Covid-19 Response Funds
List of Bay Area Resources
The following local partners provide cash assistance to undocumented immigrants in the San Francisco Bay Area: https://www.immigrantfundca.org/san-francisco-bay-area
Go to ResourceBlack or minority business owners marketing grant & micro-grants
Driving organic traffic from Google and Bing can be a meaningful way to grow sales for free. Given the economic pain being felt by so many artists due to the Covid-19 pandemic, we want to help you by providing a free SEO analysis and recommendations.
There is currently no cap on the number of possible marketing grant recipients per month. Grantees will be selected on a rolling basis. There is no application deadline.
(https://www.annuityfreedom.net/financial-literacy/black-grants/)
Micro-grant for Black or Minority business owners
$100 monthly grant. We will choose one person each month from the applications that we receive to give a $100 micro-grant. The winner will be selected on the last date of each month, beginning February 28, 2021.
Applications will only be eligible for the micro-grant in the month they are submitted. (https://www.annuityfreedom.net/financial-literacy/black-grants/)
Go to ResourceONE FAIR WAGE — Emergency Coronavirus Tipped and Service Worker Support Fund
One Fair Wage Emergency Fund — Provides cash assistance to restaurant workers, car service drivers, delivery workers, personal service workers and more who need the money they aren’t getting to survive. https://ofwemergencyfund.org/help
Go to ResourceGeneral Rapid Response Funds
Third Wave Fund Mobilize Power Fund
A rapid response fund for direct action, community mobilizing, and healing justice. Monthly deadlines for 2021.
Go to ResourceThe Pollination Project
The Daily Grant Program makes make micro-grants 365 days a year to grassroots global change agents who seek to spread compassion in their communities and in the world for the benefit of all. All qualified applicants in any funding area are considered within the guidelines of this program. https://thepollinationproject.org/pre-screen-quiz/
Go to ResourceSan Francisco Rapid Response Fund for Movement Building
The Rapid Response Fund for Movement Building provides quick-turnaround funds to frontline social justice organizations that are strengthening the voice and power of low-income residents and people of color. The fund offers grassroots organizations small, one-time grants within 30 days of receiving a funding request.
Go to ResourceUrgent Action Fund Rapid Response Fund
Urgent Action Fund’s Rapid Response Grants for Security and Opportunity support the resilience of women’s and trans* movements by providing flexible and responsive support to women’s and trans* human rights defenders who face immediate threats and by supporting advocacy when unanticipated opportunities emerge to set new legal or policy precedents.
Go to ResourceThe Emergent Fund
The Emergent Fund is a partnership between Solidaire Network, Women Donors Network, Threshold Foundation, and Democracy Alliance. Two types of efforts are supported by the fund: Efforts that support emergent strategies that help communities respond to rapidly changing conditions. This includes resisting new or amplified threats and building power to move a proactive agenda. Efforts seeking long-term social justice and economic justice in a political and social climate that seeks to dismantle such efforts.
Go to ResourceBay Area Racial Justice & Movement Building
San Francisco Foundation
Rapid Fund for Movement Building Applications are accepted on a rolling basis and are one-time grants of $3,000–$15,000 for discrete projects.
Go to ResourceThe California Wellness Foundation: Advancing Wellness Grantmaking
Advancing Wellness Grantmaking: Choose which portfolio best fits your funding request: Community Well-being, Equity in Access, Economic Security and Dignity, or Leading for Power and Change.
Go to ResourceWalter and Elise Haas Fund
The first step in applying for a grant from the Walter & Elise Haas Fund is to make sure your organization or project fits with the Fund’s priorities — both generally and in terms of the specific program area you’re applying to.
Go to ResourceOMBW Black Women Impact Grants
Goldman Sachs One Million Black Women has launched Black Women Impact (BWI) – an open call for applications to provide $10 million in grants to Black women-led nonprofits. Applications are now open and close on March 11, 2022.
For more information on the program, eligibility and application process, please visit: www.gs.com/BlackWomenImpact
Go to ResourceBlack or minority business owners marketing grant & micro-grants
Driving organic traffic from Google and Bing can be a meaningful way to grow sales for free. Given the economic pain being felt by so many artists due to the Covid-19 pandemic, we want to help you by providing a free SEO analysis and recommendations.
There is currently no cap on the number of possible marketing grant recipients per month. Grantees will be selected on a rolling basis. There is no application deadline.
