For the last 12 years, CinemaSF has been working to create and sustain successful community spaces with engaging cinema, non-fiction, and live music programming serving our varied neighborhoods. In the last 3 years, it has become increasingly difficult to balance attendance and concession income with the cost to run and maintain these spaces.
CinemaSF has begun the process of becoming a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. This will allow us to receive tax-deductible donations and Federal, State, and City grants, as well as decrease financial output. This model has worked for many independent theater operations across the country and has proven to be a sustainable path forward. It takes about a year to complete the process, and in the interim, we have received Fiscal Sponsorship through Independent Arts and Media, which allows us to receive donations that are fully tax-deductible to the donor while we transition to a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.
In a post-pandemic world, the model of butts-in-the-seats just doesn’t cover the costs of day-to-day operations, so a more creative community model is needed. We hope that our community will help support our efforts so that we can continue to create the programming that we all enjoy.
Please donate to CinemaSF by clicking HERE or by writing a check to Independent Arts and Media with "CinemaSF" in the memo, and mail to CinemaSF at 3630 Balboa St, SF, CA 94121.
You will receive all of the tax-deductible benefits of a non-profit donation and you can also ask your employer about donation matching!
CinemaSF's mission is to keep neighborhood theaters alive and vibrant as a gathering place to build community and promote belonging: expand education of, and engagement with, the arts; sustain movie-going culture in local communities through our commitment to successful operation of revitalized, historic theater spaces.
CinemaSF has an ongoing goal of partnering with groups and individuals from the regional San Francisco Bay community and the cinematic community to showcase cultural events, promote the arts and arts education, highlight the unique character of each neighborhood in which our theaters operate, and maintain through sustainable operations the theater settings in which they have historically occurred.
Locations include the Vogue Theater (Est. 1912), the 4Star Theater (Est. 1913), the Balboa Theater (Est. 1926) , and the soon-to-reopen East Bay gem, the Park Theater (Est. 1941) in Lafayette, CA.
