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Abstract or Project Description

To strengthen curricular and instructional alignment between Oakland Unified School District’s nonprofit literacy partners.

Abstract or Project Description

To expand fundraising capacity.

Abstract or Project Description

500 Capp Street’s mission is to encourage artistic experimentation, support new modes of living and build community. 500 Capp Street holds the legacy of artist-driven spaces and Bay Area conceptualism through process-oriented and provocative arts programming.

Abstract or Project Description

AfroSolo’s mission is to nurture, promote and present African American art and African Diasporan culture through solo theatre performances, visual and literary arts. Their programming seeks to illuminate the diverse range of styles, disciplines and perspectives of Black artists, using art to address issues of relevance to the Black community that empower and counteract negative stereotypes.

Abstract or Project Description

Alternative Theater Ensemble is committed to developing new works and local culture bearers by supporting the creative growth of theater artists from historically underrepresented communities; centering theater’s power as a tool for healing and connection; and sharing stories that reflect their complex and diverse communities, in places where people are. They believe that artists are essential in creating a more just and equitable existence throughout the nine county Bay Area.

Abstract or Project Description

Ambrose Trataris’ practice is rooted in the blended experience of growing up online and in an isolated rural town in Southern California. As the child of a Greek immigrant father and an American mother; Almbrose Trataris experienced two worlds meeting at every intersection of their growth, learning to push back and embrace as a way to integrate their own transformations. Ambrose Trataris performs in and produces live performances and video works, bringing together choreographed contemporary dance, the queer art form and costuming of Drag, and Virtual Reality avatars and worlds with full body tracking technologies.

Abstract or Project Description

A boundary-pushing live theater experience that reimagines healing through participatory storytelling, extended reality (XR) and community ritual in a series of play-game sessions.

Abstract or Project Description

Skywatchers and lead artist Marvin K. White (Glide Memorial Church’s Minister of Celebration) alongside choreographer amara tabor-smith and textile artist Mattie Loyce will work with the Tenderloin community to co-design a multi-disciplinary piece that features a 60-foot tapestry composed of fabric squares created by Tenderloin residents. Glide’s sanctuary will be transformed through arts-based world-building, into a performance environment that illuminates and celebrates those who inhabit society’s shadowlands.

Abstract or Project Description

Mental health profoundly impacts inflammatory diseases of the body. This is particularly apparent in Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD), where stressful events in a patient’s life often enhance the severity of subsequent disease flares. Psychological stress is also strongly linked to bowel motility problems in IBD patients. How the state of the brain influences inflammation in the gut is a fascinating question that remains poorly understood.

In this study, we will explore the mechanisms of brain-gut communication that link psychological stress to IBD severity. Using several different mouse models of IBD, we have recently discovered a pathway that links stress perception by the brain to the enteric nervous system (ENS), and in particular glia cells that reside in the gastrointestinal tract. We will explore how this neuronal brain-gut connection exacerbates the inflammatory state in the gut. We will also determine whether the same pathway is active in IBD patients in the context of stressful life events.

Collectively, this work will improve our understanding of how the brain and the gut communicate during psychological stress. We hope that an improved understanding of how stress influences intestinal inflammation will ultimately facilitate harnessing the power of brain-derived signals in the treatment of IBD.

Abstract or Project Description

To support trainee travel for conferences and professional development in IBD research associated with Dr. Christoph Thaiss’s project.

Abstract or Project Description

Created in 1989, Art of the Matter is the producing body for Deborah Slater Dance Theater (DSDT) and Studio 210. DSDT is a professional dance and theater company dedicated to production of evening-length works exploring timely social issues. Founded by Artistic Director/Choreographer Deborah Slater, DSDT has been touring more than two decades.

Abstract or Project Description

Artist Corporation Foundation seeks to develop a new legal structure (A-Corp) that will help creative people build wealth, pool resources and maintain control of their work.

Abstract or Project Description

Artist Space Trust (AST) is an innovative, solution-focused nonprofit that secures permanently affordable housing and creative space for culturally and racially diverse artists and culture bearers. AST supports the holistic wellbeing of low income individuals, families and collectives while ensuring the health and vitality of our diverse Bay Area communities for generations to come. Utilizing a community land trust model, AST acquires properties through donation or acquisition and stewards the portfolio in a community-controlled trust to ensure permanent affordability and artist-specific occupancy. AST’s success will be a key component of stemming the displacement of artists from the Bay Area.

Abstract or Project Description

Artist Space Trust is the nation’s first community land trust dedicated to securing and stewarding permanently affordable, community-owned artist housing and creative space. Founded by Vital Arts and the Northern California Community Land Trust, Artist Space Trust advances community ownership to prevent artist displacement and ensure long-term access to safe, affordable spaces for artists to live, create and share their work.

Abstract or Project Description

To sustain early literacy infrastructure.

Abstract or Project Description

To provide travel stipends to trainees to attend an in-person meeting during a national conference.

Abstract or Project Description

To support trainee travel for conferences and professional development in IBD research associated with Dr. Rafael Czepielewski’s project.

Abstract or Project Description

Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD), including Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, is a condition where the immune system mistakenly attacks the intestine, leading to chronic inflammation and bowel damage. One unique feature of IBD is the growth of new lymphatic vessels—tiny tubes responsible for draining fluids and immune cells to maintain balance in the body. However, in IBD, even with the formation of new lymphatic vessels, inflammation persists, suggesting that these vessels may not function properly.

Our recent findings reveal a specialized drainage system in the colon that follows specific structures called colonic folds. These folds degrade during colitis, disrupting the drainage system and contributing to inflammation. Additionally, we found that lymphatic vessels can adopt different structural states—either tightly sealed or more open—which can affect how well they transport fluids and immune cells.

We aim to understand how these lymphatic changes influence inflammation and immune responses in IBD. By studying the growth of lymphatic vessels and how their structures affect immune cell movement, we hope to uncover new ways to reduce inflammation and restore gut health. This research may lead to new treatments for people living with IBD by targeting lymphatic vessels to improve their function.

Abstract or Project Description

In partnership with Precita Eyes Mural Arts Center, artist Aureliano Rivera will use development funds to prototype a public art conservation project that transforms elite conservation work into an accessible community-based project via a mobile popsicle cart in San Francisco’s 24th Street Latino Cultural District. Offering free popsicles, comics and virtual reality conservation training, the “Popsicle Mural Conservation Cart” invites the community to preserve their neighborhood murals through a public and inclusive experience.

Abstract or Project Description

Aviva Arts’ mission is to promote growth and transformation through liberatory arts modalities. They center intersectional narratives that champion our relationship to ourselves, each other and the natural world.