Entertainment Zones

Vibrant public spaces build vibrant communities.

The Entertainment Zone Event Fund provides grants to approved Entertainment Zone Leads to support programming, events, and activations within designated Entertainment Zones.

Entertainment Zones

Oakland has always expressed itself in public. Through music, art, food, festivals, neighborhood celebrations, and small businesses, our streets tell the story of who we are. Entertainment Zones build on that tradition by creating more opportunities for residents, visitors, artists, and entrepreneurs to experience Oakland's culture while strengthening the commercial corridors that connect our neighborhoods.

Established through the visionary leadership and legislation of Oakland City Councilmember Rowena Brown, Entertainment Zones are designed to help transform Oakland's commercial corridors into vibrant destinations where culture, commerce, and community come together. In partnership with the City of Oakland, The Oakland Fund serves as the initiative's implementation partner, working alongside local businesses, artists, neighborhood organizations, cultural institutions, residents, and philanthropic partners to help bring that vision to life.

Because when people gather, cities thrive.

Our Vision

We believe Oakland's public spaces should reflect the creativity, diversity, and energy of the people who call this city home.

Entertainment Zones create opportunities for neighborhoods to celebrate their unique identities while supporting small businesses, strengthening local economies, activating public spaces, and creating welcoming places where residents and visitors want to spend time together.

Every event, performance, gathering, and shared experience creates opportunities for local businesses to grow, neighbors to connect, and Oakland's culture to shine. Vibrant public spaces don't happen by accident. They are built through partnerships, local leadership, and intentional investment in the people and places that make Oakland unique.

Our Approach

Support Local Businesses

Restaurants, cafés, retailers, artists, musicians, and entrepreneurs are the heart of Oakland's commercial corridors. Entertainment Zones help create the conditions for local businesses to attract more customers, grow, and contribute to thriving neighborhood economies.

Activate Public Spaces

Great public spaces invite people to linger, explore, and connect. Through events, arts, music, outdoor dining, and community programming, we help transform streets, plazas, and commercial corridors into welcoming places filled with activity and life.

Celebrate Oakland's Culture

Oakland's greatest asset is its people. Entertainment Zones elevate local artists, musicians, cultural organizations, and neighborhood traditions while creating opportunities for residents and visitors to experience the richness of Oakland's diverse communities.

Strengthen Community Safety Through Activation

Safe communities are built through more than enforcement alone. Vibrant public spaces, active streets, and strong neighborhood connections contribute to environments where people feel welcome, businesses flourish, and communities look out for one another.

Build Community Belonging

The strongest neighborhoods are places where people know one another, celebrate together, and feel connected to where they live. Entertainment Zones help create those everyday moments that strengthen civic life and deepen community.

Why Entertainment Zones?

Thriving commercial corridors create ripple effects throughout a city.

When local businesses succeed, jobs grow.

When public spaces are active, neighborhoods become more welcoming.

When artists, entrepreneurs, and community organizations have opportunities to share their work, culture flourishes.

When people spend time together, trust and belonging grow stronger.

Entertainment Zones are about creating those ripple effects, helping Oakland become a city where economic opportunity, cultural vibrancy, and community well-being reinforce one another.

A New Model for Oakland

Entertainment Zones are more than an economic development strategy.

They represent a new model for how cities can strengthen local economies while celebrating culture, supporting small businesses, and creating more welcoming public spaces.

Together with Councilmember Rowena Brown, the City of Oakland, local businesses, artists, residents, and community partners, we're helping build an Oakland where commercial corridors are not simply places people pass through—but places where they gather, connect, celebrate, and belong.

Together, we're helping build an Oakland where local businesses thrive, public spaces come alive, and every neighborhood has more opportunities to gather, celebrate, and belong.

Entertainment Zone Event Fund

Bring Your Approved Entertainment Zone Management Plan To Life!

The Entertainment Zone Event Fund provides grants to approved Entertainment Zone Leads to support programming, events, and activations within designated Entertainment Zones.

The Entertainment Zone Event Fund is available only after the City of Oakland has approved your Entertainment Zone Management Plan.

Apply Now!

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

  • No. This Entertainment Zone Event Fund request for application (RFA) is available only to organizations supporting communities in the city of Oakland and in the designated Entertainment Zone area.

  • You can safely save and resume your proposal and upload your budget documents any time before the proposal deadline. You will also be able to check the status of your proposal once it has been successfully submitted. Please be sure that your proposal is complete prior to submission. Upon submission of your proposal, you will receive an email confirming receipt. Please let us know if you did not get a confirmation email by emailing us at irving@oaklandfund.org with the subject line “Missing Email Confirmation.”

  • To make decisions about financial sustainability, we ask that you provide a clear and current budget for your organization and a fiscal sponsor letter. Please see the budget application for further information.

  • Yes, and this is strictly for EZ Leads who will be hosting EZ events in the approved EZ areas in the City of Oakland.

  • This is based on legislation approved by the Oakland City Council in December 2025. Click here to read the full report.

    If you have specific questions about your eligibility, please reach out to us at irving@oaklandfund.org.

  • Once you have completed the application, you will receive a confirmation email with a link to an experience survey. We welcome your feedback on the application process and experience.

  • This is based on legislation approved by the Oakland City Council on November 13, 2025. Click here to read the full report.

  • The City of Oakland reviewed this Webpage as well as approved each of the following sections: Funding Criteria, Eligibility Requirements, Process & Timeline, Confidently, and FAQs.

  • The application portal will open twice: once in Fall 2026 and again in summer of 2027. A total of $400,000 has been set aside: $100,000 allocated for FY26 and $300,000 for FY27. This is a one-time grant opportunity available to the four pilot projects.

  • Selected EZ Leads will receive a one-time grant of up to $25,000, with a total of $100,000 available across all awards.

  • The Oakland Fund team reviews the funding request to confirm the application meets both the fund's eligibility criteria and its funding requirements, with particular attention to the budget and whether the expenses requested are eligible. If anything needs clarification during this review, we reach back out to the EZ lead applicant to confirm details or align before moving forward.

    Once we've confirmed all conditions are met, we move to executing the grant agreement. At that stage, the EZ Lead also submits their performance and reporting metrics, so that's built into the agreement itself, not something that comes later.

    Once the agreement is executed, we disburse the grant funds.

    If you have specific questions about your eligibility, please reach out to us at irving@oaklandfund.org

Need Help?

If you have additional questions about the Entertainment Zone Event Fund, please email Irving Torres, Program Manager, Economic Innovation at irving@oaklandfund.org.