SHADETREE HISTORICAL ARTISAN DEVELOPMENT ENGINE
To preserve and steward affordable live/work housing for artists and low-income residents by acquiring, renovating, and maintaining the historic Shadetree property, and to protect the site’s cultural heritage while advancing models for legalizing creative community housing.
About SHADETREE HISTORICAL ARTISAN DEVELOPMENT ENGINE
Shadetree Historical Artisan Development Engine (SHADE) is a resident-led 501(c)(3) nonprofit based in Oakland, CA that owns and operates the historic Shadetree live/work compound. It exists to protect affordable housing for artists and other low-income residents while preserving a distinctive cultural and historical asset on the Oakland waterfront. SHADE was formed when long-term residents organized to purchase and secure the property; in recent years the organization has partnered with the Bay Area Community Land Trust and the City of Oakland to finance major legal, safety, and renovation work. The organization continues to serve as a local model for resident-led preservation and legalization of creative live/work spaces, reporting active program revenue and recent Form 990 filings for 2023–2024.
Notable achievements
Resident-led purchase and preservation
Residents formed SHADE and raised the funds and loans necessary to purchase the Shadetree property (campaign led by Donna Smithey), preventing eviction and demolition and preserving the site as long-term affordable live/work housing.
Major city grant and loan payoff (Nov 2024)
SHADE secured a $2.5M grant through Oakland’s Measure KK and had $2.3M committed for renovations; the organization reported paying off the $2.8M in purchase loans in November 2024, stabilizing its financial position for capital work.
Partnerships for renovation and legalization
SHADE partnered with Bay Area Community Land Trust (BACLT), Safer DIY Spaces and other local partners to co-sponsor City loans, donate land interest to BACLT, and carry out substantial renovation and code-compliance work to legalize and improve the live/work units.
At a glance
- Total assets
- $4.5M
- Annual revenue
- $323K
- Tax status
- 501(c)(3)Public charity
- EIN
- 82-1271323
- Location
- Oakland, CA
- Website
- www.shadetreeartisans.org
- On Mahalo since
- May 2026
Financial figures from the IRS Business Master File, the IRS’s registry of tax-exempt organizations.
Recognition
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