New Funds Boost Arts, Family and Community in San Francisco’s Downtown Yerba Buena Neighborhood

Yerba Buena Partnership Provides $193,000 to 18 Organizations for Neighborhood Events, Programs and Placemaking

San Francisco, Calif., July 7, 2026 — New funds are boosting programs and events in San Francisco's Yerba Buena neighborhood, the city’s downtown arts district. Community benefit district Yerba Buena Partnership announced that it awarded $193,000 in grants for public art, exhibitions, educational programs and family festivals.

“Community events and vibrancy are the foundations of a thriving neighborhood and a critical economic driver for the city,” said Yerba Buena Partnership Executive Director Scott Rowitz. "These grants fuel the kind of arts and culture experiences that make people want to spend time in Yerba Buena, and come back for more.”

This year, 18 organizations received grants to deliver programs in Yerba Buena, a neighborhood renowned for its museums, galleries and attractions like SFMOMA, YBCA, MoAD, Children’s Creativity Museum, LeRoy King Carousel, Ice Skating and Bowling Center, and Yerba Buena Gardens. Yerba Buena Partnership is San Francisco’s only Community Benefit District with a grant program for arts programs and community activations.

“We are grateful for Yerba Buena Partnership's support of such a wide range of Bay Area arts organizations,” said SFMOMA Director Chris Bedford. “This grant enables SFMOMA to amplify Thursday Night Live — a popular program series offered each week that draws new and returning visitors to the Yerba Buena neighborhood, helping define the area as a major cultural destination within our great City."

The Children's Creativity Museum received a grant for two family-focused Garden Rhythms events featuring music, movement, storytelling and neighborhood fare.

“Our museum and events engage children in play, building creative confidence today so they can take solutions to scale in our community as they get older," said Children's Creativity Museum Executive Director Katharine Greenbaum. “Grants like this make our work and family memories possible.”

Among this year’s other recipients are:

Litquake Foundation for Litquake Festival events at various Yerba Buena venues this October.
Yerba Buena Gardens Festival for a free live outdoor music, dance and art performances.
Filipino American Development Foundation for the 24rd annual Parol Lantern Festival celebrating Filipino American heritage, including parol-making workshops, performances, and parade.
MoAD’s NEXUS SF/Bay Area Black Art Week, a Yerba Buena-wide arts and cultural week with exhibitions, symposiums, performances and film screenings.
SCRAP for a series of free art-making workshops using recycled materials.
Sentro Filipino for sidewalk gallery exhibitions involving 80 emerging artists over 12 months.

Other grants support additional art, events and neighborhood improvement efforts by the American Bookbinders Museum, Creativity Explored, ICA SF, Kultivate Labs, Renaissance Entrepreneurship Center, South of Market Child Care Center, Women's Audio Mission and Walk SF.

"Support for our 2027 MLK Day celebration and Black History Month programming helps ensure that these important community events remain accessible, inspiring, and impactful for residents and visitors alike," said MoAD Executive Director and CEO Monetta White. "It's especially meaningful to have a partner like the Yerba Buena Partnership that recognizes the role arts and culture play in strengthening our neighborhood and bringing people together."

Each year, the Yerba Buena Partnership's Board of Directors awards Community Benefit Fund grants of up to $25,000 to arts, culture, and service organizations that bring their work to the neighborhood. Since 2008, the Partnership has invested more than $2.7 million to projects that support the neighborhood's health and vitality. See YerbaBuena.org to apply for future grants.

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ABOUT YERBA BUENA PARTNERSHIP

Yerba Buena Partnership is a community-based nonprofit organization providing services to enhance the overall experience in the downtown San Francisco Yerba Buena neighborhood — the city’s renowned arts and entertainment destination — for all who live, work and visit. Since 2009, the Partnership has implemented programs involving cleaning, safety and hospitality, marketing, economic development, public art and public space improvements around Yerba Buena Gardens, from Second to Fifth and Market to Perry streets. The neighborhood boasts iconic destinations such as SFMOMA, YBCA, MoAD, Children’s Creativity Museum and Moscone Center, along with premier hotels, Academy of Art University and dining and entertainment venues. Yerba Buena is also located within the larger Filipino Cultural Heritage District. Learn more at YerbaBuena.org.

Media contact: Peter Bartelme, 415-999-0579, pb@prstrategies.com