The Sausalito Art Festival Foundation

What The Sausalito Art Festival Foundation does

The Sausalito Art Festival Foundation (SAFF) is a non-profit 501(c)(3) cultural and fine arts organization headquartered at 2400 Bridgeway, Suite 220 in Sausalito, California, established in 1952 with EIN 94-3347958. Its mission is to "encourage, promote, and support the arts for the community." The Foundation's core activity is producing the annual Sausalito Art Festival, recognized as one of America's premier outdoor art festivals and traditionally held on Labor Day weekend at Marinship Park. The Foundation juries approximately 220 artists annually from a global applicant pool (12 countries and 41 states in 2019), selected by a panel of 8-10 professional artists, gallerists, and museum curators evaluating originality, creativity, and technique. SAFF also operates the Leonard Kaprielian Grants Program, a Student Scholarship Program (~$20,000 annually to Bay Area art students), and the Artists Teaching Art (ATA) K-12 program in Marin County, which has received $500,000 in donations over five years.

Name

The Sausalito Art Festival Foundation

Legal name

Sausalito Art Festival Foundation

Website

https://sausalitoartfestival.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1952

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Sausalito Art Festival Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit that produces the annual Sausalito Art Festival, a juried outdoor art show featuring ~220 artists, alongside online auctions, community grants, scholarships, and the Artists Teaching Art K-12 program serving Bay Area communities.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Arts and Cultural Events

NAICS

Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation (71), Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (712)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Arts & Culture Community Festivals (Multidisciplinary Arts Weeks) (MPAGAEAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Arts, Crafts & Maker Fairs (MPAGAFAJ), Cultural Festivals & Events Organizations (BPAGAHAG), Arts Education & Community Arts Programs (BPAGAHAC)

Keywords

• Outdoor art festival
• Juried fine art show
• Community arts grants
• Nonprofit arts foundation
• Art education programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Sausalito

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, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Festival Operations: The Foundation generates revenue through organizing and hosting the annual Sausalito Art Festival, including artist booth fees, food vendor participation, and admission-related income. Proceeds support Bay Area arts and community non-profits through grants, artist awards, and scholarships.
2. Online Art Auctions: SAFF produces online auctions featuring juried artists from across the nation, many of whom have exhibited at prior Sausalito Art Festivals. The Foundation facilitates art sales through a third-party auction platform, collecting transaction fees on sold artworks.
3. Gala Events: Proceeds from the annual gala support student scholarships for college-age art students from the Bay Area community.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Sausalito Art Festival Foundation produces and operates the annual Sausalito Art Festival, a juried outdoor fine-art and music festival held each Labor Day weekend in Sausalito, California. It also runs online fine-art auctions, the Leonard Kaprielian Grants program, art scholarships, and the Artists Teaching Art (ATA) K-12 education program, with proceeds directed to community arts initiatives.

Product overview

The Sausalito Art Festival Foundation operates as a single unified non-profit arts organization whose core offering is the annual Sausalito Art Festival, one of America's premier outdoor art festivals held annually on Labor Day weekend. The Foundation supports its mission through a portfolio of programs including the Online Auction Platform (virtual art auctions), the Leonard Kaprielian Grants Program (community arts grants), Student Scholarships (art education funding), and the Artists Teaching Art (ATA) K-12 education program. Additionally, SAFF has played a founding role in the Sausalito Center For The Arts. The main festival and online auctions feature juried artists selected through a competitive application process, while grants and scholarships funnel proceeds back to the local arts community.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Leonard Kaprielian Grants Program: A grants program supporting art-related projects and activities in the local community, funded by proceeds from the annual Sausalito Art Festival.
• Artists Teaching Art (ATA)
• SAFF Scholarship Program

