San Francisco Chamber Orchestra Inc.

San Francisco Chamber Orchestra Inc., operating as SFCO, is a tax-exempt nonprofit organization headquartered in Oakland, California, that has been registered to receive federal awards since May 2009. The organization provides cultural and artistic services to the federal government through grant funding mechanisms, specifically supporting the commissioning, performance, and presentation of contemporary classical music works. As a nonprofit entity, SFCO leverages federal support to advance its mission of promoting new compositions and emerging talent within the classical music landscape.

SFCO has received five prime federal grant awards exclusively from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) between June 2021 and August 2025, all structured as project grants rather than contracts. The organization's grant-funded work has primarily focused on collaborative initiatives with the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, including the Michael Morgan Prize commissioning and performance project, the Emerging Black Composers Project, and a New Works Program. These projects have supported artist fees, commissioning costs, and performance presentation activities aimed at creating and showcasing new compositions. Additionally, SFCO received pandemic-related support in June 2021 to address general operating costs in response to COVID-19. The grant awards demonstrate SFCO's consistent engagement in arts funding and its strategic partnerships with educational institutions to advance contemporary classical music and foster opportunities for emerging composers, particularly within underrepresented communities. SFCO has not served as a prime awardee on any federal contracts, nor has it engaged subcontractors through federal grant mechanisms.