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Abstract or Project Description

Abstract or Project Description

A radically participatory and collaborative world-premiere play set against the backdrop of San Francisco’s disappearing artist spaces. In this timely struggle, a diverse ensemble of creators fights to save a beloved cultural haven from impending closure.

Abstract or Project Description

A dance-theatre collaboration by choreographer Babatunji Johnson, poet Maddy Clifford and photographer Bethanie Hines that reimagines the Phoenix myth to explore resilience as a collective, relational act.

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To support the Oakland based impact producing organization in strengthening and scaling its sustainability and entrepreneurship coaching model for artists through the SOZO Fellowship. The grant will also support expanded staffing, including a new Chief of Impact, who will design and launch a narrative and systems change initiative.

Abstract or Project Description

A genre-warping, sci-fi Wild Western physical theatre work built for the streets, theaters and abandoned lots of the Bay Area. Loud, unfiltered and unrelenting, this Afro-Indigenous reclamation twists saloons, stand-offs and open ranges into something raw, mythic and untamed.

Abstract or Project Description

Support for Intertribal Gatherings will use development funds to explore the creative opportunities and practical challenges of developing a ceremonial dance residency and sculpture installation at the re-wilded Crissy Field.

Abstract or Project Description

To support Artist Legal Cafe, a new artist-led collaboration between Sustainable Economies Law Center, Movement Law and Vital Arts that provides free, community-based legal services and capacity building for Bay Area artists and arts organizations. Through a two-year pilot of monthly legal clinics combining targeted nano-trainings and 1:1 legal counsel, Artist Legal Cafe will serve more than 1,000 artists and organizations while advancing a trust-based, solidarity economy model for accessible legal support in the arts sector.

Abstract or Project Description

A multimedia intergenerational performance engaging formative environments of childhood in connection to layers of memory, weight and possibility presented by interdisciplinary dance artists Isak Immanuel and Marina Fukushima alongside community participants. 

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“BCF: Here & Now” supports emerging and mid-career artists in residencies to cultivate innovative dance works.

Abstract or Project Description

A new dance and music work investigating the influence of Black American protest dance and music on contemporary dance forms like House and Hip Hop through intersecting lenses of Dance Cyphers and Afrofuturism.

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Sponsorships for Oakland literacy leaders to attend the 2026 Plain Talk About Literacy & Learning conference.

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Content and technical assistance for Oakland Unified School District’s central literacy team.

Abstract or Project Description

Officially launching in 2026, the Accelerating Literacy Leadership (ALL) Grant supports Oakland schools in dramatically improving PreK–Second grade students’ reading outcomes by strengthening conditions for educators, students and families. This grant provides flexible funding for ALL school site projects including stipends, materials and substitute coverage, while also supporting expert consultation for schools and Oakland Unified School District leadership.

Abstract or Project Description

To support Theatre Bay Area’s Shared Resource Library project, which will pilot shared trainings, tools and learning resources to strengthen administrative capacity and efficiency across Bay Area theaters. This grant will support the launch of a dynamic, curated library for self taught administrators and strengthen sector wide collaboration.

Abstract or Project Description

To support the expansion of the Trybe Tots program, a play-based, multilingual early literacy initiative promoting kindergarten readiness alongside wraparound family support.

Abstract or Project Description

A new multidisciplinary performance blending Turf Dance and spoken word to explore the emotional landscape of potent emotions, offering a powerful expression of loss, joy, memory and healing.

Abstract or Project Description

To support the launch of the National Arts Policy Alliance (NAPA), a new initiative incubated within United States Artists to build collective power among creative and cultural workers and advance artist-centered policy reforms at the local, state and federal levels.

Abstract or Project Description

The etiology of Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) is unknown. Epidemiological and experimental studies report an association between early life events and the susceptibility to develop IBD later in life. Indeed, reduced contact with gut microbiota early in life can program the immune system toward increased susceptibility to develop gut inflammation later in life, an immune memory phenomenon termed “pathological imprinting.” However, the underlying mechanisms and the nature of pathological imprinting remain unclear. The goal of this project is to understand how the dietary change in fat/fiber amounts early in childhood affects gut microbiota establishment, the intestinal mucosal homeostasis and the susceptibility to develop colitis. We will take the advantage of advanced high-throughput sequencing and mouse models harbouring controlled microbiota to uncover the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying pathological imprinting. Since in high-income countries, the dietary predilection to western-style diets rich in fats parallels an increase in IBD incidence, the results of this project will propel future studies aimed at preventing IBD development in individuals at high risk of developing this debilitating disease.

Abstract or Project Description

Our skin and gut house multitudes of bacteria that influence our health via interactions with key immune sentinel cells that engulf these microbes and respond dynamically to their signals. Previously we have had to rely heavily on animal models to try to decode this language between our immune sentials and the bacteria they sense, because we have lacked to tools to meaningfully capture the relevant information from human tissues. To overcome this hurdle we have recently developed a novel single-cell genomic method for simulatenously capturing and sequencing DNA from both these immune sentinel cells and the bacteria they contain, therby providing us with an unprecendented view into the nature of these bacteria-immune cell interactions. By applying this novel approach to samples of healthy human skin and gut, we hope to shed new light on how helpful and harmful bacteria are sensed at these barrier tissues, how the immune system decides when (and what) to attack and the molecular and cellular cues that guide these decisions. These studies will transform our understanding of bacterial influences on our health and set the stage for future work to interrogate their role in specific human diseases such as Inflammatory Bowel Disease.