Contra Costa County Arts and Culture Landscape Report
Dean & Margaret Lesher Foundation and The Zellerbach Family Foundation Release First-of-its-kind Contra Costa County Arts and Culture Landscape Report Dean & Margaret Lesher Foundation and The Zellerbach Family Foundation today announced the release of a first-of-its-kind report providing a detailed analysis of the arts and culture landscape in Contra Costa County. The report, authored by Dr. Anh Thang Dao-Shah of Creative Equity Research Partners,…
AnnouncementsNovember 12, 2024
Welcome Chibueze, Zellerbach Family Foundation’s First Community Arts Fellow
The Zellerbach Family Foundation is thrilled to welcome Chibueze Crouch as its first Community Arts Fellow. An Igbo-American artist & writer, Chibueze Crouch (they/she) performs and creates immersive, experimental live art spanning ritual theater, song, movement, video, and text. “We’re thrilled to introduce this new fellowship and Chibueze’s selection for its inaugural year,” shares Zellerbach Family Foundation President and CEO, Allison Magee. “The fellowship is…
AnnouncementsOctober 2, 2023
Six-month reflections on the learning agenda
By Allison Magee An Inside/Outside Approach to Funding Participatory Governance in Oakland At ZFF, we developed our strategic framework to promote belonging, connection, and a shared sense of safety among people and communities in the Bay Area. We’ve used the framework as a compass for our work and over the last six months, leaned into the questions we established in our learning agenda. A learning…
BlogJuly 31, 2023
Community Arts Fellowship
Job Title: Community Arts Fellowship, Arts and Culture Employment Status: 12-month Fellowship/Part-Time, Non-Exempt (flexible 10-15 hours/week) Compensation: $18,000 for 12 months ($1,500/month) Location: San Francisco, California Reports to: Program Executive, Arts and Culture, Zellerbach Family Foundation and Executive Director, Independent Arts and Media About the Foundation The Zellerbach Family Foundation envisions a vibrant Bay Area region rich with diverse expressions and experiences, where people feel…
AnnouncementsJune 19, 2023
Introducing The Common App for the Arts
The Bay Area arts community is a close-knit group made up of creative thinkers and doers, people who embody innovation and experimentation, those who work together to identify and address shared challenges. I’d like to think that Bay Area arts funders aspire to some of these same great qualities, and every now and then when an opportunity comes along to create, innovate, and work together,…
AnnouncementsJune 1, 2023
2023 New Year’s Message
Dear Friends, Happy New Year! Many of us are entering 2023 with a quiet sense of renewal and optimism. The steady hum of uncertainty that has buzzed throughout the last three years is a bit softer, and we are finding more opportunities to be in community with one another and the people we love. At ZFF, we are starting the new year with clarity, curiosity,…
Foundation Messages & PressJanuary 20, 2023
William J. Zellerbach Award: Asian Prisoner Support Committee (APSC)
Oakland-based Asian Prisoner Support Committee (APSC) has been selected as the 2022 recipient of the William J. Zellerbach (WJZ) Award for Social Change. Founded in 2020, APSC serves a group that is often overlooked in conversations both about criminal justice and immigration. Allison Magee, Executive Director of Zellerbach Family Foundation spoke with Ny Nourn and Nate Tan, Co-Directors of the Asian Prisoner Support Committee, about…
BlogNovember 8, 2022
Why Bridging and Belonging Matters to ZFF
By Allison Magee ZFF recently announced a call for nominations and applications for its 2022 William J. Zellerbach Award for Social Change (WJZ Award). The award was established in 2019 in honor of our late board chair who led the organization for over 40 years. Now in its fourth year, the WJZ Award seeks to recognize innovative efforts that have the potential for sustainable and…
Foundation Messages & PressMay 23, 2022
Moving forward with gratitude, reflection, and intention
Dear Friends: As we begin to experience longer days and warmer temperatures, ZFF is moving into 2022 with renewed optimism about all this year brings. For us, 2021 was a year of deep reflection and listening. While reviewing our grantmaking programs and strategies, we heard from many of you about the challenges you face, and how ZFF can better support the work of its partners in the region.