(https://www.annuityfreedom.net/financial-literacy/black-grants/)
Micro-grant for Black or Minority business owners
$100 monthly grant. We will choose one person each month from the applications that we receive to give a $100 micro-grant. The winner will be selected on the last date of each month, beginning February 28, 2021.
Applications will only be eligible for the micro-grant in the month they are submitted. (https://www.annuityfreedom.net/financial-literacy/black-grants/)
Go to ResourceThe Worker Lab Innovation Fund
The Fall 2020 grant cycle has closed. Subscribe to receive news and updates about The Innovation Fund and when the next cycle opens.
Oakland Black Business Fund
In response to heightened awareness of economic injustice and the devastating disproportionate effects of the COVID-19 crisis on the Black community, Oakland Black Business Fund (OBFF) provides capital and technical assistance to empower Black entrepreneurs to catalyze the revitalization of the local economy.
Go to ResourceOakland Black Business Fund
Oakland Black Business Fund – In response to heightened awareness of economic injustice and the devastating disproportionate effects of the COVID-19 crisis on the Black community, Oakland Black Business Fund (OBFF) provides capital and technical assistance to empower Black entrepreneurs to catalyze the revitalization of the local economy.
Go to ResourceFILM: California Documentary Project Research and Development and Production Grants
California Documentary Project Research and Development Grants and Production Grants The next application deadline is November 2, 2020 (tentative grant period 2021–2023).
The California Documentary Project (CDP) is a competitive grant program that supports the research and development and production stages of film, audio, and digital media projects that seek to document California in all its complexity. Projects should use the humanities to provide context, depth and perspective and reach and engage broad audiences through multiple means, including but not limited to radio and television broadcasts, podcasts, online distribution and interactive media, community screenings and discussions, in classrooms and libraries, at cultural centers, film festivals, and beyond. Funding is available in three categories:
- CDP NextGen Grants up to $15,000
- Research and Development Grants up to $10,000
- Production Grants up to $50,000
American Documentary
Through our broadcast, interactive and engagement programs, we’ve has nurtured generations of independent mediamakers with direct funding, mentorship, editorial support and national distribution and engagement strategies. In addition, we provide year-round support for the field through artist-centered programs that include filmmaker funds and talent incubation initiatives.
American Documentary Fillm Funds and Residencies Check website for fund and residency opportunities.
Awards & Fellowships
Artist Opportunities with upcoming deadlines
Each month, Creative Capital compiles a list of residencies, grants, and open calls for artists working in all disciplines. This month’s list includes a residency for artist-parents, a residency in Palm Springs for Black trans visual artists, a $50,000 fellowship to take projects to their next level, and an 18-month documentary lab.
Go to ResourceMurphy Award and Cadogan Scholarship
The Jack K. and Gertrude Murphy Award and the Edwin Anthony and Adalaine Boudreaux Cadogan Scholarships help fuel the forward-thinking visual arts movement in the Bay Area. These awards are designed to further the development of Bay Area master of fine arts students and the winners will receive financial awards and have their work displayed in a professionally curated exhibition at SOMArts Cultural Center.
Applications due April 13, for more information please click the link.
Go to ResourceWilliam J. Zellerbach Award for Social Change (WJZ Award)
The Zellerbach Family Foundation invites organizations based and working in Alameda, Contra Costa, and San Francisco counties to apply for the fourth annual William J. Zellerbach Award for Social Change (WJZ Award). The theme for the 2022 WJZ Award is bridging and belonging. Applications open on Monday, May 2 and close at 11:59 p.m. Friday, June 3, 2022. For more information and to apply click the link: https://zff.org/wjz-award/
Go to ResourceNALAC Fund for the Arts Grant Program
The deadline to apply for the 2022 NALAC Fund for the Arts (NFA) grant program has been extended! For over 15 years the NALAC Fund for the Arts (NFA) has been the only national grant program of its kind, exclusively providing grants to Latinx artists and arts organizations. Latinx artists and organizations of all disciplines based in the U.S. and Puerto Rico may apply for $10,000 grant awards.
The NALAC Fund for the Arts (NFA) includes the NFA Adán Medrano Legacy Award in Film, a $10,000 award for one emerging Latinx filmmaker and the Flamboyan Artist Fellowship, providing grants in support of artists living in Puerto Rico. The application for the NALAC Fund for the Arts (NFA) closes on Wednesday, May 25, 2022, at 11:59 p.m. CST. Review the NFA guidelines and application.
Need help completing your application? Visit the NFA webpage for more information about Technical Support for Applicants!
