San Francisco Arts Commission Grantees Still Unpaid Months After Awards

Multiple San Francisco Arts Commission grantees report receiving no payment months after awards were expected, despite the agency's July revision of a reimbursement policy that had forced low-income artists into debt. Documentary filmmaker and three-time grantee Susannah Smith said she has borrowed thousands of dollars from friends and family and called her mother for help, noting she had never paid rent late in her life. Painter Shrey Purohit contacted 12 of the 59 grantees in his category; none had been paid, and he said staff repeatedly told him "two more weeks." In September he began posting Instagram videos, one observing that his landlord does not accept the excuse that the city has not paid him. Grant agreements typically go out in early July with funds arriving within four weeks; as of October, at least two artists received their agreements only after the Chronicle inquired. Executive Director of Arts and Culture Matthew Goudeau apologized for the uncertainty and cited the merger of the city's three arts agencies and the shift to advance payments as obstacles. Smith questioned the efficiency claims behind the merger. Spokesperson Coma Te said payment would come "as quickly as possible," but as of Friday, Oct. 16, the city had guaranteed no date.