Foundation Messages & PressFebruary 16, 2022
William J. Zellerbach Award: Youth Together
We are thrilled to announce that Youth Together, Inc. is the winner of the 2021 William J. Zellerbach Award for Social Change (WJZ Award)! Youth Together is an Oakland-based nonprofit that works to address the root causes of educational inequities by developing multiracial youth leaders and engaging school and community allies to promote positive school change, grounded in their commitment to peace, unity, and justice.…
BlogNovember 2, 2021
Finance Director Job Announcement
The Zellerbach Family Foundation (ZFF) serves as a catalyst for constructive social change by initiating and investing in efforts that strengthen families and communities in the San Francisco Bay Area. Based in San Francisco, CA, a staff of seven work closely as a team to advance the mission of the organization. ZFF funds in three program areas: Improving Human Service Systems, Immigrants and Refugees, and Community…
AnnouncementsJune 11, 2021
Young Women’s Freedom Center
For almost 20 years, ZFF has proudly supported the Young Women’s Freedom Center (YWFC, formerly the Center for Young Women’s Development) as it has grown from a small but mighty organization in San Francisco, to a statewide movement, changing policies and lives along the way. YWFC was founded in 1993 to empower and inspire cis and trans young women, trans young men, and gender-expansive young…
BlogJune 2, 2021
Hilary Reek Joins Zellerbach Family Foundation Board of Directors
Hilary Reek joined the Zellerbach Family Foundation’s Board of Directors in 2021. Hilary graduated from Colorado College majoring in English and Journalism. She then studied nursing at the University of Washington where she graduated with honors with a Bachelor’s Degree in Science and Nursing. As a Certified Pediatric Nurse, Hilary has spent the majority of her nursing career working at Seattle Children’s Hospital as Evening Charge Nurse in the Post Anesthesia Care Unit (PACU) as well as serving as the Manager of the Surgical Call Center. She resides on Mercer Island, Washington with her husband Terrance and their two young sons, Tyler and Ryan . As the great-great granddaughter of the founder of the Zellerbach Family Foundation, Hilary feels very honored and grateful to be included in continuing the family’s involvement in working for constructive social change.
AnnouncementsJune 1, 2021
Immigrants Rising
The pandemic and the economic fallout has disproportionately impacted immigrant communities. More likely to be in low-waged and/or “essential” sectors such as food service/production and hospitality and with lack of readily accessible, affordable healthcare, immigrant communities have higher rates of infection and death from COVID and overly bear the economic hardships stemming from the pandemic. Undocumented immigrants are particularly vulnerable having been denied financial assistance…
BlogMay 19, 2021
Harnessing the Power of Hip Hop for Change
Please join us in honoring Hip Hop for Change The winner of the 2020 WJZ award Please visit NCG for more details of the event or click here for the video
BlogMarch 29, 2021
Standing United Against Violence
We are devastated by the racist attack on Asian women in Atlanta, along with the thousands of acts of anti-Asian violence that terrorize our communities every day. We condemn anti-Asian racism in all of its forms and manifestations and like so many others stand alongside our partners working to ensure a safe and secure Bay Area for all its residents. We encourage you to learn…
Foundation Messages & PressMarch 19, 2021
Ravi Karra Joins Zellerbach Family Foundation Board of Directors
Mr. Karra brings over four decades of experience navigating some of the most volatile and complicated markets on record. Most recently, Ravi served as Chief Investment Officer and Investment Advisor at Cambridge Associates, a leading investment-consulting firm, for a number of endowments, foundations, family groups and pension funds. During his 26 years, Ravi helped establish the firm’s presence on the West Coast and fostered some of the firm’s largest comprehensive relationships.
