ADVANCING THE ARTS

Silicon Valley Community Foundation believes the arts are essential to a healthy, vital community and can act as a change-agent to engage all types of people and build community.  For this reason, the Advancing the Arts was launched in 2005 as a three-year initiative to provide general support grants and technical assistance to small and mid-sized arts organizations with budgets between $50,000 and $2 million.

The initiative is focused on four key goals:

• Broadening participation in arts and culture;
• Improving the arts ecosystem;
• Increasing the foundation’s leadership in the arts; and
• Building an endowment for the arts over time.

To accomplish these goals a three-part approach was implemented:

Grants: In each annual cycle, Advancing the Arts has offered general support grants between $5,000 and $15,000 to small and mid-sized arts organizations for a one year period. The project has identified 15 to 20 participants each year representing diverse geographies, budget sizes and disciplines.

Technical Assistance: Advancing the Arts grant recipients also have an opportunity to apply for a technical assistance grant of up to $1,500 for activities including short and long term planning, board development, staff professional development, program assessment and marketing.

Networking: Participants meet at least twice a year to attend workshops and network with their arts colleagues. The community foundation provides technical assistance to both increase individual organizational capacity and work towards building a stronger infrastructure for the arts community.

Advancing the Arts Grants

The final grant round awarded $195,000 to 17 organizations in March 2007.

Abhinaya Dance Company of San José: $10,000                      
Art in Action, Menlo Park: $10,000
Ballet Afsaneh Art and Culture Society, San José: $10,000
Calaveras Repertory Theatre, Milpitas: $10,000 
City Lights Theater Company of San José: $10,000                   
El Camino Youth Symphony Association, Palo Alto: $15,000    
Firebird Youth Chinese Orchestra, San José: $10,000
Palo Alto Art Center Foundation: $10,000                        
Peninsula Symphony, Los Altos Hills: $15,000    
Peninsula Women's Chorus, Palo Alto: $10,000 
Peninsula Youth Orchestra, Palo Alto: $10,000
Peninsula Youth Theatre, Mountain View: $15,000
San José Chamber Orchestra: $10,000   
San José Children's Musical Theater: $10,000   
San José Institute of Contemporary Art: $15,000
San José Multicultural Artists Guild: $10,000                   
San José Museum of Quilts & Textiles: $15,000

Advancing the Arts awarded $185,000 to 16 organizations in January 2006.

Abhinaya Dance Company of San José: $10,000
Ballet Afsaneh Art and Culture Society: $10,000
California Youth Symphony: $10,000
City Lights Performance Group of San José, Inc.: $10,000
Northside Theatre Company: $5,000
Palo Alto Art Center Foundation: $10,000
Peninsula Women's Chorus: $10,000
Peninsula Youth Orchestra: $10,000
Peninsula Youth Theatre: $15,000
San José Children's Musical Theater: $15,000
San José Multicultural Artists Guild: $10,000
Stanford Jazz Workshop: $15,000
Tapestry Arts San José, Inc.: $15,000
The San José Taiko Group: $10,000
Triton Museum of Art: $15,000
Young Audiences of Northern California: $15,000

Advancing the Arts awarded $200,000 to 18 organizations in July 2005.

Abhinaya Dance Company of San José: $10,00
Calaveras Repertory Theatre, Milpitas: $10,000
Children's Musical Theater San José: $15,000
Chinese Performing Artists of America, San José: $15,000
City Lights Performance Group of San José, Inc.: $10,000
Firebird Youth Chinese Orchestra: $10,000
Kaisahan of San José Dance Company: $10,000
Palo Alto Art Center Foundation: $10,000
Peninsula Symphony Association: $10,000
Peninsula Youth Theatre: $15,000
San José Chamber Orchestra: $10,000
San José Institute of Contemporary Art: $10,000
San José Multicultural Artists Guild: $10,000
San José Museum of Quilts & Textiles: $15,000
Shri Krupa Dance Foundation: $5,000
Stanford Jazz Workshop: $15,000
Works/San José: $10,000
Young Audiences of Northern California: $10,000

Silicon Valley Community Foundation is grateful to the James Irvine Foundation for generous funding of general support grants for Advancing the Arts as well as the David and Lucile Packard Foundation. We would also like to acknowledge the Arts Council Silicon Valley for sharing their general operating grant guidelines in order to simplify the application process.