San Francisco Offers Free Museum Admissions for Low-Income Residents

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As cities and museums start opening up across America, San Francisco, California, is opening its museum doors. To make the transition easier, residents can enjoy the beauty and art of various facilities at discounted and free rates for at least 21 museums in the city.

This initiative was provided by the new Museums for All program. According to the Museums of All website, you can search up museums in your area and across any state.

For example, for San Francisco, these include:

• California Academy of Science
• Conservatory of Flowers
• San Francisco Botanical Garden
• Legion of Honor Museum
• Children's Creativity Museum
• Museum of Craft and Design
• Asian Art Museum
• Cartoon Art Museum
• Cable Car Museum
• Exploratorium
• The Contemporary Jewish Museum
• San Francisco Railway Museum
• Japanese Tea Garden
• Randall Museum
• Chinese Historical Society of America
• Museum of the African Diaspora
• San Francisco Museum of Modern Art
• De Young Museum
• Chinese Culture Center of San Francisco
• GLBT Historical Society Museum

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The beauty is that in San Franciso, the program was created by San Francisco Treasurer Jose Cisneros’ Financial Justice Project. According to the Financial Justice Project's website, they assess and reform fees or fines that have major impacts on low-income people and/or communities of color.

From there, the Financial Justice Project works to ensure that the low-income residents of San Francisco can receive discounts on disproportionately high fines and fees.

As Jose mentioned:

“No one should be excluded from our world-class museums because of the size of their wallet. A truly inclusive city is one where all residents have the opportunity to experience the wonder and excitement of our museums and cultural institutions.”

Additional partners and sponsors include BAYCAT Studio, the San Francisco Arts Commission, and San Francisco Grants for the Arts.

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This project is also part of Mayor London Nicole Breed’s commitment to promoting equal access to cultural, educational, and arts opportunities.

After a successful initial launch in the summer of 2019, the program is back for a permanent run. You see, back in 2019, more than 25,000 free admissions were redeemed across multiple cultural institutions and museums.

According to the Mayor:

"All San Franciscans, regardless of their income, deserve the opportunity to experience the joy and inspiration, and community that our incredible arts and cultural institutions have to offer."

The Mayor also reportedly said:

“As our city recovers and reopens, a permanent San Francisco Museums for All programs will give families an opportunity to engage in safe, healthy, and enriching activities at a time when they need it most.”

The San Francisco Human Services Agency coordinates the Museums for All program.

All residents who are receiving public benefits through the Human Services Agency can qualify for discounted or free admissions at participating museums. To simply participate, you just need to present your Medi-Cal card or Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) card, as well as proof that you live in San Francisco.

As Trent Rhorer, Executive Director of the San Francisco Human Services Agency, stated:

"The San Francisco Museums for All program has been incredibly successful, and I am thankful to our museums and government partners for their continued commitment to equity. We’re coming together to invite all households who receive public benefits to visit our world-class museums so they too can experience the cultural abundance of our city.”

For now, this program will benefit at least 225,000 San Franciscans who have equal access to the city's famous museums. As mentioned earlier, there are many places accepting this program, just make sure to double-check the list found here.

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It's estimated by city officials that a typical museum trip for a family of four in San Francisco can range between $20 all the way to over $150, which can put a serious dent in your pocket, especially if you're from a low-income family.

It's great that San Francisco, California, has many projects aimed to help low-income families, such as the Museums for All program. Perhaps other cities and states have something similar. For now, the arts an important part of making San Francisco vibrant again, especially with stimulating interest in the arts and culture industries. In due time, this investment will bring further interest, especially in the years to come.

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