AnnouncementsNovember 6, 2020
William J. Zellerbach Award: Hip Hop for Change Inc.
Oakland-based Hip Hop for Change Inc. (HH4C) has been selected as the 2020 recipient of the William J. Zellerbach (WJZ) Award for Social Change. Established in 2013, HH4C uses Hip Hop as a vehicle for education, community empowerment, and cultural exchange. It builds community development through music, art, and education while using a culturally relevant approach to advance social justice. Allison Magee, executive director of…
BlogOctober 21, 2020
California Collaborative for Immigrant Justice (CCIJ)
ZFF partners have been instrumental in helping to provide much needed services and support to immigrants and their families during this pandemic. One such partner is the California Collaborative for Immigrant Justice (CCIJ). CCIJ is a coalition of legal service providers that offers coordination, advocacy, and free legal services to the detained immigrant community in northern and central California. Its core programs include: detention center…
BlogOctober 9, 2020
Arts for a Better Bay Area (ABBA)
Arts for a Better Bay Area (ABBA) is a collective network dedicated to building community-wide solidarity to increase support and equitable access to the arts. By raising the voice of the arts in the Bay Area and building a network of advocates and supporters through community-driven action, ABBA focuses attention on the support needed to sustain arts in the Bay Area. Founded in 2015 as…
BlogOctober 9, 2020
California Children’s Trust
Even before COVID-19, children and youth across the country were experiencing emotional distress at unprecedented levels. The past decade has witnessed sharp increases in rates of suicide, suicidal ideation, and self-injury; increases in the number of mental health hospitalizations; and increases in the rate of youth self-reported mental health needs. Yet, due to a fragmented system that fails to acknowledge root and pervasive causes of…
BlogOctober 9, 2020
William J. Zellerbach Award for Social Change to Hip Hop for Change
We couldn’t be happier to share with you that Hip Hop for Change has been awarded the 2020 William J. Zellerbach Award for Social Change (WJZ Award). Hip Hop for Change, Inc. (HH4C) is an Oakland-based nonprofit organization that uses Hip Hop culture as a vehicle for education, community empowerment, and cultural exchange. HH4C builds community through music, art, and education while using a unique…
AnnouncementsSeptember 29, 2020
We stand committed
To our grant partners, advocates, and organizers. Around the world and here in the Bay Area we are witnessing the tremendous outpouring of outrage, pain and grief over yet another Black life lost to police violence. We, too, are outraged and mourning the destruction of too many lives to systemic violence and racism, including the...
Foundation Messages & PressJune 11, 2020
Coronavirus Update for ZFF Grantees
The news about COVID-19, Coronavirus seems to change every day. With so much new information and misinformation about the spread of the virus, not to mention the impact on our daily lives, it is easy to feel overwhelmed. While feelings of uncertainty can be frightening, there is a lot we can do to help mitigate the spread and impact of the Coronavirus.
Foundation Messages & PressJune 3, 2020
Karin Kissane Joins Zellerbach Family Foundation Board of Directors
"Karin is a leader in the financial industry in the Bay Area, with more than two decades of experience intelligently responding to the rapidly changing investment climate in California, across the U.S. and globally,” said Tom Zellerbach, President of the Zellerbach Family Foundation and Chairman of its Board of Directors.
AnnouncementsFebruary 18, 2020
Happy 2020: A Year of Innovation and Impact
Dear Friends: Happy new year! Here at ZFF, January might be our favorite time of year. Slow to start after months of commotion and bustle, January gives us time to renew and refresh. This is also a month of optimism when it feels like just about anything can happen, and 2020 promises to be a big year. Looking ahead, many of us are bracing ourselves…
Foundation Messages & PressJanuary 15, 2020
Signals from the West: Bay Area Artists in Conversation with Merce Cunningham at 100
In November, Hope Mohr Dance presented Signals from the West: Bay Area Artists in Conversation with Merce Cunningham at 100, celebrating and interrogating the work of dancer and choreographer Merce Cunningham in honor of what would have been his 100th birthday. A bicoastal collaboration with the Merce Cunningham Trust , ODC Theater and SFMOMA’s Open Space as part of the international celebration of the Cunningham centennial, the project commissioned ten Bay Area artists from diverse disciplines and backgrounds to participate in a generative workshop with former Cunningham dancers Rashaun Mitchell and Silas Riener and create new works of art in response.
