Community Partnerships

SFCAC encourages creativity and connection throughout San Francisco through a variety of partnerships. 

Along with serving more than 1000 children every year in PreK through 5th grade classrooms, our teaching artists also provide in-service training to preschool teachers, sharing best practices, strategies, and skills in leading art-related activities.

San Francisco Unified School District

SFCAC provides visual arts residencies to PreK and TK classrooms at SFUSD elementary schools and early childhood development centers, including General Education, Spanish and Chinese Bilingual, and Special Education classrooms. Since 2021, we’ve served students at the following SFUSD school sites: Alvarado, Argonne, Bessie Carmichael, Bret Harte, Cesar Chavez, El Dorado, ER Taylor, Excelsior @ Guadelupe, Francis Scott Key, Hillcrest, Junipero Serra, Lafayette, McCoppin McLaren, Redding, Rooftop, San Miguel EES, SF Public Montessori, Theresa Mahler EES, Tule Elk EES.

Office of Early Care and Education  Preschool For All (PFA)

From 2009-2020, SFCAC provided weekly visual arts residencies in preschools throughout the city as part of San Francisco’s First 5 preschool initiative, severing nearly 5,000 students over the decade. Although the Office of Early Care and Education, was forced to suspend this program due to the budget crisis created by the pandemic, SFCAC has continued our partnership with many of the school sites that we previously served through his program, including Potrero Kids Preschool and Mission Neighborhood Center.  Both of these Spanish bilingual preschool programs serve culturally, linguistically, and economically diverse families of the Mission, Potrero Hill, and Dogpatch neighborhoods. These programs are now  supported in part by a grant from the California Arts Council’s Artists in Schools program.

Independent School Partnerships

La Scuola International School, German International School of Silicon Valley, Alt School, Guidepost Montessori.

Other Community Partnerships:

  • Fort Mason Center for Arts & Culture – Home of our art studio where we’ve been an anchor tenant since 1978!
  • Blue Bear School of Music & Young Performers’ Theatre – Our Fort Mason partners in our annual MAD (Music, Art & Drama) summer camps.
  • Inclusive Arts – Organization that advocates for arts engagement for students with disabilities
  • Inclusive Arts – Organization that advocates for arts engagement for students with disabilities
  • Off the Grid, Fort Mason – Community family art activities at OTG’s Friday nights at Fort Mason
  • Art Span Youth Open Studios – participation in Open Studio / Open House each November
  • Boys & Girls Club of San Francisco – After-school and summer program residencies in conjunction with the Boys & Girls Club of San Francisco at F Community Elementary School
  • Excelsior Family Connections – Visiting artists workshops for preschool age children at the Ocean Avenue neighborhood family center
  • Museum of Craft and Folk Art – Collaborative family workshops
  • Richmond Village Beacon – Art classes at a community-based after-school program
  • Museum of Craft and Folk Art – Collaborative family workshops
  • Raphael House, Clara House, and Holy Family Day Home – After school art classes at shelter for homeless families and children in transition in San Francisco’s Tenderloin neighborhood. Classes were offered for children ages 3 to 11. 
  • Schulte Grants for the Arts and Crafts – Year-long art educations lecture series about the role of art-making in child development through grant funding as part of a program of the Fort Mason Foundation
  • The San Francisco Children’s Art Center is a member of the National Guild for Community Arts Education.