Go to ResourceCultural Funding
Phyllis C. Wattis Foundation: Legacy & New Works Grants
Drawing inspiration from the vision of Phyllis Wattis and her legacy of support for the arts in the Bay Area, the Phyllis C. Wattis Foundation remains committed to funding the creation of both the fine and performing arts through its New Works grants program, as well as organizations providing direct support to individual artists through its Legacy Grants program. The foundation prioritizes support for smaller, independent arts organizations presenting challenging and cutting-edge works. https://www.phylliscwattisfoundation.org/for-grant-seekers
Go to ResourceITVS: Diversity Development Fund for Documentary Films
Diversity Development Fund gives producers of color up to $25,000 in research and development funding so you can develop your documentary for public media. The documentary can be on any subject, viewpoint or style as long as it is in development or pre-production.
Diversity Development Fund has one funding round per year, with a deadline in September. For more information please visit: https://itvs.org/funding/diversity-development-fund
Go to ResourceVilcek Prizes for Creative Promise in Music
The 2023 Vilcek Foundation will award three Creative Promise Prizes of $50,000 each to young, immigrant musicians who demonstrate outstanding early achievement in music. Applications are open through June 10, 2022. Click here for more information.
Go to ResourceOMBW Black Women Impact Grants
Goldman Sachs One Million Black Women has launched Black Women Impact (BWI) – an open call for applications to provide $10 million in grants to Black women-led nonprofits. Applications are now open and close on March 11, 2022.
For more information on the program, eligibility and application process, please visit: www.gs.com/BlackWomenImpact
Go to ResourceCity of Oakland Cultural Funding Grant Program
The City of Oakland Cultural Funding Program distributes roughly $1 million through a competitive grant-funding process to Oakland-based art and cultural activities that reflect the diversity of the city. Click the link for more information about upcoming deadlines and to subscribe for updates. https://www.oaklandca.gov/topics/cultural-funding-grant-program
Go to ResourceHarpo Foundation Grants for Visual Artists
Harpo Foundation Grants for Visual Artists provides support of up to $10,000 to under-recognized visual artists 21 years or older. Applications are due April 29.
Go to ResourceLibrary of Congress Labs
Library of Congress Innovator in Residence program supports creative uses of the library’s collections. Concept papers are due May 2, with an award of up to $80,000 for research, production, and Library ambassadorship.
Go to ResourceArtist Grants: Free Marketing Services & Micro Grants
Driving organic traffic from Google and Bing can be a meaningful way to grow sales for free. Given the economic pain being felt by so many artists due to the Covid-19 pandemic, we want to help you by providing a free SEO analysis and recommendations.
There is currently no cap on the number of possible marketing grant recipients per month. Grantees will be selected on a rolling basis. There is no application deadline.
https://www.annuityfreedom.net/financial-literacy/artists/
Micro-grant for Artists
$100 monthly grant. We will choose one person each month from the applications that we receive to give a $100 micro-grant. The winner will be selected on the last date of each month, beginning February 28, 2021.
Applications will only be eligible for the micro-grant in the month they are submitted. https://www.annuityfreedom.net/financial-literacy/artists/
Go to ResourceZellerbach Family Foundation Grant Cycle Workshp
On March 2, 2022 the Zellerbach Family Foundation will host an informational workshop for community arts grantseekers to learn about and discuss the upcoming application process.
This workshop will be held as an online webinar and will be captioned. A recording of the webinar will be made available after the live event.
Click here to register.
Go to ResourceWilliam J. Zellerbach Award for Social Change (WJZ Award)
The Zellerbach Family Foundation invites organizations based and working in Alameda, Contra Costa, and San Francisco counties to apply for the fourth annual William J. Zellerbach Award for Social Change (WJZ Award). The theme for the 2022 WJZ Award is bridging and belonging. Applications open on Monday, May 2 and close at 11:59 p.m. Friday, June 3, 2022. For more information and to apply click the link: https://zff.org/wjz-award/
Go to ResourceZoo Labs Fund
Zoo Labs will award unrestricted grants to Bay Area BIPOC and BIPOC-led artist teams whose music-based business is contributing to the region’s arts and culture environment in positive ways. Awards will range from $5,000 to $50,000. Selected teams will also receive focused mentorship and community support.