BlogJanuary 13, 2020
Innovative Leaders: 1951 Coffee Company
ZFF is a proud partner of 1951 Coffee Company (1951 Coffee) which provides job training and employment to refugees while educating the surrounding community about refugee issues. By focusing on the coffee industry, 1951 Coffee provides social, linguistic, and cultural integration opportunities for refugees while at the same time transforming the community’s perception of refugees.
BlogJanuary 13, 2020
Innovative Approach to Parent Representation
ZFF is proud to be an early investor in East Bay Family Defenders (EBFD), founded in 2017 to provide high quality interdisciplinary representation to families navigating the child welfare system. EBFD works to disrupt historical trends of unnecessary family separations that negatively affect children by providing resources to help parents make good decisions for their children and get out of the challenging circumstances that destabilized the family in the first place.
BlogJanuary 13, 2020
William J. Zellerbach Award for Social Change: Conversation with Villy Wang
Recently, the Zellerbach Family Foundation announced that the Bayview-Hunters Point Center for Arts and Technology (BAYCAT) had won the first annual William J. Zellerbach Award for Social Change. To learn more about BAYCAT and the change they are seeking to achieve, read this conversation between Allison Magee, ZFF’s executive director, and BAYCAT founder, CEO and president Villy Wang right after BAYCAT’s 15th Birthday party.
AnnouncementsOctober 29, 2019
The Bay Area Music Consortium (BAMC)
Header Image: BAMC Partners (left to right, photo by Meena Bhasin): Joanne DePhillips, Berkeley Chamber Players; William Horne, Mill Valley Chamber Music Society; Pamela Freund-Striplen, Gold Coast Chamber Players; Tiffany Loewenberg, Noe Valley Chamber Music The Bay Area Music Consortium (BAMC) is a visionary partnership between four distinct organizations dedicated to presenting the finest in chamber music experiences. “The ZFF grant we received…
BlogOctober 18, 2019
William J. Zellerbach Award for Social Change to Bayview-Hunters Point Center for Arts and Technology
The Zellerbach Family Foundation is thrilled to announce that the Bayview-Hunters Point Center for Arts and Technology (BAYCAT) has won the first annual William J. Zellerbach Award for Social Change. Established in 2004, BAYCAT is a nonprofit social enterprise that educates, empowers, and employs young people from historically underserved San Francisco communities in digital media arts including video and music production, animation, and graphic and…
AnnouncementsSeptember 9, 2019
James Head Joins Zellerbach Family Foundation Board of Directors
The Zellerbach Family Foundation today announced the appointment of California philanthropy leader James W. Head to its Board of Directors. “James has demonstrated over many years, and in multiple ways, his deep commitment to supporting and lifting up vulnerable populations,” said Thomas Zellerbach, President of the Zellerbach Family Foundation and Chairman of its Board of Directors. “We are fortunate and honored to have him join…
AnnouncementsAugust 26, 2019
Who We Are: A Message from the Chair and CEO
Dear Friends: Throughout ZFF’s 63 years, we have strived to let our values guide our work. Like all organizations, we have experienced transitions in staff and leadership and shifts in our programs and strategies. However, our values have kept the foundation grounded and ensured continuity in our approach and our impact. Partnership and collaboration are core to those values and have remained central to the culture of…
Foundation Messages & PressMay 15, 2019
Sonoma Collaboration to Increase Access to Legal Services
Header Image: OneJustice volunteers getting ready to participate in a workshop hosted by McDowell Family Resource Center, International Institute of the Bay Area and OneJustice. The collaborative work of three grantee partners, McDowell Family Resource Center (FRC), International Institute of the Bay Area (IIBA), and OneJustice to increase access to legal services for immigrants in the Petaluma area exemplifies the power and impact of partnership.…
BlogApril 8, 2019
Bay Area Legal Aid and RYSE
ZFF is proud to support a partnership between Bay Area Legal Aid (BayLegal) and RYSE to interrupt the school to prison pipeline in West Contra Costa County. The school to prison pipeline is a reference to school-based disciplinary policies and practices that have the effect of criminalizing youth. The pipeline disproportionately affects black and brown students who are significantly more likely than their white counterparts…
