Current Special Initiatives
Oakland Cultural Legacy Fund
Preserving and sustaining the city’s Black, Indigenous, immigrant, and queer creative institutions through capital grants, operating support, and venue stabilization.
Focus: West and East Oakland, youth arts, and artist-led spaces
Rapid Response for Housing Justice
Flexible funding for tenant groups, housing advocates, and community land trusts
responding to urgent displacement, eviction, or land acquisition opportunities.
Focus: Immediate interventions with long-term impact
Healing & Belonging Initiative
Supporting community-led mental health, wellness, and grief response programming, especially in neighborhoods hit hardest by violence and economic trauma.
Focus: Peer-led healing circles, youth mental health, cultural wellness practices
Infrastructure for Grassroots Orgs
Mini-grants and technical assistance to help smaller, BIPOC-led organizations
strengthen internal systems (HR, finance, digital tools) and prepare for growth.
Focus: Organizations with budgets under $500K based in the Bay Area
Youth Power Now
Funding youth-led civic engagement, media, mutual aid, and public art projects in the
lead-up to local elections and community campaigns.
Focus: Gen Z leaders building change on their own terms
Why Special Initiatives Matter
- Crises don’t wait for grant cycles.
- Cultural institutions can’t operate on scraps.
- New leaders need fast, flexible support.
- Big wins often come from small, well-timed investments.
Our Special Initiatives give us the flexibility to listen, respond, and act—without delay.
Past Highlights
- Protected a legacy Black-owned bookstore from closure through emergency capital
- Seed-funded a youth-led restorative justice collective after a school closure
- Partnered with cultural workers to secure a permanent arts space in East Oakland
- Funded community safety planning after a neighborhood violence incident
Have an Idea for a Special Initiative?
We’re always listening to what’s emerging in the community.