Yerba Buena Center for the Arts

What Yerba Buena Center for the Arts does

Yerba Buena Center for the Arts (YBCA) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit contemporary arts center founded in 1993 and headquartered in San Francisco, California. It operates two connected downtown facilities — the Fumihiko Maki-designed Gallery & Forum Building at 701 Mission Street and the Blue Shield of California Theater at 700 Howard Street — which together provide gallery space, a 757-seat proscenium theater, a 6,700 sq ft Forum flexible event space, an 89-seat screening room, a Grand Lobby, the Lounge, and administrative offices. The institution presents contemporary art exhibitions (anchored by the signature Bay Area Now triennial), multidisciplinary performances in dance, theater, music, and spoken word, public art installations, and K-12 arts education programs delivered on site and through partner schools in the Bay Area.

YBCA's product portfolio comprises gallery exhibitions, performance programs, public art, education programs, venue rentals, the YBCA Zine digital publication, the YBCA 100 content program, and donor/membership support. It does not operate proprietary technology; ticketing and donations are processed through Veevart, a third-party platform. The venue rental business serves corporate and private clients at day rates ranging from $750 (Lounge) to $16,000 (Theater Premium). Membership is structured in two annual tiers — Discoverer ($165) and Curator's Circle ($500) — providing reciprocal admission access across 1,000+ arts organizations via NARM, ROAM, and Mod/Co.

Revenue is generated across five streams: individual giving and corporate sponsorships, membership fees, ticket sales (general admission $10, students/seniors $5, free on Wednesdays), and venue rental/licensing. Distribution is concentrated in the San Francisco Bay Area through on-site visitor attendance, online ticket sales, co-presentation partnerships with peer organizations (Opera Parallèle, BAVC Media, GLBT Historical Society, SOMA Pilipinas), and institutional funding relationships with foundations and government entities including Bloomberg Philanthropies, Blue Shield of California, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the California Arts Council. As of December 2024, leadership was reset with Maricelle Robles as CEO; in May 2026 Essence Harden was appointed Senior Curator.

Name

Yerba Buena Center for the Arts

Legal name

Yerba Buena Center for the Arts

Website

https://ybca.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1993

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Yerba Buena Center for the Arts is a San Francisco-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit contemporary arts center, founded in 1993, presenting exhibitions, performances, film, public art, and K-12 education across a 757-seat theater, 6,700 sq ft Forum, and galleries, supported by donations, memberships, ticket sales, and venue rentals.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Performing Arts and Cultural Center

NAICS

Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters (711110), Museums (712110)

akta.pro primary industry

Performing Arts Centers & Presenters (Programming/Booking) (MPAGABAM)

akta.pro secondary industries

Community & Cultural Screenings (Museums, Cultural Centers) (MPADAKAH), Media Arts & Film/Photography Nonprofits (BPAGAHAJ)

Keywords

• Contemporary arts center
• Art exhibitions programming
• Performing arts venue
• Arts education programs
• Cultural event spaces

Headquarters

HQ city

San Francisco

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual Giving and Donations: YBCA generates revenue through individual donations and charitable contributions from supporters. The organization encourages donors to make gifts to support exhibitions, performances, and artist resources.
2. Membership Program: Annual membership program with two tiers: Discoverer ($165/year) and Curator's Circle ($500/year). Members receive free gallery admission, guest passes, discounts on programs, and reciprocal benefits with 1,000+ arts organizations.
3. Venue Rental and Licensing: YBCA's venues are available for private events including corporate events, conferences, and receptions. Rates range from $750/day for the Lounge to $16,000/day for premium theater access. Significant revenue from licensing spaces to external organizations.
4. Ticket Sales: Revenue from admission to exhibitions and tickets to performances, films, and special events. General admission $10, students/seniors $5, free on Wednesdays.
5. Corporate Sponsorships: Corporate partners provide support through membership and sponsorship arrangements in exchange for VIP events, recognition, and priority booking.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

YBCA is a nonprofit contemporary arts center that presents gallery exhibitions, performance programs (dance, theater, music, film), public art installations, and community events. It operates multiple physical venues — including the 757-seat Blue Shield of California Theater, the 6,700 sq ft Forum, a screening room, and gallery spaces — and offers arts education programming, annual memberships, venue rentals, and fundraising/donation programs for the Bay Area community.

