The Center for Cultural Power
Oakland, CA · EIN 45-3154473. Reported 87 grants totalling $5,672,624 to 80 organizations across tax years 2021-2024, on Form 990 Schedule I.
Does this grantmaker accept applications?
Its tax return does not say, and we will not guess. Private foundations file Form 990-PF, which asks outright whether they fund only organizations they select themselves -- 78% say yes, and that one answer is what lets the rest of this site tell you which foundations are worth approaching. Grantmaking charities like this one file a regular Form 990 instead, and the IRS never puts the question to them. Anyone claiming to know the answer from the filing is inventing it.
Three things in the filing do bear on it:
- What kind of organization it is. For The Center for Cultural Power, the IRS classifies it as a public foundation -- a grantmaker that raises its money from many sources rather than from one donor (NTEE T30).
- How spread out its giving is. 80 distinct organizations, with 40% of the dollars going to the largest single recipient. That is genuinely spread out -- the mark of a funder making many independent decisions rather than underwriting one institution.
- How much its list changes. 6% of one year's grantees are funded again the next, across 2 year-to-year transitions. That is below the 56% median for grantmaking charities, and well below the 67% median for private foundations. It describes the organizations it already funds, not whether it would consider a new one.
How big are its grants?
The median reported grant is $50,000. Half of what it reported fell between $15,000 and $50,000; the smallest was $5,881 and the largest $2,250,000. If you are asking for materially more than the top of that range, you are asking the wrong organization.
Every organization it funded
This is the complete list from its filings, largest first. Recipients are grouped by the EIN the filer reported, not by name, so an organization that was typed differently in two years appears once rather than twice.
| Organization | Location | Total received | Grants | Years funded | Last |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assets Under Movement | Washington, DC | $2,250,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Allied Media Projects Inc | Detroit, MI | $350,000 | 4 | 1 | 2023 |
| Neo Philanthropy Inc | New York, NY | $160,000 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| Robert Gumbiner Foundation | Long Beach, CA | $125,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Acorn Center for Restoration and Freedom Inc | Atlanta, GA | $100,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Continental Micronesia Inc Association of Pacfic Island | Hagatna, GU | $100,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Flowers & Bullets | Tucson, AZ | $100,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Borderlands Theater Teatro Fronterizo Inc | Tucson, AZ | $75,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Fractured Atlas Inc | New York, NY | $75,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| San Anto Cultural Arts Inc | San Antonio, TX | $65,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Spirithouse South Inc | Durham, NC | $65,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Decimania Inc | Hatillo, PR | $62,500 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| The Freedom Bound Center | Sacramento, CA | $62,500 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Ananya Dance Theatre | Saint Paul, MN | $60,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Independent Arts & Media | San Francisco, CA | $60,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Na Kalai Waa | Kamuela, HI | $60,000 | 2 | 1 | 2023 |
| Southern Fried Queer Pride | Atlanta, GA | $60,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Asociacion De Documentalistas De Puerto Rico Inc | San Juan, PR | $50,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Center for Native Futures | Chicago, IL | $50,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Cubacaribe | San Francisco, CA | $50,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Fast Blackfeet | Browning, MT | $50,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Historic District Development Corporation | Atlanta, GA | $50,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Indigenous Justice | Sacramento, CA | $50,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Indigenous Roots | Saint Paul, MN | $50,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Luke Madrigal Indigenous Storytelling Non Profit | Temecula, CA | $50,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Meztli Projects Inc | Los Angeles, CA | $50,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Paso Del Norte Community Foundation | El Paso, TX | $50,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Pauli Murray Center for History and Social Justice | Durham, NC | $50,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Pegasus Media Project | Dallas, TX | $50,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Reforming Arts Incorporated | East Point, GA | $50,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Scalawag | Durham, NC | $50,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Sogorea Te Land Trust | Oakland, CA | $50,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Technical Assistance Partnership of Arizona | Phoenix, AZ | $50,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| The Seventh Generation Fund for Indigenous Peoples Inc | Arcata, CA | $50,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Transforming Generations | Saint