Art changes lives and builds community, but support for arts education and arts services continue to decline in San Francisco, the Bay Area, California and the United States.

These declines are felt hardest by diverse, underserved individuals and communities, who lose vital, lifelong opportunities for sophisticated self expression, public dialogue, personal growth, cultural enrichment, and economic advancement through the arts.

Although arts-education in public schools can fill some gaps, these programs are not prioritized in government budgeting programs. Indeed, California remains at the bottom of the heap in arts-spending — about three cents per citizen. What’s more — these programs also do not access diverse underserved communities outside of the public-school demographic.

Small, community-based arts education and service projects spring up to serve unmet needs, but still struggle with organizational-development issues, such as funding, operations, and outreach/promotions. Often they achieve their near-term mission and service goals, only to fall victim to capacity and budgetary shortfalls.

Independent Arts & Media provides vital bridging and operational resources that help sustain these projects, multiply their impacts, and connect them with individuals and communities that lack vital arts education, services and resources.