Siesta Valley Foundation

What Siesta Valley Foundation does

The Siesta Valley Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization headquartered in Orinda, California, operating the historic Bruns Memorial Amphitheater in the Berkeley-Orinda Hills, approximately 20 minutes east of San Francisco. Founded in 2025 and tracing its institutional lineage to the Berkeley Shakespeare Festival (1974) and California Shakespeare Festival / Cal Shakes (which operated the Bruns Amphitheater from 1991 through 2019), the foundation's mission is organized around three pillars: Culture (live music, theater, film, and dance programming), Community (public play and gathering spaces, educational workshops, K-12 field trips, volunteer programs), and Conservation (watershed stewardship, wildfire risk reduction, and habitat restoration within the EBMUD watershed). The foundation's flagship commercial initiative is Siesta Valley Bowl, a 1,000-seat outdoor amphitheater scheduled to reopen in Spring 2026 with a target of 75-100 performances annually.

Revenue is generated through two streams: tax-deductible donations (one-time and monthly, tiered from $10 to $1,000+, processed via Stripe) and, once operational, ticket sales and event revenue from amphitheater performances. The venue sits within a public-private partnership structure modeled on the Hollywood Bowl and New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, with EBMUD as the watershed steward and EBRPD connecting the site to the 1,330+ mile Bay Area regional trail network. Talent booking and programming are handled through a partnership with Blue Note Entertainment Group, with Blue Note's SVP of Talent David Lefkowitz overseeing programming and former SF Masonic GM Suman Chatterjee hired as General Manager. The foundation employs 1-10 people and serves East Bay communities across Orinda, Lafayette, Moraga, Antioch, and Hayward through programming, volunteer programs, school partnerships, and email newsletter outreach.

Name

Siesta Valley Foundation

Legal name

Siesta Valley Foundation

Website

https://siestavalley.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1974

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Siesta Valley Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit operating the historic Bruns Memorial Amphitheater in the Berkeley-Orinda Hills, reopening it as Siesta Valley Bowl in Spring 2026 to serve East Bay communities with performing arts, environmental conservation, and educational programming through public-private partnerships with EBMUD and Blue Note Entertainment Group.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Cultural & Performing Arts Venue

NAICS

Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (7121), Civic and Social Organizations (813410), Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Performing Arts Organizations (Theater, Dance, Opera, Music) (BPAGAHAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Environmental & Climate Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAM), Arts, Culture & Humanities Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAJ)

Keywords

• Performing arts venue
• Nonprofit cultural programming
• Watershed conservation
• Community education programs
• Live music events

Headquarters

HQ city

Lafayette

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Contributions: Tax-deductible donations from individuals, major gifts, benefit concerts, and naming opportunities. The foundation operates as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit accepting one-time and monthly contributions at various tiers ($10 to $1,000+).
2. Venue Operations and Programming: Ticket sales and event revenue from performances at the 1,000-seat amphitheater spanning multiple genres including live music, theater, film, and dance.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Siesta Valley Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that preserves and reactivates the historic Bruns Memorial Amphitheater in the Berkeley-Orinda Hills as Siesta Valley Bowl, a 1,000-seat outdoor venue for live music, theater, film, and dance. The foundation operates three integrated program pillars — Culture (multi-genre performances), Community (public gathering spaces, playgrounds, educational workshops), and Conservation (watershed stewardship, wildfire resilience, habitat restoration) — in partnership with EBMUD and EBRPD under a public-private partnership model.

