Form 990 for tax year 2024

Totals

Total revenue

$6,365,999

Total expenses

$6,810,035

Contributions and grants received

$994,791

Grants paid

$112,325

Program service revenue

$5,382,041

Investment income

-$10,833

Other revenue

$0

Total assets, end of year

$1,827,587

Total liabilities, end of year

$1,422,655

Net assets or fund balances, end of year

$404,932

Program services expenses (Part IX)

$6,459,043

Management and general expenses

$292,877

Fundraising expenses

$58,115

Program service expenses (Part III)

$6,459,043

Program services were 94.8% of total expenses calculated — Part IX's program-services column over total expenses, both as filed.

Line items

Every line the filer filed in Parts VIII, IX and X, as filed and in filed order. Blank columns are left out, and the lines are not forced to add up to the totals above.

Mission and programs · 2024

• PUBLIC EVENTS:WE HOSTED ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY-EIGHT (150) TOTAL EVENTS IN 2024. THIRTY (30) OF THESE WERE FREE FOR THE PUBLIC. THIRTY-SIX (36) OF THESE EVENTS WERE IN PARTNERSHIP WITH LOCAL COMMUNITY NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONS WHICH WE SUPPORTED THROUGH SHARING RESOURCES AND STAFF. WE DIRECTLY PAID 450 ARTISTS. WE ELEVATE A PLURALITY OF VOICES THROUGH THOUGHTFUL CURATION OF ARTISTS AND PRESENTERS, INCLUDING LGBTQIA2+ AND BIPOC ARTISTS, HIGHLIGHTING ISSUES AND INTERESTS IMPORTANT TO THEIR COMMUNITIES. GRAY AREA DRAWS A STATEWIDE AUDIENCE OF OVER 45,000 VISITORS A YEAR THROUGH ITS PROJECTS IN SAN FRANCISCO, LOS ANGELES, AND SAN DIEGO. OUR AUDIENCE DEMOGRAPHICS INCLUDE DIVERSE GENDER, ETHNICITY, INCOME, AND AGE REPRESENTATION: 72% OF OUR AUDIENCE IDENTIFIES AS BIPOC, AND 70% AS LGBTQIA2+.IN 2024, WE PRESENTED THEY SUSTAIN US, THE WORLD PREMIERE OF FIRST NATIONS ARTIST SKAWENNATI'S LATEST MACHINIMA MUSIC VIDEO INSTALLATION, FASHION-ART COLLECTION, AND RUNWAY PERFORMANCE; AND BODILY AUTONOMY, A SOLO EXHIBITION BY LAUREN LEE MCCARTHY EXAMINING BIO-SURVEILLANCE. WE PRODUCED OUR 10TH ANNUAL GRAY AREA FESTIVAL, INVITING ARTISTS, RESEARCHERS, TECHNOLOGISTS, AND THINKERS FROM AROUND THE WORLD TO EXPLORE THE IMPACT OF TECHNOLOGY ON SOCIETY THROUGH A CREATIVE LENS. WE DEVELOP AND MAINTAIN DEEP RELATIONSHIPS IN THE BAY AREA BY PROVIDING PHYSICAL AND DIGITAL SPACE, FINANCIAL AND TECHNICAL SUPPORT, CONTENT SHARING, AND INCREASED VISIBILITY TO DOZENS OF LOCAL ORGANIZATIONS EACH YEAR. WE OPERATE THE GRAND THEATER IN SAN FRANCISCO, A 1938 HISTORIC MOVIE THEATER THAT WE RENOVATED BACK INTO A CULTURAL RESOURCE. WE HAVE PRODUCED ONLINE EVENTS IN PARTNERSHIP WITH 50+ LOCAL ARTS, CULTURAL AND CIVIC ORGANIZATIONS AND DONATE TECHNICAL SUPPORT INCLUDING VIDEO PRODUCTION, LIVE STREAMING, WEB DESIGN, AND OUTREACH. ONLINE EVENTS INCLUDE SPEAKER SERIES, FESTIVALS, VIDEO BLOGS, ARTIST SHOWCASES, VIRTUAL EXHIBITIONS, AND LIVE PERFORMANCES WITH IMMERSIVE TECHNOLOGIES. OUR ORGANIZATIONAL PARTNERS TOUCH A WIDE RANGE OF COMMUNITIES, AND INCLUDE CITY LIGHTS BOOKSTORE, MECHANICS INSTITUTE, SF CINEMATHEQUE, CALIFORNIA COLLEGE FOR THE ARTS, LEONARDO, AND CREATIVITY EXPLORED. OUR FACILITY HAS ALSO BECOME THE HOME TO TWO OTHER ORGANIZATIONS WITH DEEPLY ALIGNED MISSIONS: RECOMBINANT MEDIA LABS HAS BEEN PRODUCING EXPERIENTIAL MEDIA EVENTS IN THE BAY AREA FOR OVER 40 YEARS AND MOVED INTO GRAY AREA AFTER ITS SPACE WAS LOST DUE TO INCREASING RENTS. CROWBAR CORNER IS SAN FRANCISCO'S ONLY 24-HOUR ELECTRONIC MUSIC PRODUCTION STUDIO, WHICH IS A SHARED SPACE SERVING PRIMARILY NIGHTLIFE COMMUNITIES.WE DID NOT PRODUCE A DEDICATED FUNDRAISING EVENT IN 2024.

