SAN FRANCISCO, CA.- Director of Cultural Affairs Luis R. Cancel congratulates 37 San Francisco arts organizations on their award of $1.5 million in stimulus funds from the National Endowment for the Arts American Recovery and Reinvestment Act Grant Program. The awards represent 5 percent of all grants awarded nationwide and 38 percent of all grants awarded in the state of California, which totaled $4.45 million. The Arts Commission’s award-winning program, WritersCorps, was one of two literature programs in the City to be selected, receiving a $50,000 grant. As of January 2008, San Francisco was home to 4,837 arts-related businesses that employ 29,561 people. These funds come at a critical time as many of the City’s arts organizations are facing drastic budget and staffing cuts as a direct result of the recession’s impact on revenue and private giving.

“In these challenging economic times the arts are more vital than ever,” stated Luis R. Cancel. “The City’s non-profit arts and cultural sector generates $1.03 billion in local economic activity annually and, therefore, it will play a critical role in our recovery. With these stimulus funds San Francisco arts organizations will be able to weather the storm and continue to provide jobs and to generate revenue while enriching people’s lives through innovative, high quality programming.”

The San Francisco grantees represent a broad range of arts disciplines. The total breakdown is as follows: Dance = 6; Theater = 8; Design =1; Museums = 3; Literature = 2; Media Arts = 7; Presenting = 4; Music = 4; Arts Education = 1; and Local Arts Agency = 1. Below is a list of grantees and their awards.

Alonzo King's LINES Ballet
$50,000
FIELD/DISCIPLINE: Dance

American Conservatory Theatre Foundation
$50,000
FIELD/DISCIPLINE: Theater

Architecture for Humanity
$50,000
FIELD/DISCIPLINE: Design

Asian Art Museum Foundation of San Francisco
$50,000
FIELD/DISCIPLINE: Museums

Aunt Lute Foundation
$25,000
FIELD/DISCIPLINE: Literature

Bay Area Video Coalition, Inc.
$50,000
FIELD/DISCIPLINE: Media Arts

California Lawyers for the Arts, Inc.
$50,000
FIELD/DISCIPLINE: Local Arts Agencies

Chinese Culture Foundation of San Francisco
$50,000
FIELD/DISCIPLINE: Presenting

Circuit Network
$25,000
FIELD/DISCIPLINE: Presenting

Contemporary Jewish Museum
$25,000
FIELD/DISCIPLINE: Museums

CounterPulse
$25,000
FIELD/DISCIPLINE: Dance

Cypress Performing Arts Association
$25,000
FIELD/DISCIPLINE: Music

Eth-Noh-Tec Creations
$25,000
FIELD/DISCIPLINE: Theater

Exitheatre
$25,000
FIELD/DISCIPLINE: Theater

foolsFURY Theater Company
$25,000
FIELD/DISCIPLINE: Theater

Frameline
$50,000
FIELD/DISCIPLINE: Media Arts

Jess Curtis/Gravity, Inc.
$25,000
FIELD/DISCIPLINE: Dance

Joe Goode Performance Group
$50,000
FIELD/DISCIPLINE: Dance

Kitchen Sisters Productions
$50,000
FIELD/DISCIPLINE: Media Arts

Kronos Performing Arts Association
$50,000
FIELD/DISCIPLINE: Music

Magic Theatre, Inc.
$25,000
FIELD/DISCIPLINE: Theater

Marsh, a breeding ground for new performance
$25,000
FIELD/DISCIPLINE: Theater

National Alliance of Media Arts Centers, Inc.
$50,000
FIELD/DISCIPLINE: Media Arts

National Film Preservation Foundation
$25,000
FIELD/DISCIPLINE: Media Arts

Oberlin Dance Collective
$50,000
FIELD/DISCIPLINE: Dance

ODC Theater
$25,000
FIELD/DISCIPLINE: Presenting

Performing Arts Workshop, Inc.
$50,000
FIELD/DISCIPLINE: Arts Education

PlayGround, Inc.
$25,000
FIELD/DISCIPLINE: Theater

Playwrights Foundation, Inc.
$25,000
FIELD/DISCIPLINE: Theater

San Francisco Arts Commission
$50,000
FIELD/DISCIPLINE: Literature

San Francisco Cinematheque
$25,000
FIELD/DISCIPLINE: Media Arts

San Francisco Jazz Organization
$50,000
FIELD/DISCIPLINE: Music

San Francisco Jewish Film Festival
$25,000
FIELD/DISCIPLINE: Media Arts

San Francisco Museum of Modern Art
$50,000
FIELD/DISCIPLINE: Museums

San Francisco Symphony
$50,000
FIELD/DISCIPLINE: Music

World Arts West
$50,000
FIELD/DISCIPLINE: Dance

Yerba Buena Arts & Events
$25,000
FIELD/DISCIPLINE: Presenting