SILVER2024

COMMUNITY ARTS STABILIZATION TRUST

aka CAST   |   San Francisco, CA   |  https://cast-sf.org

Mission

CAST is a community-centered real estate organization for artists and arts and culture organizations in the San Francisco Bay Area. In deep partnership with local communities, we secure and steward affordable space. Together, we are modeling new ways of ensuring artists and culture bearers can stay anchored where they create.

Ruling year info

2014

CEO

Ken Ikeda

Main address

447 Minna St 4th Floor

San Francisco, CA 94103 USA

Show more contact info

EIN

46-1897606

NTEE code info

(Human Service Organizations) (P20)

IRS filing requirement

This organization is required to file an IRS Form 990 or 990-EZ.

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Communication

Programs and results

What we aim to solve

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

As one of the most expensive real estate markets in the world, the San Francisco Bay Area has become alarmingly unaffordable for all but the wealthiest artists and arts and culture organizations. Unable to find or retain affordable spaces to create and share their art—and, in many cases, to afford a roof over their own heads—the artists who make up the Bay Area’s vibrant cultural fabric are being priced out and forced to leave. In response to escalating real estate prices and rapid artist displacement, Community Arts Stabilization Trust (CAST) was established in 2013 to develop long-term affordable solutions for artists, arts nonprofits, and cultural organizations to remain rooted in the neighborhoods where they create.

Our programs

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?

Real Estate

CAST developed a “lease-to-own” model where we buy buildings to stabilize affordable rent for arts organizations facing displacement. Using philanthropic support and New Markets tax credit financing, we purchase, hold, and manage buildings over a 7-10 year period, supporting the arts organization as they raise funds and focus on maintaining their programming and operations. At the end of the period, we present the organization with an opportunity to buy their building back from CAST, giving them a permanent home and cultural asset that is deed-restricted for arts and cultural uses only.

But not every arts group wants to own or is in a position to manage a building. That’s why we developed a “multi-tenant” model to provide affordable space to arts groups without the added pressure or responsibilities of ownership. Arts groups with no intention of purchasing can access CAST’s services of providing a long-term commercial lease at below-market rents without fear of losing their home.

Population(s) Served

Established in 2016, Keeping Space - Oakland helped arts and cultural organizations get "real estate ready". CAST provided technical assistance, community development advocacy and networking opportunities, research, and funds supporting arts and cultural organizations’ efforts to find, secure, and manage long-term real estate projects.

KSO has since evolved into a network of cultural leaders sharing knowledge about community asset building and land trust models. The work continues as we expand this effort into San Francisco in 2023.

Population(s) Served

Dreaming Spaces is a community program sponsored and hosted by Community Arts Stabilization Trust, with a goal to increase the agency of artists and community members in making decisions about creating and keeping space. Initially developed in Oakland as a response to the pandemic in 2020, CAST continued the effort in San Francisco in April 2022. Together with artists, cultural workers, and community residents in SoMa, CAST asked participants to envision what can be done presently to create welcoming, inclusive spaces and share art in safe environments. After a series of community-building design workshops, this group, along with designers, architects, and city leaders, participated in a design charrette to envision and plan for what community spaces might look like in our current pandemic-led physical climate.

Population(s) Served

Where we work

Our results

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.

Number of entities served by expertise

This metric is no longer tracked.
Totals By Year
Type of Metric

Outcome - describing the effects on people or issues

Direction of Success

Increasing

Context Notes

Artists and arts and culture organizations served.

Total number of audience members

This metric is no longer tracked.
Totals By Year
Type of Metric

Outcome - describing the effects on people or issues

Direction of Success

Increasing

Square footage permanently acquired for arts and culture

This metric is no longer tracked.
Totals By Year
Type of Metric

Context - describing the issue we work on

Direction of Success

Increasing

Goals & Strategy

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.

Charting impact

Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.

CAST's goal is to build a new paradigm that can create a long-term engine for rooting arts and culture in communities. By bringing artistic sensibility and real estate expertise to the same table, we are shifting away from the scarcity mentality that has led arts and community organizations to fight for limited resources and/or be rapidly displaced.

We work in partnership to:

- Acquire properties to sustain arts in selected Bay Area neighborhoods
- Bundle leases to stabilize and sustain affordable rents for those not prepared to buy
- Increase the capacity and financial knowledge of arts and cultural organizations to lease or own property without risking their operations and programs
- Leverage philanthropic support and financing tools like New Markets Tax Credits, bonds, and program-related investments to bring costs down
- Build cross-sector relationships with artists, local creative enterprises, civic leaders, funders, and government agencies

Financials

COMMUNITY ARTS STABILIZATION TRUST
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Operations

The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.

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Connect with nonprofit leaders

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  • Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
  • Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
  • Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations

Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.

COMMUNITY ARTS STABILIZATION TRUST

Board of directors
as of 07/03/2024
SOURCE: Self-reported by organization
Board chair

Shelley Trott

Kenneth Rainin Foundation