  Expenses $435,820

• EDUCATION:GRAY AREA'S EDUCATION PROGRAM SERVICES INCLUDE WORKSHOPS AND INTENSIVE COURSES. GRAY AREA DEVELOPS A STEAM (SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, ENGINEERING, ART, AND MATHEMATICS) CURRICULUM FOR ARTISTIC DEVELOPMENT BY TEACHING INTERDISCIPLINARY SKILLS THROUGH THE CREATION OF ARTWORK. WE PRIORITIZE ENROLLMENT FOR A DIVERSITY OF BACKGROUNDS WITHIN OUR EDUCATION PROGRAMS, 80% OF OUR STUDENTS SELF-IDENTIFIED AS WOMEN, MINORITIES, OR OTHER UNDERREPRESENTED GROUPS IN TECHNOLOGY FIELDS. IN THE LAST YEAR, WE RAN 29+ UNIQUE ONLINE, FREE, AND LOW-COST EDUCATION ACTIVITIES LED BY ARTISTS, OFFERED TO OVER 394 STUDENTS. OUR ONLINE COURSES WELCOMED OVER 108 GLOBAL STUDENTS.WE PRODUCED THE DECENTRALIZED WEB (DWEB) FOR CREATORS 8-WEEK ONLINE COURSE THAT EMPOWERED ARTISTS, DESIGNERS, ARCHIVISTS, GALLERISTS, CURATORS, AND OTHERS WITH THE KNOWLEDGE AND TOOLS NECESSARY FOR EXPLORING THE DECENTRALIZED WEB. THROUGH LECTURE, DISCUSSION, AND HANDS-ON PRACTICE WITH EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES, PARTICIPANTS IN DWEB FOR CREATORS USED AN INTERSECTIONAL LENS TO STUDY THE THEORETICAL FRAMEWORKS THAT SHAPE THE DECENTRALIZED WEB. PARTICIPANTS ENGAGED WITH TECHNOLOGIES LIKE BLOCKCHAIN AND MESH NETWORKS; EXAMINED CASE STUDIES IN CURATION, PUBLISHING, DATA SOVEREIGNTY, AND COMMUNITY BUILDING; AND APPLIED DECOLONIAL APPROACHES TO WORLD BUILDING AS THEY ENVISION THE FUTURE OF DWEB TECHNOLOGIES. CULMINATING IN AN ONLINE SALON WHERE STUDENTS PRESENTED THEIR PROJECTS AND IDEAS DEVELOPED DURING THE COURSE, THIS COURSE PROVIDED THE NECESSARY BACKGROUND, SKILLS, AND SUPPORT TO ADOPT DECENTRALIZED TECHNOLOGY INTO EVERY CREATIVE PRACTICE.GRAY AREA'S CREATIVE RESOURCE LIBRARY IS A FREE LENDING LIBRARY OFFERING THE TOOLS NEEDED TO CREATE ELECTRONIC MUSIC AND SOUND ART. PAIRED WITH ACCESS TO WORKSHOPS, LABS, AND EVENTS THIS COLLECTIVE RESOURCE HELPS ELIMINATE BARRIERS TO CREATION FOR COMMUNITY ARTISTS.

