these goals (i.e. rather than having one focus such as presenting a performance or exhibition series),
– serving as an advocate for their art form/artists in the broader field and with policy-makers.
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