To help applicants, an informational webinar will be held Tuesday, May 10 at noon, the deadline to apply is noon on Wednesday, June 22, 2022. For more information visit https://www.zoolabs.org/fund
Go to ResourceNALAC Fund for the Arts Grant Program
The deadline to apply for the 2022 NALAC Fund for the Arts (NFA) grant program has been extended! For over 15 years the NALAC Fund for the Arts (NFA) has been the only national grant program of its kind, exclusively providing grants to Latinx artists and arts organizations. Latinx artists and organizations of all disciplines based in the U.S. and Puerto Rico may apply for $10,000 grant awards.
The NALAC Fund for the Arts (NFA) includes the NFA Adán Medrano Legacy Award in Film, a $10,000 award for one emerging Latinx filmmaker and the Flamboyan Artist Fellowship, providing grants in support of artists living in Puerto Rico. The application for the NALAC Fund for the Arts (NFA) closes on Wednesday, May 25, 2022, at 11:59 p.m. CST. Review the NFA guidelines and application.
Need help completing your application? Visit the NFA webpage for more information about Technical Support for Applicants!
Go to ResourceCalifornia Arts Council Open Grants List
This is a time of unexpected and unprecedented changes to the ways in which each of us work, communicate, connect, and experience our everyday lives. As your state arts agency, the California Arts Council is prioritizing this year’s grant funding to nurture and heal our communities through the arts; to keep the doors of our arts and cultural institutions open; to protect jobs in the creative field; and to preserve our cultural heritage, our stories, and our culture bearers. Available 2021 grant opportunities listed on their website. Click here to view our 2021 grant season announcement.
Details, dates, guidelines, staff contacts, and more can be found at the links below.
Visit our Grant Resources page for application resources, videos, and webinars.
Go to ResourceCal Humanities Grants
Cal Humanities Funding Opportunities. Join their mailing list to receive updates and guideline for their individual funds.
- California Documentary Project Research and Development Grants and Production Grants The next deadline is March 2022.
- Humanities for All Quick Grants Quick Grants (between $1,000 and $5,000) are awarded three times a year to small-scale public humanities programs and projects which take place within one year from the award date. The next deadline is Monday June 14, 2021 at 5pm PT. New application materials will be available in Spring 2021. To learn more, join us for an information session on Monday, May 17 at 11am.
- Humanities for All Project Grants Project Grants ($10,000 to $20,000) are awarded twice a year to large scale public humanities projects of up to two-years duration from the award date. The next deadline is Monday, August 2, 2021 at 5pm PT. Below are application materials from the prior round for reference. New materials will be available in Spring 2021. To learn more, join us for an information session on Friday, June 11 at 10am.
FILM: California Documentary Project Research and Development and Production Grants
California Documentary Project Research and Development Grants and Production Grants The next application deadline is November 2, 2020 (tentative grant period 2021–2023).
The California Documentary Project (CDP) is a competitive grant program that supports the research and development and production stages of film, audio, and digital media projects that seek to document California in all its complexity. Projects should use the humanities to provide context, depth and perspective and reach and engage broad audiences through multiple means, including but not limited to radio and television broadcasts, podcasts, online distribution and interactive media, community screenings and discussions, in classrooms and libraries, at cultural centers, film festivals, and beyond. Funding is available in three categories:
- CDP NextGen Grants up to $15,000
- Research and Development Grants up to $10,000
- Production Grants up to $50,000
Center for Cultural Innovation Quick Grant
The Quick Grant program awards reimbursement funds up to $600 to California artists, creatives, cultural practitioners, and cultural producers, and San Francisco/San Jose nonprofit arts administrators to participate in professional development activities that build administrative capacity, hone business skills, and strengthen the financial sustainability of the grantee’s practice, area of cultural production, or arts organization.
Go to ResourceAmerican Documentary
Through our broadcast, interactive and engagement programs, we’ve has nurtured generations of independent mediamakers with direct funding, mentorship, editorial support and national distribution and engagement strategies. In addition, we provide year-round support for the field through artist-centered programs that include filmmaker funds and talent incubation initiatives.
American Documentary Fillm Funds and Residencies Check website for fund and residency opportunities.
Funding Research and Tools
Foundation Research
The process of finding grants begins with research. Foundations generally give based on priority area and geographic region. A good first step is to look for funders whose interests match your organization’s mission, programs, populations served, and location. Foundations generally make grants to nonprofits with 501(c)(3) status. If you don’t have exempt status, consider finding a nonprofit to work with, or to act as your fiscal sponsor.
GuideStar is a database comprised of more than 2.6 million current and historic tax-exempt organizations’ profiles as well as data directly from IRS sources including 990 forms.
