Yerba Buena Partnership Awards $161,000 in Grants to Boost Arts and Culture in the Downtown Yerba Buena Neighborhood
Yerba Buena Partnership Awards $161,000 in Grants to Boost Arts and Culture in the Downtown Yerba Buena Neighborhood
San Francisco, Calif., July 15, 2025 — Yerba Buena Partnership announced that it awarded $161,000 in grants to 16 cultural and arts organizations to support festivals, streetscape projects and art installations that benefit residents and visitors to San Francisco’s downtown Yerba Buena neighborhood.
“Arts and culture make our neighborhood and community stronger,” said Yerba Buena Partnership Executive Director Scott Rowitz. “These grants support efforts to celebrate the power of coming together as a community, our collective creativity and a passion for partnerships that improve Yerba Buena. Our Community Benefit Fund is a unique program that supports cultural life and vibrancy in the downtown arts district.”
The grants are awarded annually. Eight larger grants went to:
- Children’s Creativity Museum for the Children’s Creativity Festival on April 18, 2026 designed to bring more families downtown with interactive art and educational activities, live music, dance performances and collaborative theater experiences.
- SFMOMA to support First Thursday’s free admission and special programming on the first Thursday of each month.
- The Gregangelo Museum for activities that highlight Yerba Buena’s public art, history and hidden gems.
- Filipino American Development Foundation for the 23rd annual Parol Festival celebrating Filipino American heritage, including parol-making workshops, performances, and parades.
- Filipino American Arts Exposition for the Pistahan Parade and Festival, the United States' largest annual celebration of Filipino culture now in its 32nd year.
- Yerba Buena Gardens Festival for Yerba Buena Magic 2025, a free series of live outdoor music, dance and art performances.
- Sentro Filipino for art exhibitions involving 40 emerging artists over 12 months.
- SOMA Pilipinas for its East Garden Project in Yerba Buena Gardens that includes a new large scale sun dome sculpture.
Nine additional grants support art, cultural events and neighborhood improvement efforts by the American Bookbinders Museum, Common Thread, LatinBay Ache, Episcopal Community Services, Renaissance Entrepreneurship Center, Yerba Gardens Festival, Blood Moon Orchestra, Women's Audio MIssion and Legacies of the Pacific.
Yerba Buena has a robust and renowned arts and entertainment scene that is a critical economic driver and visitor destination for San Francisco. The community benefit district Yerba Buena Partnership improves the area for several blocks around Yerba Buena Gardens that includes SFMOMA, Moscone Center, YBCA, MoAD, Children’s Creativity Museum, as well as premier hotels, Academy of Art University, City College, and dining and entertainment venues. Yerba Buena is also located within the larger Filipino Cultural Heritage District.
Since 2008, Yerba Buena Partnership has granted over $2.5 million to district organizations. Its Community Benefit Fund is unique among the city’s community benefit districts and made possible with support by district residents, businesses and donations. The Partnership’s Board of Directors awards new grants annually. See YerbaBuena.org to apply for grants.
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About Yerba Buena Partnership
Yerba Buena Partnership is a community-based nonprofit organization working to improve the quality of life in the downtown San Francisco Yerba Buena neighborhood. The Partnership manages and maintains several blocks around Yerba Buena Gardens, encompassing roughly Second to Fifth and Market to Perry streets. The district boasts iconic destinations such as SFMOMA, YBCA, MoAD, Children’s Creativity Museum and Moscone Center, along with premier hotels, Academy of Art University, City College, and dining, shopping and entertainment venues. Yerba Buena is also located within the larger Filipino Cultural Heritage District. The Partnership began implementing programs in 2009 involving its Clean & Safe Team, neighborhood marketing, public art projects and many other neighborhood improvement efforts. Learn more at www.YerbaBuena.org.