Paul, MN | $50,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Truartspeaks | Saint Paul, MN | $50,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Trucha | Mcallen, TX | $50,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| United American Indian Involvement | Los Angeles, CA | $50,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Voices of Our Nations Arts Foundati on | Miami, FL | $50,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Young of Heart Workshop | Honolulu, HI | $50,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Asmuyao Community School | Hagatna, GU | $37,500 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| The Tank Ltd | New York, NY | $35,350 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Rootsong LLC | Brooklyn, NY | $34,381 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| The Cultural Club Inc | Atlanta, GA | $34,381 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Dulce Upfront Labs | Fresno, CA | $30,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Justice for Migrant Women | Fremont, OH | $30,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Conecta Arizona LLC | Phoenix, AZ | $25,350 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Junebug Productions | New Orleans, LA | $25,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Nollie Jenkins Family Center Inc | Durant, MS | $25,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Omnira Institute | Oakland, CA | $25,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Say Si | San Antonio, TX | $25,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Public Assistants Inc | Brooklyn, NY | $23,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Center for Independent Documentary Inc | Cambridge, MA | $15,300 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Project Bandaloop | Oakland, CA | $15,300 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Sweaty Llama Music | Oakland, CA | $15,300 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Anatolian Arts Instutite | Berkeley, CA | $15,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Blue Veil Films LLC | Sylmar, CA | $15,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Community Partners | Los Angeles, CA | $15,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| International Documentary Association Inc | Los Angeles, CA | $15,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| La Caja Negra LLC | San Juan Bautista, CA | $15,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Life Life LLC | Los Angeles, CA | $15,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Oakland Interfaith Gospel Choir Inc | Oakland, CA | $15,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Omnira Institute | Oakland, CA | $15,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| On Native Ground | Hoopa, CA | $15,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| West Coast Credible Messengers | Irvine, CA | $15,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Yea Impact | Los Angeles, CA | $15,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Alliance for Global Justice | Tucson, AZ | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Blackstar Projects Inc | Philadelphia, PA | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Common Counsel Foundation | Oakland, CA | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Culture Centers International | Atlanta, GA | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Entre Film Center | Mcallen, TX | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Hard R Productions LLC | Brooklyn, NY | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Macro Media LLC | Los Angeles, CA | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Mahuahua Music LLC | Hilo, HI | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Nafasi Fund | Huntsville, AL | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| New Mexico Immigrant Law Center | Albuquerque, NM | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Nexus Community Partners | Minneapolis, MN | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Warriors Code Inc | Phoenix, AZ | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Asylum Seeker Advocacy Project Inc | New York, NY | $5,881 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Opencollective Foundation | Covina, CA | $5,881 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
2 of 80 (2%) received money in more than one year over the 4 years we hold. Remember the $5,000 floor: an organization funded every year at $3,000 shows up here as never funded at all.
What the money was for
Taken verbatim from the purpose column of its filings, largest first. This is the closest thing to a statement of what it funds, in its own words.
- Amalgamated Charitable Foundation Inc
GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT GRANTS FOR CONSTELLATIONS CULTURE CHANGE FUND - Neo Philanthropy Inc
PROJECT SUPPORT GRANT (FISCALLY SPONSOR ARTCHANGE US PROJECT) - Acorn Center for Restoration and Freedom
GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT GRANT - Allied Media Projects
PROJECT SUPPORT GRANT (FISCALLY SPONSOR INTELLIGENT MISCHIEF PROJECT) - Fractured Atlas Inc
PROJECT SUPPORT GRANT (FISCALLY SPONSOR BLACK GIRL'S GUIDE TO SURVIVING MENOPAUSE PROJECT) - The Cultural Club Inc
NARRATIVE DESIGN LAB AWARD
What kind of organizations it funds
By the activity category the IRS assigns each recipient, for the 61 of 80 recipients we could match to a registered organization. The categories are the IRS's, not ours -- Schedule I reports the recipient's EIN, so this is a lookup rather than a name match.
