Kenneth Rainin Foundation — Grant Award

The mission of the Kenneth Rainin Foundation is to enhance quality of life by championing the arts, promoting early childhood literacy, and supporting research to cure chronic disease. Collaboration and innovation are at the heart of all our programs. Our work is guided by our commitment to change through inquiry, creativity and compassion.

“It was a little unexpected and extremely heart-warming to receive funding from the Kenneth Rainin Foundation for the PUSH 4 Campaign,” says artistic director Raissa Simpson, “the relief fund was started by two non-Black company members for Black dance artists in the Bay Area after the George Floyd Uprising and racial reckoning in 2020.”

Prior to the support, PUSH had relied on the generosity of individual donations and fundraisers through its festival and productions. At the time P4C was around, the pandemic had also heavily affected Black communities and shined a light on the racial inequities in health and the digital divide. The relief fund awarded mini-grants ranging from $200-$1000 to over 20+ artists.

Artists from 10 Bay Area counties were encouraged to apply based on the requirement their work is rooted in the African Diaspora. The P4C relief funds have helped further the creation of new work and enabled the livelihoods of prominent to emerging artists to relieve the stresses of COVID-19 and heal from the national reckoning over police brutality. 

P4C intends to open up another round of Applications for those wishing to apply for relief funds in the summer and fall. As PUSH moves into its new space, the award will transform into a residency opportunity for Black Choreographers and Performance Artists to receive an artist stipend and space for the creation of a new work.

Making a donation is a way of reaching out a helping hand. By providing even a small donation, you can be part of an effort to provide mental and physical health towards our most vulnerable artists and communities.