Products and services

• Sausalito Art Festival Annual juried outdoor fine-art and music festival featuring independent artists in painting, sculpture, photography, ceramics, glass, woodwork, jewelry, fiber, and mixed media, attended by art patrons, collectors, and the general public.
• Online Art Auctions Online fine-art auctions enabling collectors and buyers to bid on juried artwork through a web-based auction platform, generating transaction-based revenue for the foundation.
• Leonard Kaprielian Grants Program Foundation-administered community grants program providing funding to Bay Area nonprofits and arts initiatives in furtherance of the foundation's charitable mission.
• Student Scholarships in the Arts Annual scholarship program awarding approximately $20,000 in funding each year to art students pursuing arts education.
• Artists Teaching Art (ATA) Program K-12 arts education program delivered in schools, providing art instruction and learning opportunities to students and supported by the foundation as part of its community arts mission.
• Benefit Events and Galas Ticketed benefit events and galas hosted or licensed by the foundation to raise funds, including cause-related benefits such as the Art for Ukraine benefit and the Art Weekend Sausalito dinner-event license.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over $1,000,000 invested in the community in recent years through grants, artist awards, and scholarships.
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• SkadaddleminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Multi-year agreement to produce the future of art experience, extending art realities in collaboration.
• Sausalito Center For The ArtscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSAFF has played a pivotal role in establishing the Sausalito Center For The Arts, contributing significant funding, knowledge, and equipment to create a vibrant and active arts association. SAFF helped fund Phase I Buildout through Art Weekend Sausalito benefit art sale proceeds. SCA supports artistic programs for artists, residents, and visitors.
• World Central KitchenminorOthersSAFF donated $27,000 from Art For Ukraine benefit sale proceeds to support relief for victims of war in Ukraine.
• City of SausalitocoreOthersThe Foundation holds a multi-year license with the City of Sausalito to host the Festival at Marinship Park. Works closely with Sausalito Parks and Recreation, Police, and Fire Department on event logistics.
• Berg Family (Marinship Plaza)coreOthersThe Berg family owns Marinship Plaza property used for Festival main music stage and tent. Foundation has an informal but important relationship with the Berg's to use Marinship Plaza.
• Marin County SchoolscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerArtists Teaching Art (ATA) program serves K-12 students in both public and private schools throughout Marin County. Collaborates with teachers and professional artists on artist-in-residence projects aligned with Common Core Standards.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Cherry Creek Arts Festival: Long-running, juried outdoor fine-art festival in Denver, CO that selects ~150–200 artists and is consistently ranked on Sunshine Artist Magazine's '200 Best Shows' list — directly comparable business model, jury structure, and audience to the Sausalito Art Festival.
• La Quinta Festival of Arts: Premier juried fine-art festival in La Quinta, California with a similar annual hosted-exhibition model. Comparable in scale and California footprint, making it a natural geographic and model-based peer for Sausalito.
• Coconut Grove Arts Festival: Three-day juried outdoor fine-art festival in Miami drawing ~380k visitors; consistently ranks among the top U.S. fine-art festivals and competes for the same national artist pool that the Sausalito festival draws from.
• Old Town Art Fair (Chicago): Juried fine-art festival held annually in Chicago's Old Town, recognized on Sunshine Artist's '200 Best.' Comparable juried selection model, family/patron-attended weekend format, and rankings recognition.
• Festival of Arts / Pageant of the Masters (Laguna Beach): California-based, juried summer art festival featuring ~140 selected artists alongside the Pageant of the Masters performance. Directly comparable as a premier California juried-art festival competing for overlapping artist and patron audiences.
• Beverly Hills Art Show: Twice-yearly juried outdoor fine-art show in Beverly Hills, California with ~240 artist booths. Closely matches the Sausalito Art Festival in format, California location, and juried artist count (~220).

Broad incumbents

• Sausalito Center for the Arts: Local Sausalito nonprofit arts organization that SAFF helped found; offers year-round exhibitions and programming rather than a single annual juried festival. Comparable as a nearby arts nonprofit serving overlapping artist and community audiences.
• Art Aspen: Annual curated art fair in Aspen, Colorado featuring juried and invited galleries and artists — broader than Sausalito in scope (gallery-led), but operates in the same premium juried-art-festival category and competes for brand prestige and high-end patrons.
• Affordable Art Fair: Multi-city, juried/contemporary art fair brand with global locations; broader and more commercial in scope than Sausalito but operates in the same juried-art-fair revenue model and competes for artist participation and patron footfall.

Regional players

• Marin Museum of Contemporary Art (MarinMOCA): Nonprofit contemporary art museum in Novato, Marin County serving the same Bay Area community SAFF funds through scholarships and grants. Comparable as a regional arts nonprofit with overlapping donor, artist, and audience bases in Marin.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/SausArtFestival
• Facebookfacebook.com/sausalitoartfestival
• Instagraminstagram.com/sausalitoartfestival
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sausalito-art-festival-foundation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 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 The Sausalito Art Festival Foundation