Area: City and County of San Francisco
Population: 773,733
Tax: voluntary property tax bill increase

The San Francisco Voluntary Arts Contribution Program, enacted in 1984 by the joint city/county government, is a purely voluntary program that allows for the tax collector to solicit residents to support the arts through a donation of five dollars or more that is added to their property tax bill.

The mayor is responsible for distributing funds generated by the program, and the ordinance stipulates that preference be given to not-for-profit arts organizations with budgets of $1 million or less. The ordinance also calls for a "maximum degree of cultural and ethnic diversity be achieved among recipients of funds, to insure that minority, disabled, lesbian/gay and other nonprofit arts organizations may share in the benefits of this Fund."

In 2003 the program awarded about $100,000 to 36 organizations.

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