Arts Advocacy day is a day to broadcast our 2016-17 Arts Budget & Policy Priorities and to SHOW our elected officials why the arts are integral to a healthy city, while giving them examples on HOW to support our priorities this year.

when - Monday May 16, 2016 @1pm | where - City Hall steps, Polk St. (1 Dr Carlton B Goodlett Pl, San Francisco, 94102)

Please join us in demonstrating that vibrant neighborhoods, healthy communities, and cultural equity make San Francisco a vibrant City.

Through recent public meetings and survey, ABBA’s 2016-17 Budget & Policy Priorities have been identified as:

• Preventing displacement and protecting artists and arts & culture spaces
• Support for a healthy arts ecosystem through an increase in General Operating funds for organizations rooted in underserved communities, the implementation of a State of the Arts in the City Address, and increased funding to service organizations that support small/mid-sized projects access local resources

 Arts Advocacy day is a day to broadcast our 2016 Arts Budget & Policy Priorities and to SHOW our elected officials why the arts are integral to a healthy city, while giving them examples on HOW to support our priorities this year.

You can participate by:

1. Signing up to the Thunderclap campaign HERE (What is Thunderclap? - FAQ) To launch Monday May 16,2016
2. RVSP through the Facebook Event Page
3. Share the event and Thunderclap campaign with 5 people in your network - WE NEED YOU to help us reach more artists, local arts organizations, and neighborhoods across SF 

Background

An investment in the arts and cultural sector seeds and anchors a vibrant cultural ecosystem that is integral to the city’s continued success and quality of life. As cost of living and doing business have grown, funding for the arts has not kept pace. Artists are struggling to remain in San Francisco and organizations are challenged to keep the arts affordable and accessible to everyone.

According to San Francisco’s citywide economic strategy, this city has two strong economic assets: ideas and experiences. Residents move here and stay here because of the high quality of life. Local, regional or international visitors come to San Francisco and take away unforgettable experiences. Cultural experiences and tourism growth make up a large portion of our city’s economy and revenue growth to the City’s general fund has never been stronger.

It’s hard not to notice the changes occurring in San Francisco. Everyday, we lose a little more of what makes this a diverse vibrant city with a thriving arts community and economy. Evictions and rent increases are spreading, leaving artists and arts organizations vulnerable and/or displaced and our arts ecosystem critically destabilized. The question on everyone's mind is “what can we do”.

In 2015, Arts for a Better Bay Area (ABBA), a collection of artists, art professionals and art lovers came together with the express purpose of galvanizing the community and advocating for San Francisco’s artists, arts organizations and the communities they serve. Through a series of public meetings, surveys of invested citizens, and the efforts of five community based committees, ABBA identifies San Francisco’s most relevant and urgent arts focused issues and presents policy and funding recommendations to our highest city officials.

In response to our 2015 recommendations, Mayor Ed Lee and the Board of Supervisors approved a $7M Shared Prosperity Package - this translates into a budget allocation increase of $7M over 2 years (see our Thank You letter). In 2016, we have already observed a $3.4M increase across multiple departments, including a $1M enhancement for the Cultural Equity Endowment, a $500K increase for Grants for the Arts to support small and mid-sized arts non profits, as well as, a $1.9M allocation for City’s Civic Art Collection and the Cultural Centers facility upgrades. This is a new addition to the baseline for these programs!

What we have since learned is that the City operates on a 2-year budget that is always revised before the 2nd year can ever be implemented. This means we must come back to the table every year to ensure funding obligations are met and present arts policies and budget recommendations that reflect the will of the people and supports a robust creative economy. 

Last year we scored a big win for the Arts in SF but the work is not over. ABBA’s directive for the 2016-17 budget cycle is to ensure a #SharedProsperity Investment goes to support pressing issues facing our artists and arts organizations. Through recent public meetings and survey, ABBA’s 2016-17 Budget & Policy Priorities have been identified as:

• Preventing displacement and protecting artists and arts & culture spaces
• Support for a healthy arts ecosystem by: increasing General Operating funds for organizations rooted in underserved communities, implementing a State of the Arts in the City Address, and increasing funding to service organizations that support small/mid-sized projects accessing local resources

Reference Documents:

• 2016 Arts Budget & Policy Priorities Survey
• ABBA Open Meeting - Recap (April 2016)