Covid-19 Response Funds
COVID-19: Performing Arts Worker Relief Fund
Theatre Bay Area, in partnership with Dancers’ Group and InterMusic SF, launched the COVID-19: Performing Arts Worker Relief Fund on March 20, 2020 as a resource for performing arts workers who are facing a loss of income due to the ongoing COVID-19 crisis. Please know that all applications are important to us, and please keep in mind that the total number of grants given each week is entirely dependent upon the funds raised each week. Applications are funded in order of priority of need and availability of funds.
Go to ResourceCOVID-19 Coronavirus Regional Response Fund
This regional fund will provide flexible resources and focus on basic needs: housing/shelter, food, clothing, financial assistance (determined by need). A network of trusted and effective lead agencies are collaborating with their community-based partner organizations to meet the needs within each county.
Go to ResourceList 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 ResourceThe Zellerbach Family Foundation Community Arts COVID Response Grants
Community Arts COVID Response Grants (Response Grant) will provide general operating support to arts and culture organizations in Alameda, Contra Costa, and San Francisco counties suffering revenue loss due to the closure of venues and cancellation of events. Response grants will be for organizational stability/general operating support, and will be awarded for $5,000, $10,000 or $15,000. Individual artists are not eligible to receive Response Grants. Community Arts Application Workshops and deadline dates available on their website.
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 ResourceArtist Relief fund
Artist Relief is an initiative organized by the Academy of American Poets, Artadia, Creative Capital, Foundation for Contemporary Arts, MAP Fund, National YoungArts Foundation, and United States Artists—all small to mid-sized national arts grantmakers—that have come together in this unprecedented moment guided by the understanding that the wellbeing of artists has financial, professional, social, and mental dimensions, and should be fostered with a holistic framework of support. As such, Artist Relief will distribute $5,000 grants to artists facing dire financial emergencies due to COVID-19; serve as an ongoing informational resource; and co-launch the COVID-19 Impact Survey for Artists and Creative Workers, designed by Americans for the Arts, to better identify and address the needs of artists moving forward. https://artistrelief.submittable.com/submit
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 ResourceCommon Counsel Still We Rise Fund
Common Counsel Still We Rise Fund – makes project grants to membership-led, community-based organizations working on social, racial, economic, and environmental justice initiatives in the current political climate. Applications accepted on a weekly basis.
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 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 ResourceCultural Funding
The Investing in Artists grants
The Investing in Artists grants program was established by the Center for Cultural Innovation (CCI) in 2007 to enhance the working lives of, and strengthen the creative support system for, California artists working in all disciplines. Since that time, with the support of The James Irvine Foundation and The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, CCI has awarded over $2 million to 284 diverse artists working in various disciplines across the state.
Go to ResourceNALAC fund for the arts
In collaboration with the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and Intercultural Leadership Institute partners, the 2021 Actos de Confianza relief effort will expand to support Latinx artists and arts organizations who have been adversely impacted by the COVID-19 crisis. NALAC will distribute $2,500 grants to Latinx artists and cultural workers and $5,000 grants to Latinx arts organizations facing critical financial emergencies. Open calls organized by geographic region will take place between January and May 2021. Read the press release here or access the guidelines. https://www.nalac.org/grants/
Go to ResourcePhyllis 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 ResourceBridge Project Community Engagement Residency
HMD’s Community Engagement Residency (CER) provides year-long support for San Francisco Bay Area dance and movement artists and artist collectives to engage in creative process with their communities, however they define them. CER projects blend art and activism to address cultural inequities within the Bay Area arts. Core values of the residency are equity, dialogue, process, artist autonomy, the intersection of art-making and activism, and building meaningful relationships among artists.
Each Community Engagement Residency includes a $6000 lead artist stipend and $1000 in subsidized space. CER artists will also convene regularly throughout the year cycle to evolve their projects and grow capacity in dialogue with one another and HMD staff. This year-long residency will take place from September 1, 2021 – August 31, 2022.
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 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 ResourceThe Clorox Company Mini-Grants, Cultural Arts, Education and Youth Development
Arts Mini-grants provides small grants to support Oakland’s nonprofit visual and performing arts community events. Application deadlines are July 1, October 1, January 1 and April 1.
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.
Grassroots Institute For Fundraising Training
GIFT- provides training, resources, and analysis to thousands of groups each year. Our programs include: Grassroots Fundraising Journal to provide organizations with affordable and practical information and ideas for fundraising Money for Our Movements: A Social Justice Fundraising Conference & Training and Consulting Services.
Go to ResourceFiscal 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.
Bay Area Community Service COVID-19 Relief-Financial Assistance
Are you a low-income resident of Oakland, Hayward, or Emeryville?
Have you lost income due to the COVID-19 pandemic?
BACS may be able to help! You may be eligible for one-time financial assistance to pay rent, mortgage, or other housing costs. https://www.bayareacs.org/
Go to ResourceKeep 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/