Sustainable Arts Foundation
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
34
+0.0% YoY
Avg Grant Size
$12K
-59.7% YoY
Mission & Focus Areas
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 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.
Ready to take the next step with Sustainable Arts Foundation?
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
States
Cities
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
| 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
Giving History
Grant recipients and amounts by year
No grants recorded for .
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
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 FoundationThe 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 CohortThe 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
Data last updated April 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated April 2026.
What could you do with Sustainable Arts Foundation on Grantable?
- Assess strategic fit with your organization
- Draft a tailored letter of inquiry
- Find open RFPs from this funder
- Monitor for new funding opportunities