ORGANIZATIONS & ENTERPRISES

Sonoma County is home to more than 200 non-profit arts organizations along with 100s of other creative enterprises who work every day to enrich our lives with exhibits, performances, readings, happenings. Sometimes, they are caretakers of our collective cultural identity. Sometimes they are tour guides, leading us on an exploration into uncharted emotional waters. And always, they are the critical threads that tie together the fabric of our creative community. Browse this ever-growing gathering of our creative eco-system for ideas and opportunities.

Do you work for a creative organization or enterprise in Sonoma County? Register HERE to have your company’s page included on CreativeSonoma.org.

Play It Forward Music Foundation Creative Sonoma Grantee, Education, Foundation, Kids/Family, Music, Nonprofit, Nonprofit Services, Performing Arts, Special Events, Youth Arts Education Play it Forward Music Foundation is a nonprofit arts organization whose mission is to foster connection through music. We provide programming, instruments, lessons, and performance opportunities to people with limited access. We believe music has the power to transform lives both internally and collectively as well as enrich our community.

Rincon Valley Education Foundation Education, Foundation, Kids/Family, Nonprofit

Mission

The Rincon Valley Education Foundation (RVEF) works in partnership with the Rincon Valley Union School District (RVUSD) to provide supplemental learning opportunities that broaden and enrich the students' educational experiences.

RVEF supports the RVUSD's vision, goals, and objectives by providing stable, sustainable funding for program enhancements in targeted curriculum areas. RVEF unites families, staff, and community in its fundraising efforts so that we all share in the financial cost of an exemplary education as well as its success.

Sonoma County Regional Parks Foundation Foundation The Sonoma County Parks Foundation raises funds, fosters partnerships and advocates on behalf of Sonoma County Regional Parks. We are an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit that supports programs and projects at 56 Sonoma County parks and trails, including popular destinations like Spring Lake, Doran Beach, Sonoma Valley, Ragle Ranch, Foothill Regional Park and more. One of the programs the Parks Foundation supports is Youth Exploring Sonoma Coast (YES-Coast). YES-Coast engages underserved youth between the ages of 13 and 18 with coastal parks and open spaces through a year-long series of outings. These activities interweave themes of coastal and marine ecology, local history and culture with instruction in photography and the concept of using pictures as a vehicle for self-expression. The objective is to connect youth from underserved communities to nature through environmental education, while at the same time providing an introduction to the potential of art in general, photography in specific, to reflect their experiences. The teens check out the same camera for each outing and receive instructions in its use, allowing them to record what they see and feel during the program's diverse hikes, camping trips, and stewardship projects. Their pictures will also be displayed in a special exhibit at the Gualala Arts Center this summer, and will subsequently travel throughout Sonoma County with exhibits at local library branches. Sonoma County Regional Parks partners with VOICES, a trusted local nonprofit, to recruit youth for the program, including teens who are fostered, homeless or have gang affiliations. Regional Parks also partners with California State Parks and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to provide career presentations, environmental education and stewardship activities.

Sonoma Plein Air Foundation Art Gallery, Education, Foundation, Nonprofit, Special Events, Visual Arts The Sonoma Plein Air Foundation facilitates artists, art organizations, public schools and the community to create, appreciate and understand the importance of visual arts. We seek to engage youth through art education, foster artistic excellence, nurture a vibrant local arts community and bring people together for experiences that inspire a creative exchange of ideas. The Sonoma Plein Air Festival brings acclaimed artists to Sonoma for a week in September to paint, show and sell their work to benefit youth art education in Sonoma.

The Arlene Francis Center For Spirit, Art And Politics Dance, Education, Film/Video, Foundation, Literature/Poetry, Media, Music, Nonprofit, Performing Arts, Special Events, Theatre, Visual Arts Founded in 2008, the Arlene Francis Center for Spirit, Art and Politics' objective has been to create a spiritual progressive space that links art, music, theater, film, poetry, education and community action with the creation of a more loving and socially connected world. All of our events reflect our spiritual-political vision, and our aim is to create a unique, receptive, heartfelt, authentic Presence that is capable of radiating an influence reflective of our common vision in Sonoma County, and across Northern California, and the wider world through the internet and word-of-mouth. The AFC: An Innovative Center for Social Change The Arlene Francis Center for Spirit, Art and Politics is an innovative project for many reasons. These include our philosophical approach to community building and social change, our physical presence and our cultural, educational and activist programming. First, there is our philosophy of "Spiritual Activism" which guides our action. Spiritual Activism is the term we have given to the vision of social change -- a vision that emphasizes the link between social activism and the creation of an authentic, socially and ecologically connected community. When people actually experience the sense of presence and connection, the need for a more egalitarian and sustainable society becomes self-evident. http://santarosa .towns.pressdemocrat.com/2012/12/news/peter gabels-street-corner-revolution/. Second, to carry out our vision, we are lucky to have a remarkable building that was originally a flour mill in the 19th century and has gone through a number of incarnations since then, eventually serving as a brewery and winery in the 198o's and early 1990's. The Arlene Francis Foundation acquired the building in 1996 for the purpose of providing educational and cultural activities to benefit Sonoma County, and from 1997-2008 the Foundation partnered with San Francisco's progressive New College of California to offer bachelor's and master's degrees in Culture, Ecology, and Sustainable Community. Finally, with our presence and programs, we have created a positive reputation and relationship with the local community and beyond. The Arlene has repeatedly been honored as The Best Damn Place in Santa Rosa by the local alternative paper The Bohemian, and Martin Hamilton and the Arlene Francis Center were given a Boho Award for making significant contribution to the arts in the North Bay. The Arlene Francis Center for Spirit, Art, & Politics seeks to be a wonderful synthesis of artistic, educational, spiritual and cultural projects that will contribute significantly to the social and political life of Santa Rosa and the surrounding area. Our aim in designing the Center has been to avoid creating a smorgasbord of well-meaning progressive activities, each operating under its own unstated assumptions about how best to achieve positive change. Instead, we have sought to explicitly articulate a unifying vision that joins all our activities as a multi-faceted expression of our mission and philosophy. We are convinced that lasting social change adequate to the challenges facing humanity at this moment will only be achieved through transforming human relationships so as to overcome the fear that divides us and enables us to become present to each other in a new and affirming way.