Sustainable Arts Foundation

SAN FRANCISCO, CA EIN: 26-3373919 Website

The Sustainable Arts Foundation is a private foundation based in San Francisco, California, founded in 2010. For thirteen years, the foundation supported artists and writers with children through unrestricted cash awards and grants to artist residency programs. In late 2023, the foundation committed to spending down its assets in solidarity with decolonization efforts.

Financial Overview

From 2024 IRS Form 990-PF · View filing

Total Assets

$120K

-77.1% YoY

Annual Giving

$416K

-59.7% YoY

Grant Count

+0.0% YoY

Avg Grant Size

$12K

-59.7% YoY

Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Sustainable Arts Foundation reported a distributable amount of $11K for 2024 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.

Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated April 2026.

Mission & Focus Areas

Historical Focus Areas:

Unrestricted awards to artists and writers with children
Grants to artist residencies to enhance family-friendliness and accessibility for parent artists

Current Focus Areas:

Returning foundation assets to Indigenous communities from which the original wealth was derived
Unrestricted grants to local tribes, California Native programs, and Native-led national organizations

The foundation's transition reflects its acknowledgment that its founding wealth originated from land and oil rights in Central California (present-day Kern County, ancestral home of the Yokuts, Chumash, and other Indigenous peoples) acquired through historical dispossession and genocide.

Grantmaking

The foundation is no longer running its individual award program or residency grant program. The foundation is currently in a spend-down phase, distributing remaining assets as unrestricted grants to Indigenous communities and organizations.

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Geographic Focus

Where this funder awards grants

The foundation funds projects across the United States, with particular focus on California communities and national Native-led organizations. Historical funding reached major cities including New York, Los Angeles, and San Francisco.

Grant Distribution by State

California $721K (37%)

District of Columbia $500K (25%)

Colorado $194K (10%)

Maryland $150K (8%)

New York $134K (7%)

Florida $26K (1%)

New Jersey $24K (1%)

New Mexico $22K (1%)

+19 more states

Cities

AdaAncramAnn ArborAquinnahAthensBakersfieldBerkeleyBiddefordBoulderBrooklynClarksvilleCo Sustainable ArtsCooperstownCuttyhunkDenverDorsetElyEnglewoodEureka SpringsEverett

Financial History

Multi-year comparison from IRS filings

Most Recent Data:

Total assets: $119,904 (2024)
Total revenues: $23,457 (2024)
Total expenses: $427,812 (2024)
Number of employees: 0

Historical Financial Data:

Assets reported at $524,259 (earlier reporting period)
Total awarded in previous year: approximately $1.0 million
Average grant size: $132
Median grant size: $4,000
Average grant size (alternative data): $4,200

Revenue

Expenses

Qualifying Distributions

Net Investment Income

Metric	2024	2023	2022
Total Assets	$119,904	$524,259	$1,493,355
Revenue	$23,457	$-118,585	$159,389
Expenses	$427,812	$1,101,068	$246,388
Qualifying Distributions	$421,322	$1,091,166	$237,313
Net Investment Income	$5,155	$116,960	$114,130
Distributable Amount	$10,876	$66,362	$78,813

Giving Over Time

Total grant dollars and number of grants per year

Grant Insights

How this funder distributes its grants

Top Recipients

Top 10 recipients in 2024

Grant Size Distribution

159 grants across all recorded years

Open Grants

1 open opportunity from Sustainable Arts Foundation

Foundation

Sustainable Arts Foundation: Residency Grant

SUSTAINABLE ARTS FOUNDATION

Amount

Varies

Deadline

Rolling / Open

Giving History

Grant recipients and amounts by year

Among its reported 2024 grants, the largest include Northern Chumash Tribal Council ($50,000), Santa Rosa Rancheria Tachi Yokut Tribe ($50,000), Tule River Indian Health Center ($50,000).

