The goal is to support art as a way of enriching life experience.

Grantmaking is focused on programs that provide opportunities to artists from diverse cultures for the creation, development, performance, or exhibition in the performing (music, opera, dance, theater) literary, or visual arts.

Current priorities are:

1. new work that demonstrates the potential: for artistic excellence, to reach large and diverse audiences, and/or to make a significant, new contribution to the art form;



2. art that is experimental, risk-taking, and/or engages controversial issues; and



3. programs that involve young artists, and/or art in community settings as well as within arts organizations.

Note: The foundation does not give priority to arts programs that are primarily focused on social/political advocacy nor to arts-education programs.

Capital campaigns are sometimes considered when improvement of the home of an arts organization is its highest priority. Capital-campaign grants tend to be considered in the same range as program grants ($50,000 to $75,000).

Annual Deadline: March 1 for a letter of inquiry.

Please note that letters of inquiry submitted by the March 1 deadline should be for projects or fiscal years scheduled to begin no sooner than the following December.

Geographic priority: The cities of San Francisco and London*

* For London-based programs, please make your application to Columbia in British pounds with the U.S. dollar equivalent in parentheses, including all budget information.