Fiscal Sponsorship
Many foundations require applicants to have a fiscal sponsor if they do not have 501(c)3 status. The below organizations provide fiscal sponsorship and various levels of support and service to organizations and individuals seeking grants.
SocialGood has a broad social mission: to promote and cultivate positive influences for individuals, communities, and the environment. What does this mean for you? It means that, no matter the purpose of your project (social change, public art, environmental justice, etc.), as long as it brings a benefit to others and is non-commercial (i.e., exclusively for-profit), we can sponsor you. Moreover, we will sponsor you quickly.
Intersection for the Arts- Fiscal Sponsorship
Membership at Intersection includes fiscal sponsorship, discounts on workshops, arts coaching, coworking space, and staff support. Plus, you join a dynamic community of people making art happen in the Bay Area.
Go to ResourceNEO Philanthropy Fiscal Sponsorship
As a fiscal sponsor, NEO acts as an umbrella organization for an individual or project’s charitable work, and accepts and administers funds on its behalf. Fiscal sponsorship at NEO gives groups a non-profit “home” and allows them to focus on their programmatic work while NEO manages the financial, HR and legal elements, giving the projects the room they need to make a significant impact on the world.
Go to ResourceCovid-19 related resources
City of Oakland COVID-19 testing
City of Oakland – The City of Oakland is partnering with Brown and Toland Physicians Group, CORE, Verily, and Roots Community Health Center to provide free COVID-19 testing to people who live or work in Alameda County regardless of insurance or immigration status.
Go to ResourceRoots Clinic Drive through testing
Alameda County residents who don’t have insurance can contact the testing sites below:
Free COVID-19 Testing for the Whole Community
Click here for more information on testing in Oakland (M, W, F)
Click here for more information on testing in San Jose (Weds)
Go to ResourceFood Distribution in Oakland
See website for information and sites about food distribution points in Oakland. Please note the eligibility requirements information of each site. If you have un-met food needs, please call 2-1-1 to learn where you may be eligible to receive food.
Go to ResourceResources for Workers Impacted by COVID-19
Resources for Oakland workers to Plan, Prepare and Respond to Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19).
Unemployment Insurance, Federal Economic Impact Payments, Sick Leave and Disability Leave, Health Insurance, Workplace Safety, Utility, Support Services
City of Oakland Resources for Businesses
Information for: Small businesses, nonprofits, sole proprietors and independent contractors may feel overwhelmed by the many support options available.
Small Business Assistance and Navigating U.S. Small Business Administration Paycheck Protection Program.
Worker, Artist and Arts Nonprofit Resources.
Oakland’s Moratorium on Residential and Commercial Evictions
The extended moratorium will prohibit most evictions, effective immediately and continuing through August 31, 2020, unless the City Council extends or shortens that date. Additionally, the moratorium prohibits residential rent increases above 3.5% (the Consumer Price Index, or CPI) and prohibits any late fees related to COVID-19 issues in residential units. Unpaid rent will still be due, and the moratorium does not relieve tenants of the obligation to pay unpaid back rent in the future.
Go to ResourceCounty Logo Header Controller County of Alameda COVID-19 Food Distribution, Testing, & Services Map
This map assists people in locating food distribution sites, COVID-19 testing sites, and other services during the COVID-19 shelter in place order
Go to ResourceCOVID-19 Testing in Alameda County
The Alameda County Public Health Department has formed a COVID-19 Testing Task Force to
develop and implement a coordinated testing program to address disparities, ensure countywide
access, and support the County’s COVID response. This site has a list of known COVID-19 testing sites in Alameda County.
Keep Oakland Housed
Have you lost income due to the COVID-19 pandemic and are at risk of losing your home?
Oakland residents may be eligible for financial assistance to pay rent and other housing costs.
The City of Oakland received $36.9 million in California State allocated CARES Act funding. $5 million of those funds were allotted for renter and homeowner relief. This funding will provide one-time financial assistance to low income renters and homeowners impacted by COVID-19. The application period opened on September 1, 2020. https://www.keepoaklandhoused.org/post/extending-covid-19-financial-assistance-through-keep-oakland-housed
Go to ResourceCatholic Charities Emergency Rent Relief for Renters and Landlords
The Federal and State government have provided funding to help low income renters who owe rent or utility bills and for landlords who are owed rent.
Please know that we, and other agencies, are experiencing a high number of requests for help. Please be patient and know we will get back to you as soon as we can. https://www.cceb.org/housing-services-in-the-county-of-alameda/