CAST models new ways to secure and steward affordable, inclusive spaces for creative and cultural expression.
Arts and culture are essential for vibrant communities and neighborhoods, which is why they need a permanent seat at the table with government, urban planners, and real estate developers. We work to transform the real estate landscape in a way that centers the people who have been historically excluded from it.
For us, it’s not just about properties. It’s about cultivating partnerships and connecting communities.
Our programs and services have helped arts and cultural organizations build pathways to ownership, enabled artists to secure long-term affordable leases, and created dedicated spaces for cultural connection and exchange.
Illustration by Raine Robichaud
Real estate acquisition for community ownership
Operating and managing space, including leasing and rentals
Peer learning, policy change, and creative problem-solving
CAST serves individual artists, culture bearers, creative entrepreneurs, and arts & culture organizations and projects that have been actively practicing and/or programming for 1 or more years. We prioritize small to mid-sized arts & culture nonprofits with demonstrated programming over the past 3 or more years.
We work to understand the priorities and needs of the artists or organizations who request our support, assess what is needed financially and programmatically, and then develop or connect them with solutions that meet their current needs.
BIPOC or LGBTQ+-led and BIPOC or LGBTQ+-serving: Building equitable access to real estate resources, especially for communities of color and disadvantaged communities that who have endured systemic oppression and historical underinvestment.
Honoring legacy communities and acknowledging current and historical impacts.
Creating access to the creation, production, and presentation of arts and culture for systemically under-resourced or under-recognized groups, such as Black/African-American, Hispanic/Latinx, and Indigenous communities.
Recognizing and serving your immediate, hyper-local neighbors, prioritizing neighborhoods CAST is actively working in.
Acknowledging impacts and opportunities of place and location in the Bay Area, and how projects impact the ecosystem.
Film Director & 2024 Kreative Growth Artist, Balay Kreative
Organizations like CAST are game-changers for community artists, providing a platform to share our work and an incredible team to support the process. They make it possible for artists to hear and be heard, fostering a sense of creative exchange within the artistic ecosystem. I held my first-ever film screening at CAST and at no point in the very nerve-wracking process of preparing was I ever anxious about the event space itself, because CAST staff are so great at hosting events and supporting artists. Working with CAST allowed me to focus my energy on the area that needed it most: my art.
CAST brings a creative and community-centered perspective to the real estate world. Space acquisition can provide stability to arts and culture organizations that face unpredictable rent increases or the threat of eviction. We provide project management, financial resources and modeling, and partnership to partners interested in acquiring space for long-term community control.
CAST joins forces with KALW to establish Warfield Commons, a permanent home for independent media, arts, and cultural organizations at 988 Market Street.
The Filipino American Development Foundation (FADF), a cornerstone community organization in San Francisco’s SOMA Pilipinas Cultural District, has purchased their first permanent home at 457 Minna Street in partnership with CAST.
San Jose’s School of Arts and Culture (SOAC) and CAST join forces in developing SOAC’s expansion, La Avenida, a property that will increase cultural programming and bring family wellness services.
Acquiring space is only the first step toward ultimate sustainability. Managing a building or space for arts and culture requires a unique combination of expertise in asset management, governance, and operations. We provide consulting and property and asset management services, helping organizations steward and activate space in a way that ensures long-term sustainability.
CAST offers short and long-term space rentals for rehearsals, screenings, or exhibitions, a quick access point for a workshop or meeting, or a pop-up that helps grow a small business.
This next chapter of Breaking Ground follows CAST’s expansion into Colorado, where we’re deepening our focus on affordable space for arts and culture.
This newly envisioned cultural hub will house dynamic exhibitions, artist residencies, public performances, and skill-sharing events.
Explore CAST’s work with the EBPREC to help secure 4799 Shattuck and preserve it as a vital community space.
Noonan Artists and Dogpatch and Bayview artist communities at a community planning workshop led by CAST and Jensen Architects, July 2023.
Real estate acquisition and stewardship are meaningless without community participation and agency. We enter communities with care, building relationships with people who are rooted in the arts and culture ecosystem. We engage in a global community of practice, building and exchanging knowledge and partnering to develop creative solutions that are responsive to local community needs.
Collaborating with community partners, funders, and policymakers, we are building a new real estate paradigm — a better system that recognizes the essential role of arts and culture in communities.
At the moment, we’re focused on supporting Bay Area artist communities and organizations experiencing challenges in space affordability or displacement.
To better assess your needs, please fill out our assessment first, and learn more about our services here. Our team looks forward to meeting you!
The form gives us a quick snapshot of who you are and what your space needs may be. It’s about understanding the priorities and needs of the artists or nonprofits who need our support, assessing what is needed financially, and then developing a solution that fits where they’re at, organizationally.
Please see below for our basic eligibility requirements and priorities for partnership.
Basic Eligibility: CAST serves San Francisco Bay Area individual artists, culture bearers, and arts & culture organizations and projects that have been actively practicing and/or programming for 1 or more years.
We prioritize arts & culture nonprofits and fiscally-sponsored projects that serve artists & cultural workers in San Francisco and Oakland with demonstrated programming over the past 3 or more years.
Equity & Inclusion Priorities:
As a multidisciplinary space provider, we welcome all arts and culture uses from around the Bay Area and are committed to offering below-market-rate rentals at all of our community hubs.
At 447 Minna, we especially welcome those with ties to the SoMa neighborhood and/or are located in zip codes that directly impact the immediate community.
These include: 94103, 94110, 94112, 94124, and 94134
In addition to our lowest “neighborhood” rate, we offer a discounted “non-profit” rate which makes up our next pricing tier. There are three levels available (from lowest to highest): neighborhood, non-profit, and standard. View the pricing split here.
Yes! Our community hub at 447 Minna is open for tours and short-term bookings. Please submit an Event Request Form to tell us about your activity and how we can support. Send that with your proposed availability to rentspace@447minna.com and our staff will be in touch to set up a time.
If 447 Minna is not the best fit, we’ll point you to other spaces for short-term bookings within the CAST portfolio or connect you with venues operated by our community partners or extended network.
Photo (Top): 447 Minna artist-in-residence Sean Coughlin
(Bottom): Music band Skip The Needle
Artists are in need of affordable workspaces in cities around the globe. It is critical that as our region grows and changes, we create and solidify the conditions for artists and cultural workers to flourish and thrive, anchored where they create. Contact us to find out more or join our newsletter.