Press Release | Oct 2021

Koret Foundation Commits $2M to Bay Area Arts Organizations

Funding will go to local venues, museums and arts education programs, to help them reopen safely, welcome back audiences, and build out new technologies

 

SAN FRANCISCO – The Koret Foundation today announced $2 million in new and planned grants to fund key Bay Area arts and cultural institutions—including performance venues, museums and arts education programs— to support these pillars of the community as they re-open to live audiences after being shuttered throughout the pandemic.

These grants will focus on ensuring local institutions can 1.) reopen safely and in accordance with public health measures; 2.) welcome back audiences; and 3.) help rebuild the region’s economy and restore its cultural vibrancy. Beneficiaries of the new grants include the following organizations:

  • Stanford Live
  • San Francisco Symphony
  • Cal Performances
  • San Francisco Museum of Modern Art
  • San Francisco Opera
  • Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco
  • American Conservatory Theater
  • Berkeley Repertory
  • Asian Art Museum
  • San Francisco Ballet

“The arts sector has been one of the hardest hit by the pandemic, with the evaporation of in-person ticket revenue, and arts leaders have shown impressive resilience and creativity as they have managed through the crisis,” said Michael Boskin, president of the Koret Foundation. “Now, it’s critical that we support our long-term grantees through the pandemic and beyond, to ensure that they’re not just able to survive, but to thrive, and to continue enriching our community for generations to come.”

As arts organizations navigate the uncertainty of re-opening, Koret’s funding will target three outcome areas: a.) key performances and exhibits, b.) technology infrastructure for hybrid in-person/remote events, and c.) arts education programs in local K-12 schools. These grants will provide flexible, responsive funding to serve as a bridge to a sustainable post-pandemic future for the local arts and culture scene. Altogether, this comprehensive approach will help strengthen the key pillars of arts and culture in the Bay Area.

To be connected with spokespeople from the Koret Foundation to discuss these grants, or the issue of local arts funding more broadly, please contact Tony Franquiz at [email protected] or 202-374- 5393.

About the Koret Foundation

The Koret Foundation is committed to strengthening the Bay Area and supporting the Jewish community in the U.S. and Israel through strategic grantmaking to outstanding organizations. Grounded in historical Jewish principles and traditions, and dedicated to humanitarian values, the Foundation is committed to innovation, testing new ideas, and serving as a catalyst by bringing people and organizations together to help solve societal and systemic problems of common concern. Learn more about the Koret Foundation and its grantees at koret.org.