Donate to Music City Artist Development

Music City Artist Development is an award-winning 501(c)3 non-profit with over six years of experience supporting Bay Area arts and culture. Music City Artist Development is dedicated to supporting all of the programs and activities at Music City Starfactory and the Bay Area music scene.

Annually, we book over 300 commission-free gigs for local musicians, connecting local musicians with opportunities to make a living in the arts. For example, from 2023 - 2025, we hosted the bi-monthly Fern Alley Concert series, which has brought entertainment and revitalization to San Francisco's Lower Polk neighborhood.

Music City Artist Development is honored to have received the prestigious Culture and Arts Award from Avenue Greenlight, celebrating the series' impact on arts and community revitalization, and has been recognized with a Certificate of Honor from the San Francisco Board of Supervisors.

In 2020, San Francisco commissioned a Sound Diplomacy study to identify a plan to rebuild arts and culture in the city. Music City's initiative as a hub for music was identified as a prime solution to bringing back a vibrant music scene in San Francisco. This hub - the Music City Starfactory - has been built and is a fully-operational ecosystem built for musicians, but we need your help to keep the music alive.

Now, Music City Artist Development has the exciting opportunity to continue and expand our impact. We are fundraising to reach our $5 million goal. With your support, our award-winning charity can secure the future of our cultural epicenter and take it to the next level.

Your contribution will allow us to:

• Educational scholarships for underserved musicians through our education and artist development programs
• Completion and growth of the ONLY San Francisco Music Hall of Fame, preserving local music history, attracting tourism, and supporting the city’s economy
• Booking commission-free gigs for local musicians, continuing a 6+ year track record of over 300 gigs booked annually
• Maintain accessible, clean, and fully-backlined rehearsal spaces for local musicians to use at affordable prices
• Provide low-cost student and artist housing in San Francisco, so that more artists can afford to live in the Bay Area
• Developing new artist programs and initiatives to nurture talent and strengthen community
• Maintain our live music venue as a home for commission-free gig opportunities and community events
• Record and share professional, high quality video assets with artists for career development, educational, and artist promotional purposes
• Staff and maintain a 24-hour broadcast network to share high-quality recordings and livestreams of local music events with the world
• Sustain a musical hub in the heart of the city for artists to connect, collaborate, perform, and create together.
• Operational and administrative needs, including office space and staff to support and accelerate our positive impact on the San Francisco Music ecosystem and the Bay Area economy

Regardless of whether we reach our goal for this campaign, your support enables Music City Artist Development to change more lives than ever before. We will be able to holistically nurture the lives and careers of local musicians, revitalize Bay Area arts and culture, preserve our local history, and share local talent with the world.

A message from our founder, Rudy Colombini:

“I have dedicated my life, my heart, and every resource I could gather to building a place where artists of every background, every age, and every dream can come together, to learn, collaborate, perform, grow, and be part of something bigger than themselves.

If music has touched your life, inspired you, or given you hope for the future of San Francisco, I ask, from my heart, that you stand with us now.

Every donation keeps the music alive. Every contribution helps protect something irreplaceable. Every act of support moves us closer to a stronger, more vibrant San Francisco.”