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.