Giving by year
| Tax year | Grants reported | Total | Median grant |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 1 | $25,000 | $25,000 |
| 2022 | 10 | $2,344,762 | $10,000 |
| 2023 | 70 | $2,980,362 | $50,000 |
| 2024 | 6 | $322,500 | $55,000 |
Tax years, not calendar years, and the most recent year is usually incomplete -- Form 990 arrives about a year after the year it covers, so a low final year means late paperwork rather than a grantmaker winding down.
Where its money goes
40% of its giving went to organizations in District of Columbia. Community foundations and federated funds are usually the most geographically bounded funders there are -- being outside the footprint is normally disqualifying in a way that a weak programme fit is not.
Down to the city
Foundations that fund only organizations they pick gave to this one
14 private foundations that told the IRS they contribute only to organizations they select themselves reported 31 grants totalling $7,442,000 to The Center for Cultural Power. That is 30% of the 46 funders we can see giving to it. Those 14 foundations do not take unsolicited requests -- their own returns say so. The IRS classifies this organization as a grantmaking organization.
8 of them gave in more than one tax year, which is the only durability signal the filings carry.
What that does not mean. It does not mean an application here reaches that money. A grant from a closed foundation is often a designated gift or a donor-advised fund earmarked by whoever gave it, and has nothing to do with any open programme this organization runs. Neither tax return says which, so neither do we. The list below is who put money in. It is not a route to it.
| Foundation | State | Reported | Grants | Years | Last |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The California Endowment | California | $2,125,000 | 6 | 5 | 2024 |
| Freedom Together Foundation | New York | $2,000,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Waverley Street Foundation | California | $1,000,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| John D and Catherine T Macarthur | Illinois | $900,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Foundation to Promote Open Society | New York | $300,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Kenneth Rainin Foundation | California | $300,000 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| The Wallace Foundation | New York | $200,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Wellspring Philanthropic Fund Inc | New York | $200,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| General Service Foundation | California | $136,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Unbound Philanthropy | New York | $125,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
The 10 largest by reported dollars, of 14.
A linked name has a page of its own. We publish one for a foundation that takes no unsolicited requests only when a real share of its giving goes to organizations that make grants themselves, and that page opens by saying it does not take requests.
Both the count and the total are floors. A foundation appears here only where its return named this organization clearly enough for us to match the name to an EIN, which we manage for about two thirds of 990-PF grant rows. There are more; we cannot name them.
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Funders that support the same organizations
These grantmakers and private foundations gave to organizations this one also funded. Shared grantees are a sign of overlapping priorities and nothing more: they do not show that any of these funders would consider a new organization. Each page says what its filings show.
How to approach this grantmaker
- Look for a published programme first. Unlike most private foundations, organizations of this kind often do run open, deadlined grant cycles with written guidelines. Its own website is the authority on that; this page is the authority on who it has actually paid.
- Check you are its size. The median reported grant is $50,000 -- and because grants under $5,000 need not be reported, it very likely writes smaller cheques than this page can see.
- Check you are in its geography. Its giving concentrates in District of Columbia.
- Read the recipient list for organizations like yours. If nothing on it resembles your work, that is a real answer and a cheap one to get.
Related guides
Where these numbers come from
Everything above is taken from The Center for Cultural Power's own Form 990 Schedule I filings, which the IRS publishes in bulk. We used 4 returns (tax years 2021-2024). Grant figures are from its returns. Recipient classifications, the concentration and retention figures and the funders that support the same organizations are our own calculations from them, described in how we build this.
On its most recent return it told the IRS it made grants to 6 section 501(c)(3) organizations and 0 other organizations. That is the filer's own count for one year; the totals above cover every year we hold.
Address of record on the latest return: 2648 International Blvd 1151063, Oakland, CA, 94601.
EIN 45-3154473 · See the original filings on ProPublica · How we build this
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