Building Capacity in Uncertain Times
We shared in late 2024 that CAST’s work was in direct opposition to the goals of the incoming administration. It has never felt more important to scale our capacity to secure affordable space for culture–literally and figuratively–in response to the violence of our current politics.
As such, 2025 has been a year of both momentum and reflection for CAST, working nimbly to seize unprecedented opportunities and take advantage of depressed real estate markets while adapting in real time to lessons learned along the way. We’ve continued to secure larger and more complex sites, including projects like Warfield Commons and Pier 29, deepening our role as a long-term steward of cultural space. We’ve expanded our work nationally, with formal operations now underway in Colorado and additional geographies on the horizon. Our portfolio has grown from 90,000 square feet in 2023 to over 300,000 square feet in 2025, and we celebrated our second pilot project transferring ownership to the nonprofit Hospitality House, ensuring it remains a permanent cultural asset for future generations of artists.
Looking ahead to the new year, we are focused on establishing CAST’s practice as a nonprofit real estate development organization, moved by the belief that we can help to shape the future of arts and culture in the Bay Area and beyond, and always with the community’s interest in mind. We’ve learned so much in our 13 years yet we cannot afford to ignore steps, yield to pressure, or lessen our ambition. In the midst of the overwhelm that surrounds us, we hold great hope and are embracing our capacity to fight for the values and outcomes that underwrite our mission and purpose. We pride ourselves as being storytellers as much as problem solvers and will continue to build upon the Breaking Ground series, to share our works in progress and give insight into how our practice is evolving.
Making Meaningful Change
We know that our work matters but we cannot extricate ourselves from the challenges that our arts and cultural partners are facing–the loss of federal funds, the direct threats to their safety and the strain on donors and philanthropy to meet the loss of public dollars. And so we do this work with humility, not to compete for scarce resources or to claim greater importance, but to contribute meaningfully within this shared ecosystem.
We are adapting to the moment, building our capacity to fight beside our partners and on their behalf, building needed infrastructure to underwrite and sustain arts and cultural organizations and their spaces. Infrastructure requires scale and deep investment, particularly with the introduction of housing. In early 2026, we are excited to deliver news of our first foray into affordable artist housing, with a focus on development models that complement traditional affordable housing efforts without relying on scale, including live-work approaches that respond directly to what artists have told us they need to sustain their practice and remain rooted in their communities.
Grounded in Community
I want to thank the artists, cultural partners, community members, and collaborators who continue to shape CAST alongside us. Your trust, honesty, and persistence ground this work and push us to be better stewards of the spaces and systems that we help to build. We know that sustaining arts and culture in this moment requires shared commitment and long-term partnership. And while real estate markets may be subject to unforeseen spikes and shifts, you are the constant in our work that keeps us inspired and committed.
I want to also thank the staff and board for everything they’ve contributed this year. You are a thoughtful, smart and passionate group whose integrity and commitment carried us through messy and challenging transitions. You’ve embraced new systems and remained ambitious even when the path forward was uncertain. We aligned around CAST’s mission but you make it real and I could not be more grateful for the privilege of working alongside you.
The new year will ask us to act with intention, invest time and energy into what lasts, and continue building the infrastructure that allows art and culture to remain rooted and protected. We move into 2026 together, with clarity, resolve, and a deep commitment to building this work together.
Sincerely,
Ken Ikeda
CAST CEO