Product overview

Yerba Buena Center for the Arts is a multidisciplinary arts institution offering a unified portfolio of cultural programming. The core offerings span gallery exhibitions (featuring contemporary art in first and second floor galleries), performance programs (dance, theater, music across the Blue Shield of California Theater and Forum), and public art installations across campus. Supporting programming includes education workshops, venue rentals, membership tiers (Discoverer and Curator's Circle), and the YBCA Zine digital publication. The institution also offers support pathways including individual donations, corporate partnerships, and planned giving. All offerings are unified under YBCA's mission to champion contemporary art and serve as a creative hub for the Bay Area community, with free admission on Wednesdays and various ticketed events throughout the year.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Gallery Exhibitions Rotating contemporary art exhibitions featuring local, national, and international artists in YBCA's first and second floor galleries. Open to the general public and members, with free admission every Wednesday.
• Performance Programs Dance, theater, music, spoken word, and multidisciplinary performance presentations featuring leading choreographers, musicians, and theater makers, staged across the Blue Shield of California Theater and the Forum.
• Venue Rentals

Named customers6 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• BAVC MediacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 17 July 2026Co-presented The World of Black Film screening event featuring Compensation followed by talkback with Ashley Clark and Zeinabu irene Davis. BAVC Media has been a trusted community educator and collaborator since 1976.
• The Clemente Soto Vélez Cultural and Educational CentersupportingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 11 July 2026Historias Initiative partner for development of Esto No Tiene Nombre, supporting Latina lesbian oral histories.
• GLBT Historical SocietycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 13 March 2026Collaboration on Conjuring Power: Roots & Futures of Queer & Trans Movements exhibition. The GLBT Historical Society provided archival material and co-curated the multimedia exhibition exploring Bay Area queer and trans communities.
• SOMA PilipinascoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 August 2025Presented MAKIBAKA: A Living Legacy exhibition in collaboration with YBCA. SOMA Pilipinas is the cultural district organization for Filipino Americans in San Francisco's South of Market area.
• Opera ParallèlecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 15 April 2025Co-presented Harvey Milk Reimagined, a bold revival of the pioneering opera honoring LGBTQ+ icon Harvey Milk, presented at YBCA in May-June 2025.
• Precita Eyes MuralistssupportingImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerEducation partner collaborating on YBCA's educational programming, including curriculum development and arts workshops.
• Filipino Education Center Galing BatasupportingImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerEducation partner collaborating on YBCA's educational programming for Filipino youth and community.
• GitHubsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with GitHub for the interactive mural installation 'Let's Build from Here' by artist Innosanto Nagara, unveiled in 2023.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Walker Art Center: Minneapolis-based multidisciplinary contemporary arts center combining visual art exhibitions, performing arts, and film programming. Closest functional peer to YBCA's combined gallery + theater + film screening + civic engagement model.
• MASS MoCA: Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art operates large-scale contemporary exhibitions alongside performance programming and venue rentals. Comparable to YBCA in its emphasis on ambitious commissioning and multi-use campus with rental-ready spaces.
• Contemporary Jewish Museum: San Francisco contemporary art and culture institution with rotating exhibitions, public programs, and venue rentals in SoMa. Direct local peer operating in the same neighborhood and competing for similar audiences and corporate rental demand.
• Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM): Multi-disciplinary performing arts venue presenting theater, dance, music, opera, and film in a multi-space campus. Closest peer to YBCA's Blue Shield Theater + Forum + Screening Room programming mix.
• American Conservatory Theater (A.C.T.): San Francisco-based theater company with its own venue presenting dramatic productions alongside conservatory training. Comparable to YBCA's theater programming footprint and shared SF cultural funding ecosystem.
• Berkeley Repertory Theatre: Bay Area theater presenting new works and productions in multiple performance spaces, often co-presenting or sharing audiences with YBCA. Closest regional peer on the performing arts side and a frequent Bay Area Now-type collaborator.
• The Kitchen: NYC nonprofit presenting experimental contemporary art, performance, and film in a Chelsea-based venue. Comparable to YBCA's emphasis on bold, risk-taking contemporary programming and artist support programs.
• La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club: Long-running NYC experimental theater and performance presenter supporting bold contemporary work, including Latina and queer-identified artists. Comparable to YBCA's contemporary/queer/of-color commissioning focus and education programming.

Broad incumbents

• SFMOMA: San Francisco's largest contemporary art museum with broader scope than YBCA, including a performing arts program. Competes for overlapping contemporary art audiences, corporate sponsors, and Bay Area donor dollars.
• Asian Art Museum: Major San Francisco museum with substantial venue rental business and special programming. Comparable in facility size, downtown location, and corporate/special-event revenue model that anchors YBCA's earned-income strategy.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ybca

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Yerba Buena Center for the Arts