Frequently Asked Questions
This website features header photos showcasing artists and performances. Full photo descriptions are available on our Accessibility & Credits page.
This website features header photos showcasing artists and performances. Full photo descriptions are available on our Accessibility & Credits page.
Grantseekers may submit once per application cycle. Though organizations may be awarded more than one grant per calendar year, priority will be given to organizations that have not yet received support.
Though we ask for grantseekers to apply with a specific project, all awards will be made as general operating support, to ensure grantees the greatest flexibility to respond to the unique needs of their project and organization.
Though grantseekers may have multiple grants open at once, returning grantees must be in good standing with no outstanding reports overdue. Grantseekers must also be in good standing with the Arts Loan Fund and the Bay Area Culture Funders for Equity.
Community Arts grants support individual artists and small and mid-sized organizations with annual budgets under $2 million.
Grants are awarded in $5,000, $10,000 and $15,000 amounts, depending on the size and need of the organization and available funds. Grantseekers have the option to request an award amount on the application, though the foundation may offer a different amount, based on availability of funds. The grantseeker will have the option to decline the award if the amount offered doesn’t support their needs.
If you would like to acknowledge the Foundation, you may list us with your other donors at the appropriate level, include our logo in your printed materials, or include a short sentence acknowledging the grant, but it is at your discretion. To request logo files, please contact communications@zff.org.
Due to the volume of grantseekers to the Community Arts program, providing individual feedback is not possible. The foundation is working on an appropriate feedback process and will share updates as available.
Due to the large number of applications the Community Arts program receives, we are unable to accept late applications. If the timeline allows, you may submit at the application cycle, if eligible.
The Zellerbach Family Foundation welcomes Community Arts grantseekers and grantees to join us for quarterly informational workshops to discuss and ask questions about the application process. The workshops are held prior to each open submission window for the Community Arts program. Please RSVP to the workshop you plan to attend.
Go to Fluxx, the online grant system, at zellerbach.fluxx.io to register for a user ID and password; credentials will be sent via email within 2-3 business days. Please note your login information, as you will need it every time you access the grantee portal.
No. Downloading and filling out The Common App is totally optional. The Common App contains the questions you’ll see on multiple applications in one place. Viewing these questions in The Common App and crafting your responses to them before applying to each funder in their own portal will, hopefully, save you time.
You may either complete the application questions in the form in Fluxx or, if using The Common App, copy your responses into the corresponding questions (both options ask for the same information).
Funders will never know whether someone used The Common App tool first before submitting an application on a funder’s portal (unless you opt-in to providing feedback).
You will receive an email notification on the outcome of your grant.
There are no character counts/word counts on the application, however we have included suggestions for each question to provide a guideline.
Individuals or organizations that do not have 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status must use a fiscal sponsor. A fiscal sponsorship agreement/memorandum of understanding is required.
The role of the fiscal sponsor can include many different administrative functions on behalf of the sponsored organization or program, or can simply receive and distribute contributions. It is common for the fiscal sponsor to charge an administrative fee for its services. A fiscal sponsorship agreement/memorandum of understanding outlines the responsibilities and obligations of the fiscal sponsor and the sponsored organization in a written agreement and should specify what the fiscal sponsor is responsible for, including receiving, reporting, and acknowledging donations, any additional services the fiscal sponsor will provide, the administrative fee the sponsored organization will provide to its fiscal sponsor, as well as any recordkeeping responsibilities that the sponsored organization owes the fiscal sponsor.
A fiscal sponsor may support multiple organizations seeking grants in the same application cycle, and may apply directly for funds themselves. Evaluations are not impacted by shared fiscal sponsorship, nor is the fiscal sponsor penalized for supporting multiple organizations.
Individual artists and applying organizations should use their own contact information and financial information for the application. If you are using a fiscal sponsor, there is a separate section of the application for information about your fiscal sponsor. We do not require financials for your fiscal sponsor; if we require additional information about the fiscal sponsor we will contact them directly.
The following financial statements may be required for your application, depending on what type of funding you are requesting:
The work sample should complement the organization or project description and support what you describe in your application. The work sample can be a video or audio link containing a section of work previously presented by your organization, giving a sense of the scale and scope of the work. It can highlight the work of a particular artist. You may choose to include a section of work from the development of a proposed project, like rehearsal footage. For visual and literary arts, examples of a featured artist’s previous work can be included as PDF or JPEG files. Above all, the work sample should give a sense of the grantseekers aesthetic and style.
455 Market Street, Suite 2200
San Francisco, CA 94105
(415) 421-2629
(415) 421-6317 FAX
communityarts@zff.org
Header: Epic Party Theatre, Love in the Time of Piñatas, 2019. Photo By Robbie Sweeney.
With a floor to ceiling curtain of glittering purple blue behind him, a young man with brown skin kneels in front of a large, brightly decorated pinata with foil cones and streamers coming out at all angles. He is wearing a black zip hoodie and looks searchingly up, into the light.
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