InterMusic SF

SF Friends of Chamber Music is a ten year old service organization providing fiscal sponsorship, educational and networking support for chamber music groups in the Bay Area, estimated to number nearly 200. The SF Friends of Chamber Music operates on a $150,000 annual budget with one full time staff and a board made up of members of leading San Francisco arts organizations including Hewlett grantees such as the San Francisco Opera, San Francisco Ballet and the Cypress Performing Arts Association. While Hewlett, and other major Bay Area arts funders provide project and operating support to a few chamber groups the vast majority of local ensembles have budgets that fall below the eligibility threshold for most foundations. To address the need for the emerging and small-budget chamber ensembles to meet artist, organizational, and professional development expenses the SF Friends of Chamber Music seeks to disburse 32 grants annually (22 at $1500 and 10 at $3000) grants annually for a 2 year pilot period. The re-granting program is modeled after Theater Bay Area’s CA$H program (underwritten by Hewlett), and will make funds available to individuals and ensembles that are located in the nine-county Bay Area region, have annual budgets of less than $100,000, have a minimum history of two performances in the past two years and seek support for a clearly defined project aimed at bringing the applicant to a new level of achievement. Grant applications will be reviewed by a five member panel of experts and it is expected that 40% of awarded groups/individuals will be based in San Francisco and at least 40% in eight Bay Area counties outside SF.