SAN FRANCISCO, CA.- With a major gift from SF philanthropists Arthur and Toni Rembe Rock and recent funding from the California Natural Resources Agency’s Museum Grants Program, San Francisco’s Museum of the African Diaspora significantly advances its vision to become the leading contemporary art museum dedicated to the art and artists of the African Diaspora.

The Museum of the African Diaspora (MoAD) in San Francisco announces two recent gifts and grants that radically advance its current work and vision to become the nation’s leading contemporary art museum dedicated to promoting and celebrating art from across the African Diaspora.

A $1.5 million leadership gift from long-time San Francisco residents and philanthropists Arthur and Toni Rembe Rock ensures that MoAD’s critically-acclaimed and uniquely diverse exhibitions, educational initiatives, and public programs will continue to significantly amplify diverse voices in the contemporary art world. It is the largest individual gift ever received in MoAD’s 18-year history.

“Since the start of my tenure, MoAD has been working tirelessly to build an international reputation as a leading, cutting-edge, and innovative museum, promoting some of the most established and emerging artists from across the African Diaspora,” says MoAD Executive Director Monetta White. “Arthur and Toni Rembe Rock have been supporters of MoAD since its inception. Their expanded commitment to MoAD underscores the true importance of our work and helps set a new bar for what is possible for MoAD’s future.”

Rembe Rock’s bold investment demonstrates the couple’s long-time commitment to shifting inequities and creating the possibility for change through the transformative power of the arts. “Exposure and engagement with the arts provides exponential benefits for our Black communities, particularly for our youth, whom we know continue to be disproportionately underserved and under-resourced,” adds White. “The positive impact on young Black lives, improving opportunities and possibilities, reverberates back through society at large. We are deeply grateful for the opportunities this leadership gift provides and thrilled to have such thoughtful and committed partners in the work we do to address America’s entrenched inequities.”

Additionally, a recent $500,000 fully funded grant from the California Natural Resources Agency’s Museum Grants Program enables MoAD to make important capital improvements to maintain the highest quality facility for the exhibition and stewardship of contemporary art of the African Diaspora and to offer visitors of all abilities and identities an accessible, accommodating, and comfortable experience.

Says White, “As with Arthur and Toni Rembe Rock’s support, CNRA’s grant will have a profoundly positive impact on the communities that MoAD celebrates and serves. This funding ensures that MoAD will continue to thrive and contribute to the cultural and social shifts necessary to create anti-racist systems and achieve equity.”