  Expenses $74,750 · Grants $112,325

• INCUBATOR:GRAY AREA'S INCUBATOR SERVICES INCLUDE RESIDENCY, RESEARCH LAB, AND FISCAL SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES. GRAY AREA COLLABORATES WITH ARTISTS AND CREATIVE PRACTITIONERS WHO CRITICALLY INVESTIGATE NEW IDEAS, CREATE AND ADAPT TECHNOLOGIES THROUGH THEIR WORK, AND ENGAGE WITH PRESSING SOCIAL AND CIVIC ISSUES.WE HOSTED SIMULATION SESSIONS, A MONTHLY MINI-LECTURE AND HACK NIGHT FOR ARTISTS, GAME DESIGNERS, CHARACTER DESIGNERS, ARCHITECTS, WORLD BUILDERS, AND AI AGENT DESIGNERS WORKING IN (OR INTERESTED IN EXPLORING) 3D SIMULATION. IN RESPONSE TO THE GROWING PREVALENCE AND SOPHISTICATION OF VIRTUAL SIMULATIONS AND ENVIRONMENTS, THESE SESSIONS SEEK TO SUSTAIN A LOCAL COMMUNITY OF 3D DESIGNERS, ARTISTS, AND TECHNOLOGISTS, FACILITATE PEER TEACHING AND LEARNING, AND SPARK DIALOGUE ABOUT THE SOCIAL, CULTURAL, AND POLITICAL DIMENSIONS OF BUILDING DIGITAL WORLDS. FISCAL SPONSORSHIPS:GRAY AREA FISCALLY SPONSORS PROJECTS STRATEGICALLY ALIGNED WITH THE ORGANIZATIONAL MISSION. WE CURRENTLY SUPPORT 10 SPONSORED PROJECTS. IN 2024, WE EXPANDED OUR SERVICES TO INCLUDE SAN DIEGO THROUGH A PARTNERSHIP WITH COPLACE, AND LOS ANGELES THROUGH A PARTNERSHIP WITH RIP SPACE.

  Expenses $5,826,535

• MEMBERSHIP AND OTHER PROGRAM SERVICES:

  Expenses $121,938

As filed on the 2024 return. The filer continues this part on Schedule O, which is not shown here.

Listed in Part VII

Compensation is as filed in Part VII: reportable pay from this organization and from related organizations, other compensation, and hours per week. The total, marked calculated, is our sum of the three dollar columns, with a blank column counted as $0; the form itself has no total. On a Form 990-EZ the columns are Part IV's instead, and on a Form 990-PF Part VIII's — compensation, contributions to benefit plans, and expense account — and the total sums those. A Schedule J breakdown is as filed: base pay, bonus, other, deferred compensation and nontaxable benefits from this organization, with any from related organizations beside each, and the filer's own total. It is shown with the Part VII listing of the same name on the same return. The form gives no key between the two, so that pairing is ours, and is marked matched by us.

Schedule J

Part I's answers as filed. A line not listed was left unanswered; on lines 1a and 3 that means the box was not checked.

Grants on this return

No itemized grants to organizations on this return.

Provenance

Return type

form_990

Tax year

2024

Filed

17 November 2025

IRS schema version

2024v5.2

Source object

202533219349316538

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