The Zellerbach Family Foundation
The Zellerbach Family Foundation (ZFF) is a San Francisco–based private foundation that funds arts, safety & belonging, and community-building work across the Bay Area. The site lists staff and board, a mailing address (455 Market Street, Suite 2200, San Francisco, CA), published financials and IRS 990-PFs, and descriptions of current programs and priorities.
Source: Website · Mar 2026
Ideal Applicant
A Bay Area nonprofit (especially arts-serving organizations in San Francisco, Alameda, or Contra Costa counties) seeking project or general operating support aligned with the foundation’s arts, safety & belonging, and community-building priorities.
Good Fit
- • Located and doing primary work in San Francisco, Alameda, or Contra Costa counties
- • Arts-serving nonprofit with a recent work sample when applying to the Community Arts program
- • Asks for general operating or program support in areas the foundation lists (arts, immigrant justice, youth, safety & belonging)
- • Able to apply via the online portal before one of the four annual Community Arts deadlines
- • Has local partnerships or credibility within the Bay Area nonprofit ecosystem
Geography
Observed giving is heavily concentrated in California: about 96% of dollars stayed in-state in the latest year, with most funding directed to Bay Area organizations and specific local counties.
Recipient Variety
The latest year shows a broad recipient set (239 grants to 186 distinct organizations) across arts, immigrant rights, youth, and community groups, indicating a wide institutional and mission spread rather than a tiny closed circle.
New Applicants
Direct application access is program-specific: the Community Arts program publicly accepts unsolicited online proposals with four annual deadlines, while most other programs are explicitly not open to unsolicited requests. The portfolio did include 86 new recipients in 2023, which shows turnover and entry opportunities, but unsolicited entry is limited outside the arts program.
Source: Zeffy Agent · Mar 2026