Product overview

The Siesta Valley Foundation operates Siesta Valley Bowl as its primary venue offering — a historic 1,000-seat amphitheater in the Berkeley-Orinda Hills being reactivated as a multi-format performance space. The foundation's mission encompasses three pillars: Culture (live music, theater, film, and dance programming), Community (play spaces, educational workshops, and public gatherings), and Conservation (watershed stewardship and wildfire safety). The venue is managed in partnership with Blue Note Entertainment Group for talent booking, with programming overseen by David Lefkowitz and venue operations led by General Manager Suman Chatterjee.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Siesta Valley Bowl A 1,000-seat outdoor amphitheater venue located in the Berkeley Hills that hosts live music, theater, film, and dance performances. The venue is operated in partnership with Blue Note Entertainment Group for talent booking and programming, targeting 75-100 performances annually across multiple music genres. Suman Chatterjee (former GM of SF Masonic) has been hired as General Manager, with David Lefkowitz (Blue Note's SVP of Talent) overseeing programming.
• K-12 Educational Programs Educational programming for K-12 students across the East Bay, including field trips, student matinees, environmental education days, theater workshops, and summer camps. These programs combine arts education with experiential outdoor learning and are designed to supplement classroom curricula while engaging students with cultural and conservation themes.
• Watershed Stewardship and Conservation Programs Conservation and stewardship activities within the Siesta Valley watershed, including wildfire risk reduction, habitat restoration, water quality protection, and environmental education delivered in partnership with EBMUD and East Bay Regional Park District. Programming teaches the next generation about watershed stewardship and connects to the regional trail network of 1,330+ miles.

Quantifiable outcome

• Targeting 75-100 performances annually across multiple genres
• +1 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Blue Note Entertainment GroupcoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 17 March 2026Blue Note Entertainment Group handles talent booking and programming at Siesta Valley Bowl's 1,000-seat amphitheater. Blue Note's SVP of Talent David Lefkowitz oversees venue programming. The partnership aims to host 75-100 performances annually across multiple music genres.
• EBMUD (East Bay Municipal Utility District)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEBMUD is a key stakeholder in the public-private partnership model. Siesta Valley rests within the EBMUD watershed. The foundation works with EBMUD to protect the watershed while creating public benefit through cultural programming.
• EBRPD (East Bay Regional Park District)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEBRPD manages the broader Bay Area regional trail network (1,330+ miles across 124,909 acres). The De Laveaga Trail in Siesta Valley connects to this network. Partnership focuses on trail access, watershed education, and public lands stewardship.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Ravinia Festival: Long-running nonprofit outdoor music and performing arts festival in Highland Park, Illinois, operating the Ravinia Pavilion with hundreds of performances annually. Closely comparable nonprofit venue-operator model, donation-funded, multi-genre programming.
• Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts: Nonprofit operator of the Filene Center, an outdoor amphitheater within a national park setting near Washington, DC. Comparable in operating a cultural venue embedded in a natural/conservation setting with public-private partnership elements.
• Oregon Shakespeare Festival: Large nonprofit theater organization in Ashland, Oregon producing Shakespeare and other works at multiple venues. Closely comparable 501(c)(3) performing arts nonprofit with a heritage amphitheater and multi-genre programming.
• Stern Grove Festival: San Francisco-based nonprofit presenting a free summer concert series at an outdoor amphitheater (Sigmund Stern Grove), funded by donations and sponsorships. Direct analog to Siesta Valley's nonprofit outdoor venue model with community access and ticketed/free programming.
• Mountain Play: Marin County nonprofit presenting outdoor theater at the Cushing Memorial Amphitheater on Mt. Tamalpais. Bay Area regional peer with a comparable nonprofit outdoor amphitheater model serving a similar geography.

Regional players

• Cal Performances (UC Berkeley): UC Berkeley's presenting organization for music, dance, and theater at Zellerbach Hall. Adjacent East Bay performing arts presenter competing for similar regional audiences and donors but operating an indoor venue rather than an outdoor amphitheater.

Broad incumbents

• Live Nation Entertainment: Large publicly traded live entertainment company operating numerous outdoor amphitheaters across the US. Sets the competitive benchmark for venue programming scale, talent costs, and ticketing economics that nonprofits like Siesta Valley must navigate.
• New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival: Large nonprofit cultural festival producing multi-genre programming (jazz, heritage, music) under a public-benefit model. Siesta Valley explicitly cites this as an institutional inspiration.
• Hollywood Bowl: Iconic 17,500-seat outdoor amphitheater in Los Angeles, operated by the Los Angeles Philharmonic Association as a public-private partnership. Siesta Valley explicitly cites the Hollywood Bowl model for its own programming approach.

Emerging players

• The Mountain Winery: Outdoor concert venue in Saratoga, California presenting summer programming across multiple genres. Comparable in being a Bay Area outdoor music venue with multi-genre ticketed performances.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php?id=61580110003988

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 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 Siesta Valley Foundation