BlogAugust 23, 2018
Tahirih Justice Center
Tahirih Justice Center is a national nonprofit that has served over 25,000 courageous individuals fleeing violence since 1997. “Without the critical support of the Zellerbach Family Foundation, Tahirih would be unable to continue its necessary work to support immigrant women and girls fleeing gender-based violence and elevate the voices of these courageous women.” Morgan Weibel, Executive Director, Tahirih Justice Center, San Francisco Bay Area In the last couple…
BlogAugust 23, 2018
Thoughts from the Field
Navin Moul is the Zellerbach Family Foundation’s Program Executive for Immigrants and Refugees. Earlier this month I participated in a delegation led by Hispanics in Philanthropy to San Diego to learn from key leaders and understand the context and process of family separation. The trip highlighted the local context and offered funders an opportunity to talk with local experts and immigrant-serving organizations in the region…
BlogAugust 23, 2018
California Philanthropy United in Support of DACA
The Trump Administration announced the termination of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), thereby rescinding work authorization and protection from deportation for nearly 800,000 undocumented young people. This action will have a devastating impact on almost 223,000 DACAmented Californians.
BlogSeptember 7, 2017
ZFF Welcomes Navin Moul
The Zellerbach Family Foundation welcomes Navin Moul, its new Program Executive for Immigrants and Refugees. Navin brings extensive experience in the fields of philanthropy, immigration, human and civil rights. Prior to joining ZFF, Navin led the immigration grantmaking strategy at the Silicon Valley Community Foundation. She also worked as a program officer at American Jewish World Service managing grantmaking portfolios in Burma, Cambodia, Sri Lanka…
AnnouncementsJune 10, 2017
Joint Foundation Statement on Immigration
The United States stands at a historic crossroads. Founded as a refuge from religious persecution and built by generations of immigrants, our country has been the standard bearer internationally for the assertion and protection of inalienable rights and freedoms, a beacon of hope for refugees facing oppression and persecution, and a land of opportunity for immigrants seeking a better life for themselves and their families.
BlogFebruary 24, 2017
Life Learning Academy
Life Learning Academy (LLA) is a fully accredited San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD) charter high school founded in 1998 by the Delancey Street Foundation and located on Treasure Island. Its mission is to provide a nonviolent community for students who have not been successful in traditional school settings. Toward this end, LLA prepares students for academic, employment, and life success through goal-setting, individualized counseling,…
BlogSeptember 28, 2016
Oakland International High School Family Resource Center
Oakland International High School (OIHS) is a full service community school in the Oakland Unified School District (OUSD) that is uniquely designed to provide a high quality college preparatory education and crucial social services to late-arrival English Learner high school students and their families. Since opening its doors in 2007, Oakland International High School has become a central hub of quality and reliable educational support…
BlogSeptember 27, 2016
Community Works West
Since 1997, Community Works West (CWW) has strived to interrupt and heal the far-reaching impacts of incarceration and violence through youth-led advocacy, innovative programs in jails and prisons, restorative justice practices, and art. CWW provided the first restorative justice program in a county jail (San Francisco) and the first restorative justice diversion program for youth offenders in Alameda County. CWW also has been a leader…
BlogSeptember 27, 2016
Zellerbach Legacy Grants
2016 marks the Zellerbach Family Foundation’s 60th year of grantmaking in the San Francisco Bay Area. ZFF is celebrating by highlighting the contributions of its partners and further advancing their work. Throughout the year, ZFF is awarding a series of Legacy Grants to organizations that are leaders in their field. Grantees include organizations that have a commitment to values similar to the Foundation’s such as…
