San Francisco Museums are Free This Summer for Residents Who Receive Public Benefits

This summer, certain low-income San Francisco residents will be able to see de Young’s Ed Hardy exhibit, the Museum of the African Diaspora’s post-colonial Caribbean art exhibit and many, many others for free.

On Wednesday, Mayor London Breed announced her new Museums for All program, which offers free general admission to over a dozen museums and cultural centers for low-income San Francisco residents who receive public benefits such as Medi-Cal and CalFresh. Nearly one in four San Franciscans are eligible to participate, according to Breed’s office, as the new program covers over 210,000 residents.

“Research tells us that exposure to the arts increases health and educational outcomes for all people,” said the San Francisco Arts Commission’s Tom DeCaigny, in a statement. “We hope this program will have a lasting positive effect on the community and foster more participation in the arts across the city.”

The participating museums cover a vast range of artistic tastes and intellectual interests, and include the Asian Art Museum, the Botanical Garden, the Cartoon Art Museum, the Conservatory of Flowers, the Contemporary Jewish Museum, the de Young Museum, the Japanese Tea Garden, the Legion of Honor, the Museum of the African Diaspora, the Museum of Craft and Design, the Presidio Trust, the Randall Museum, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, and the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts.

To participate, residents must bring their Medi-Cal or EBT card in addition to proof of residence such as a driver’s license, student ID or library card. The program runs from June 1–Sept. 2.

For a preview of this summer’s most highly anticipated museum shows, check out our handy Summer Guide. Learn more about the Museums for All program here.

Correction: This post has been updated to reflect that the Walt Disney Family Museum is not part of the Museums for All program. It was erroneously included in the program’s original announcement.