Rani Nothingmore dances on the Oasis Stage at the Downtown First Thursdays Block Party on 2nd Street in San Francisco on May 2.
Scott Strazzante/The Chronicle
Queer nightclubs, jazz bars and more are among the recipients of San Francisco’s new Entertainment & Nightlife Revitalization Grant Program.
First announced in May, the ENRG program will provide grants of up to $50,000 each from a $500,000 fund to local businesses and neighborhood organizations to create unique weekend and evening programming in the downtown area. As part of a broader approach to bring vitality back to the city and break the “doom loop” narrative, grants from the program will help with event planning costs, artist fees, equipment and labor costs, and more.
Mayor London Breed announced the 14 recipients on Tuesday, August 13th.
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The announcement, supported by the Department of Economic and Workforce Development and local nonprofit SF New Deal, comes on the heels of other new city-sponsored initiatives to infuse the arts into downtown, including the waterfront events lineup Brix at Embarcadero Plaza, which kicked off on Wednesday, Aug. 7, the SF Live free concert series and the monthly First Thursdays block party downtown.
“Through this program, we hope to provide additional resources and allow these venues to grow and expand their impact,” Jacob Vindman, co-founder and chief program officer of SF New Deal, told the Chronicle. “From an applied standpoint, our goal was to understand the challenges that business owners and nightlife and entertainment venue owners face and find ways to best leverage and support their needs.”
On April 20th, people gathered at Stud Bar to celebrate the grand opening of their new location in San Francisco.
Yana Asembrenerova/Special to the Chronicle
Restaurants and bars including The Stud, Buena Vida Cantina, 1015 Folsom, Oasis, The Foundry (in collaboration with the live theater satire “How to Find an Apartment in San Francisco in 30 Days”) and Executive Order Bar and Lounge plan to engage the South of Market and Yerba Buena neighborhoods with educational programs and brighten up the area with performances and murals.
“This is so important,” Rachel Ryan, president of Stud Collective and general manager of its SoMa operations, said of the city’s financial support. “Without this support, I don’t know how many of us would survive.”
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Ryan said The Stud plans to use the grant money to revitalize the space and turn it into a proper performance venue.
“There are big changes that need to happen to make this a beautiful, queer, magical drag venue wonderland,” she said.
Bartender Clos Roa prepares drinks for patrons at the Stade to celebrate the new venue’s grand opening on April 20.
Yana Asembrenerova/Special to the Chronicle
Along the corridor, Mister Tipple’s Jazz Club, 620 Jones, Harlan Records and Iron Horse are helping develop an entertainment zone that would play music on the street and allow alcohol consumption outdoors during nightlife events, and plan to create a “jazz passport” to invite people to check out the various live music venues in the area.
Harland Records owner Will Herrera said he plans to use the grant to expand the bar’s live music and DJ performances, host record swaps and offer music lessons.
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“Instead of a fountain emerging from a parking lot, the city made the brilliant decision to sow the seeds of creativity by trusting and investing in its diverse community,” Herrera said.
He added that local artists, musicians, artisans and other creative people are essential to the lifeblood of San Francisco.
The project, by Bay Area concert promoter NoisePop and San Francisco contractor Skylight Studios, along with nonprofit organizations Downtown SF Partnership, Mid-Market Foundation and East Cut Community Benefit District, aims to support new venues and productions and fund the creation of Front Street’s first-ever entertainment zone.
“The pandemic has been incredibly tough for many establishments,” Vindman said, “and as we look to recover, we at SF New Deal believe that small businesses are the heart of San Francisco and the foundation of our identity as a city.”
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Contact Zara Irshad at zara.irshad@sfchronicle.com