Foundation Messages & PressSeptember 19, 2016
Jewish Family & Community Services East Bay
Afghan Refugee Program Jewish Family & Community Services East Bay (JFCS East Bay) offers a range of social and mental health services to refugees from Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, Bosnia, African countries, and the former Soviet Union who now reside in Alameda and Contra Costa counties. The Afghan Refugee Program provides resettlement services (case management, job search, housing placement, connections for health and mental health services,…
BlogJuly 8, 2016
Community Music Center
Since 1921, San Francisco’s Community Music Center (CMC) has made music accessible to all people, regardless of their financial means. Through afterschool and outreach programs, private lessons and free classes, and workshops and community performances, CMC enriches the lives of students of all ages and economic levels. Last year 2,400 students, from toddlers to students in their 90s, studied under CMC’s faculty which includes noted…
BlogMarch 23, 2016
Brothers on the Rise
Brothers on the Rise (BOTR) was launched in May 2008 to address the multiple challenges disproportionately affecting low-income boys and young men of color in Oakland. Its mission is to empower male youth of color to achieve individual success, develop healthy relationships and contribute to a more just and equitable society. Toward this end, BOTR implements the following gender-responsive, culturally affirming service programs that are…
BlogMarch 22, 2016
ZFF Welcomes Margot Melcon
The Zellerbach Family Foundation is pleased to introduce Margot Melcon, the Foundation’s new Program Executive for Promoting Culture. Margot will oversee ZFF’s arts programming, including Community Arts, Youth Development through the Arts, Major Community Institutions, and other grants. Margot comes to ZFF from the Marin Theatre Company, where she spent seven years as an artist and administrator. As Director of New Play Development, Margot dramaturged…
AnnouncementsNovember 12, 2015
Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children
The commercial sexual exploitation of children (CSEC) is the second most profitable criminal enterprise globally and a growing problem in California. The FBI estimates that 100,000 children, as young as ten years old, are sold for sex each year in the United States, and it identifies the Bay Area as a primary hub. These youth present with many risk factors including runaway history, mental health…
BlogSeptember 28, 2015
Immigrant Day Labor Centers
Immigrant day laborers can be seen congregating on street corners and in communities throughout the Bay Area. The presence of these day laborers often causes great controversy despite the fact that large numbers of residents and contractors rely on these workers for a variety of jobs, particularly construction, painting, landscaping, moving, and housekeeping. In many cities, local authorities and nonprofit organizations are pressed to address…
BlogDecember 31, 2014
Mission Graduates
The low rates of high school graduation and college attendance among Latino students in California are at crisis levels. In the 2012/2013 school term, Latino youth in the San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD) had a graduation rate of 67%, compared to an overall graduation rate of 82%. Fewer than 54% of Mission District high school graduates attend college. This crisis has profound consequences for…
BlogDecember 25, 2014
Intersection for the Arts / Kevin Chen
Kevin Chen has been involved in the San Francisco Bay Area arts community for over two decades as a curator, writer, and visual artist. He was the Program Director of Visual Arts at Intersection for the Arts for over 15 years, where he curated over 60 exhibitions and hundreds of public programs. He has also curated projects for Headlands Center for the Arts, de Young…
BlogDecember 15, 2014
Project WHAT!
Project WHAT!, a program of Community Works West, raises awareness about children with incarcerated parents with the long-term goal of improving services and policies that affect these children. Project WHAT! employs young people who have experienced parental incarceration and supports them in developing curriculum content, facilitating trainings, making public presentations, and conducting qualitative research. Since its inception in 2006, Project WHAT! has hired and supported…
BlogDecember 10, 2014
