The San Diego Museum of Art (SDMA) recently announced that it is a recipient of the ‘Access for All’ grant funded by the Art Bridges Foundation, a national arts nonprofit founded by philanthropist Alice Walton.

SDMA will receive $1.6 million over three years to develop tailored programming for the local community, to launch in January 2024, including:

• Underwriting free admission on a designated “Access for All Day” Designing interdisciplinary and culturally responsive programs relevant to community interest
• Providing fully bilingual Spanish-English interpretation, assistive listening and visual systems, marketing, and programming
• Working with local organizations to provide additional accessibility
• Creating dedicated staff positions responsible for the creation of community engagement programming and more

Advancing Accessibility with ‘Access for All’ Grant

Access for All is a $40 million nationwide initiative from Art Bridges Foundation aimed at closing access and opportunity gaps that prevent all communities from experiencing art. 

This $40 million in funding to 64 art museums and cultural institutions nationwide, aims to increase access to art across the country and foster engagement with local communities by covering the costs of free admission days and expanded free hours, as well as programming, outreach and community partnerships that will eliminate many common barriers to access.

Getting People Back to Museums

The Art Bridges Access for All initiative represents a sweeping effort to get people back to museums after COVID-19 brought revenue, staffing, and attendance declines. With many museums seeing just 71 percent of their pre-pandemic attendance, the new initiative aims to restore pre-pandemic levels – and open opportunities for all people to enjoy art by reducing barriers to access and strengthening community relationships.

“As an institution, we are honored to be a recipient of the ‘Access for All’ grant from the Art Bridges Foundation,” said Roxana Velásquez, Maruja Baldwin Executive Director and CEO at The San Diego Museum of Art. “We are deeply grateful to be recognized alongside many other historic institutions, and we are excited to increase initiatives, programming and partnerships that empower us to better reach, serve and impact our communities.”

Impactful Initiatives and Partnerships

“We are thrilled to launch Access for All, a historic partnership with cultural institutions across the country to make it easier for people in every U.S. region to see and experience art. At Art Bridges, we can’t wait to see our trusted partners get creative and deliver impact to their communities,” said Alice Walton, founder and board chair of Art Bridges.

“In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, we are confident Access for All will not only help to rebuild museum attendance but also bring more people than ever into museum galleries and reshape the arts world as one that is open to all.”

For more information on The San Diego Museum of Art and to purchase tickets, visit here.

See you there, San Diego!