Recipient	Purpose	Amount
AMAH MUTSUN LAND TRUST SANTACRUZ, CA	GENERAL BUDGET	$5,000
ASSOCIATION OF RAMAYTUSH OHLONE SAN FRANCISCO, CA	GENERAL BUDGET	$5,000
BROOKLYN ARTS EXCHANGE BROOKLYN, NY	2024 RESIDENCY GRANT	$12,000
CHALON INDIAN COUNCIL OF BAKERSFIELD BAKERSFIELD, CA	GENERAL BUDGET	$10,000
CHICKASAW FOUNDATION ADA, OK	GENERAL BUDGET	$10,000
ELK RIVER ARTS AND LECTURES LIVINGSTON, MT	GENEARL BUDGET	$5,000
FIRST NATIONS DEVELOPMENT INSTITUTE LONGMONT, CO	GENERAL BUDGET	$10,000
FIRST PEOPLES FUND RAPID CITY, SD	GENERAL BUDGET	$10,000
FORGE PROJECT ANCRAM, NY	GENERAL BUDGET	$5,000
GOLDBELT HERITAGE FOUNDATION JUNEAU, AK	HISTORY & FUTURE OF YEIL KOOWU, RAVENSTAIL WEAVING	$5,000

Leadership & Key People

Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings

Co-Founders and Co-Directors:

Caroline Grant – Co-founder and Co-Director. Earned a PhD from U.C. Berkeley and taught writing at Berkeley, Stanford, and the San Francisco Art Institute. Served as editor-in-chief of Literary Mama for five years and co-edited two anthologies. Works without compensation.
Tony Grant – Co-founder and Co-Director. Brings a long career in the software industry. His passion for the arts stems from his father, painter and sculptor James Grant. Currently serves on the board of the Alliance of Artist Communities. Works without compensation.

Compensation Overview

From 2024 IRS filing

From 2024 filing

Name	Title	Hours	Compensation
ANTHONY GRANT	CO-DIRECTOR	30	—
CAROLINE GRANT	CO-DIRECTOR	30	—

Recent News & Activity

Recent developments and announcements

2023

In late 2023, the Sustainable Arts Foundation announced a major transition in its operations. The foundation committed to spending down its remaining assets and returning funds to Indigenous communities, recognizing that the foundation's original wealth was built on stolen land and resources taken from California's Native peoples through genocide and forced removal.

Sustainable Arts Foundation

The foundation has announced it will distribute unrestricted grants to local tribes, California Native programs, and Native-led national organizations as these grants are finalized. This represents a shift from the foundation's previous thirteen years of supporting creative parents to a new focus on addressing historical injustices and supporting decolonization efforts.

Poetry Foundation Announces the First Sustainable Futures Grants Cohort

The foundation views this transition as an expansion of its mission and intends to build community partnerships and work toward structural reforms supporting a more equitable, anti-racist future.

Sustain Our Future Foundation Awards $1.6 Million to 16 Community-Led Organizations\

Subject Areas

Focus areas based on grantmaking activity

Philanthropy, Voluntarism & Grantmaking

Frequently Asked Questions

What does Sustainable Arts Foundation fund?

The foundation's original mission was to support creative parents and address the unjust distribution of wealth. The foundation has now expanded its mission to include decolonization and racial equity work. **Historical Focus Areas:** • Unrestricted awards to artists and writers with children • Grants to artist residencies to enhance family-friendliness and accessibility for parent artists **Current Focus Areas:** • Returning foundation assets to Indigenous communities from which the original w…

How do I apply for a grant from Sustainable Arts Foundation?

**Historical Program Activity:** • Awarded over $2 million in total funding over thirteen years • Made unrestricted cash awards to 273 individual artists and writers • Supported over 60 artist residency programs **Individual Awards Program (Historical):** • Offered unrestricted cash awards to artists and writers with dependent children under age 18 • Award amounts: $5,000 each **Residency Grant Program (Historical):** • Supported 501(c)(3) residency organizations in making programs more accessi…

Where does Sustainable Arts Foundation make grants?

What size grants does Sustainable Arts Foundation award?

In 2024, Sustainable Arts Foundation awarded 34 grants totaling $416K — an average of about $12K per grant, based on its IRS Form 990 filings.

How much is Sustainable Arts Foundation required to give away each year?

Private foundations must generally distribute about 5% of their assets annually. For 2024, Sustainable Arts Foundation reported a distributable amount of $11K on its IRS Form 990-PF — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.